ersons," answered the
detective.

"But, man, you are two persons, that I've known off and on as Chisholm
and Nash."

"When he was one of my masters," put in the dominie, "his name was
Dowling."

"And this morning," remarked the man of aliases, with a smile, "I was
Miss Du Plessis or Martha Baggs, so Rawdon will have hard work to find
the lady of his affections."

At this juncture Coristine and his fair companions entered, and, while
the young Marjorie renewed her acquaintance, Wilkinson was gravely
introduced to one of his own teachers, to the no little amusement of the
lady herself, of the lawyer, and of the company generally who were in
the secret. Miss Carmichael explained that Mr. Perrowne had declined to
come to dinner, but would look in later in the day when Cecile came
home; whereat many smiled, and the dominie frowned heavily. Mrs.
Carruthers now announced dinner, when the Squire took in his sister,
Wilkinson, her daughter, Coristine, Marjorie, and Mr. Errol, the
hostess. All the pairs agreed in congratulating themselves on the
absence of the Grinstun man, and looked with approbation on Mr. Nash,
who, all alone but cheerful, brought up the rear. There was no room at
the table for the five youthful Carruthers, who rejoiced in the fact and
held high carnival in the kitchen with Tryphena and Tryphosa and their
maternal grandfather. Mr. Errol had said grace, and dinner was in
progress, when the hall door was heard to open, and, immediately, on
went the detective's facial disguise. But the lightness of the step that
followed it reassured him, so that his smooth features once more
appeared. Shortly afterwards Miss Du Plessis entered, apologizing for
her lateness, and taking the vacant chair between the host and the
dominie.

"I was really frightened," she said to the former, "by a dreadful little
man, with an Indian hat and a knapsack, who stopped and asked me if I
was Miss Do Please-us. When I told him that my name was Du Plessis, he
became much agitated, and cried 'Then I'm done, sold again and the money
paid,' after which he used such very bad language that I actually ran
away from him. I looked round, however, and saw him hurrying away
towards the Talfourds'." Wilkinson looked very fierce and warlike, and
attacked his food as if it were the obnoxious Rawdon.

"Cecile," said Miss Carmichael across the indignant dominie, "I told a
fib about you this morning, but quite innocently. I said you would not
be hom