those
two alone.

The pause had been sufficient to enable Mr. Caryll to recover, and for
all that his pulses throbbed more quickly than their habit, outwardly he
maintained his lazily indifferent pose, as if entirely unconscious that
what he had said had occasioned his father the least disturbance.

"You--you dwelt at Maligny?" said his lordship, the usual high color all
vanished from his face. And again: "You dwelt at Maligny, and--and--your
name is Caryll."

Mr. Caryll looked up quickly, as if suddenly aware that his lordship was
expressing surprise. "Why, yes," said he. "What is there odd in that?"

"How does it happen that you come to live there? Are you at all
connected with the family of Maligny? On your mother's side, perhaps?"

Mr. Caryll took up his wine-glass. "I take it," said he easily, "that
there was some such family at some time. But it is clear it must have
fallen upon evil days." He sipped at his wine. "There are none left
now," he explained, as he set down his glass. "The last of them died,
I believe, in England." His eyes turned full upon the earl, but their
glance seemed entirely idle. "It was in consequence of that that my
father was enabled to purchase the estate."

Mr. Caryll accounted it no lie that he suppressed the fact that the
father to whom he referred was but his father by adoption.

Relief spread instantly upon Lord Ostermore's countenance. Clearly,
he saw, here was pure coincidence, and nothing more. Indeed, what else
should there have been? What was it that he had feared? He did not know.
Still he accounted it an odd matter, and said so.

"What is odd?" inquired Mr. Caryll. "Does it happen that your lordship
was acquainted at any time with that vanished family?"

"I was, sir--slightly acquainted--at one time with one or two of its
members. 'Tis that that is odd. You see, sir, my name, too, happens to
be Caryll."

"True--yet I see nothing so oddly coincident in the matter, particularly
if your acquaintance with these Malignys was but slight."

"Indeed, you are right. You are right. There is no such great
coincidence, when all is said. The name reminded me of a--a folly of my
youth. 'Twas that that made impression."

"A folly?" quoth Mr. Caryll, his eyebrows raised.

"Ay, a folly--a folly that went near undoing me, for had it come to
my father's ears, he had broke me without mercy. He was a hard man, my
father; a puritan in his ideas."

"A greater than your lordship?" inqu