my and
almost angry brow, could she have seen him; and then he thought he
would ask her whether there was any other love which had brought
about her scorn for him. It did not occur to him, at the first
moment, that in doing so he would insult and injure her.

"At any rate I am not flattered by a reply which is at once so
decided," he began by saying.

"Oh! Mr. Orme, do not make me more unhappy--"

"But perhaps I am too late. Perhaps--" Then he remembered himself and
paused. "Never mind," he said, speaking to himself rather than to
her. "Good-bye, Miss Staveley. You will at any rate say good-bye to
me. I shall go at once now."

"Go at once! Go away, Mr. Orme?"

"Yes; why should I stay here? Do you think that I could sit down to
table with you all after that? I will ask your brother to explain my
going; I shall find him in his room. Good-bye."

She took his hand mechanically, and then he left her. When she came
down to dinner she looked furtively round to his place and saw that
it was vacant.

CHAPTER XXXI

FOOTSTEPS IN THE CORRIDOR

"Upon my word I am very sorry," said the judge. "But what made him go
off so suddenly? I hope there's nobody ill at The Cleeve!" And then
the judge took his first spoonful of soup.

"No, no; there is nothing of that sort," said Augustus. "His
grandfather wants him, and Orme thought he might as well start at
once. He was always a sudden harum-scarum fellow like that."

"He's a very pleasant, nice young man," said Lady Staveley; "and
never gives himself any airs. I like him exceedingly."

Poor Madeline did not dare to look either at her mother or her
brother, but she would have given much to know whether either of them
were aware of the cause which had sent Peregrine Orme so suddenly
away from the house. At first she thought that Augustus surely did
know, and she was wretched as she thought that he might probably
speak to her on the subject. But he went on talking about Orme and
his abrupt departure till she became convinced that he knew nothing
and suspected nothing of what had occurred.

But her mother said never a word after that eulogium which she had
uttered, and Madeline read that eulogium altogether aright. It said
to her ears that if ever young Orme should again come forward with
his suit, her mother would be prepared to receive him as a suitor;
and it said, moreover, that if that suitor had been already sent away
by any harsh answer, she would not sympathise w