rity in adopting the idea of having
Swithin to dinner, and she ignored his 'youthful errors' so completely,
as almost to betray herself. In fulfilment of her promise to see him
oftener she had been intending to run across to Swithin on that identical
evening. Now the trouble would be saved in a very delightful way, by the
exercise of a little hospitality which Viviette herself would not have
dared to suggest.

Dinner-time came and with it Swithin, exhibiting rather a blushing and
nervous manner that was, unfortunately, more likely to betray their cause
than was Viviette's own more practised bearing. Throughout the meal
Louis sat like a spider in the corner of his web, observing them
narrowly, and at moments flinging out an artful thread here and there,
with a view to their entanglement. But they underwent the ordeal
marvellously well. Perhaps the actual tie between them, through being so
much closer and of so much more practical a nature than even their critic
supposed it, was in itself a protection against their exhibiting that
ultra-reciprocity of manner which, if they had been merely lovers, might
have betrayed them.

After dinner the trio duly adjourned to the library as had been planned,
and the volumes were brought forth by Louis with the zest of a
bibliophilist. Swithin had seen most of them before, and thought but
little of them; but the pleasure of staying in the house made him welcome
any reason for doing so, and he willingly looked at whatever was put
before him, from Bertius's Ptolemy to Rees's Cyclopaedia.

The evening thus passed away, and it began to grow late. Swithin who,
among other things, had planned to go to Greenwich next day to view the
Royal Observatory, would every now and then start up and prepare to leave
for home, when Glanville would unearth some other volume and so detain
him yet another half-hour.

'By George!' he said, looking at the clock when Swithin was at last
really about to depart. 'I didn't know it was so late. Why not stay
here to-night, St. Cleeve? It is very dark, and the way to your place is
an awkward cross-cut over the fields.'

'It would not inconvenience us at all, Mr. St. Cleeve, if you would care
to stay,' said Lady Constantine.

'I am afraid--the fact is, I wanted to take an observation at twenty
minutes past two,' began Swithin.

'Oh, now, never mind your observation,' said Louis. 'That's only an
excuse. Do that to-morrow night. Now you will stay.