hat's the matter?'

'Intolerable!--insulting! Me? What does he mean?' continued Guy, his
passion kindling more and more. 'Proofs? I should like to see them!
The man is crazy! I to confess! Ha!' as he came towards the end, 'I
see it,--I see it. It is Philip, is it, that I have to thank. Meddling
coxcomb! I'll make him repent it,' added he, with a grim fierceness of
determination. Slandering me to them! And that,'--looking at the words
with regard to Amy,--'that passes all. He shall see what it is to insult
me!'

'What is it? Your guardian out of humour?' asked his companion.

'My guardian is a mere weak fool. I don't blame him,--he can't help it;
but to see him made a tool of! He twists him round his finger, abuses
his weakness to insult--to accuse. But he shall give me an account!'

Guy's voice had grown lower and more husky; but though the sound sunk,
the force of passion rather increased than diminished; it was like the
low distant sweep of the tempest as it whirls away, preparing to return
with yet more tremendous might. His colour, too, had faded to paleness,
but the veins were still swollen, purple, and throbbing, and there was
a stillness about him that made his wrath more than fierce, intense,
almost appalling.

Harry Graham was dumb with astonishment; but while Guy spoke, Mrs.
Henley had come down, and was standing before them, beginning a
greeting. The blood rushed back into Guy's cheeks, and, controlling his
voice with powerful effort, he said,--

'I have had an insulting--an unpleasant letter,' he added, catching
himself up. 'You must excuse me;' and he was gone.

'What has happened?' exclaimed Mrs. Henley, though, from her brother's
letter, as well as from her observations during a long and purposely
slow progress, along a railed gallery overhanging the hall, and down a
winding staircase, she knew pretty well the whole history of his anger.

'I don't know,' said young Graham. 'Some absurd, person interfering
between him and his guardian. I should be sorry to be him to fall in his
way just now. It must be something properly bad. I never saw a man in
such a rage. I think I had better go after him, and see what he has done
with himself.'

'You don't think,' said Mrs. Henley, detaining him, 'that his guardian
could have been finding fault with him with reason?'

'Who? Morville? His guardian must have a sharp eye for picking holes, if
he can find any in Morville. Not a steadier fellow going,--only too