ingly to Asshlin's excited flow of words, and
watched the bright, ardent face of the girl glowing out of the shadows.

They made a curious trio as they covered the stretch of road that led
to Orristown and passed between the heavy moss-grown piers of the big
gate, entering the deep shade of the avenue. With an instinctive care
for his horse, Asshlin went first, cautiously guiding the animal over
the ruts that time and the heavy rains had ploughed in the soft ground.
Behind him came Clodagh, Milbanke, and their following of dogs.

Once again the thought of what the evening held came unpleasantly to
Milbanke's mind as the shadow of the gaunt beech trees and the outline
of the great square house brought the position home to him afresh. Lack
imagination as he might, he realised that it was no light task to
thwart a man whose faults had been cultivated and whose
peculiarities--racial and personal--had been accentuated by a quarter
of a century of comparative isolation. But instinctively as the thought
came to him, he turned to the girl, whose erect figure had grown
indistinct in the gathering gloom.

"Miss Clodagh," he whispered, "though I may not understand, are you
satisfied to trust me?"

There was a pause; then, with one of the sudden impulses that formed so
large a part of her individuality, Clodagh put out her hand; and for an
instant her fingers and Milbanke's touched.

To every one but Asshlin, the dinner that evening was a strain. But the
silence or the uneasiness of the others was powerless to damp his
enthusiasm. His appetite was tremendous; and as he ate plentifully and
swallowed glass after glass of sherry, his excitement and his spirits
rose. With the ardour of the born sportsman, he recounted again and
again the details of the day's hunt--dwelling lovingly on the behaviour
of the dogs and horses, and the prowess of his own mount in particular.
Finally, he rose from the table with a flushed face, though a perfectly
steady gait, and, crossing the room, pulled the long bell-rope that
hung beside the fireplace.

"Now for our night, James!" he cried. "Now for my revenge!

"Clear the table, Burke," he added, as the old man appeared in answer
to the summons. "Get out the cards, and bring enough candles to light
us all to glory!" He gave a boisterous laugh; and, turning with a touch
of bravado, stood facing the picture of his great-grandfather.

Instinctively, as he turned his back upon the party, little Nan