visitor to his
wife; and as the two acknowledged the introduction, I stole a glance
at Mr. Egerton's face. It was paler than usual; and the expression
of Mrs. Darrell's countenance seemed in a manner reflected in it. It
was not possible that such looks could be without some significance.
I felt convinced that these two people had met before.

There was a change in Mr. Egerton's manner from the moment of that
introduction. He laid down Milly's sketch without another word, and
stood with his eyes fixed on Augusta Darrell's face with a strange
half-bewildered look, like a man who doubts the evidence of his own
senses. Mrs. Darrell, on the contrary, seemed, after that one look
which I had seen, quite at her ease, and rattled on gaily about the
delight of travelling in the Tyrol, as compared to the dulness of
life at Thornleigh.

'I hope you will enliven us a little, Mr. Egerton,' she said. 'It is
quite an agreeable surprise to find a new neighbour.'

'I ought to be very much flattered by that remark; but I doubt my
power to add to the liveliness of this part of the world. And I do
not think I shall stay much longer at Cumber.'

Milly glanced up at him with a surprised look.

'Mrs. Collingwood told us you were quite settled at the Priory,' she
said, 'and that you intended to spend the rest of your days as a
country squire.'

'I may have dreamed such a dream sometimes, Miss Darrell; but there
are dreams that never fulfil themselves.'

He had recovered himself by this time, and spoke in his accustomed
tone. Mr. Darrell asked him to dinner on an early day, when I knew
the Rectory people were coming to us, and the invitation was
accepted.

Julian Stormont had followed Mrs. Darrell in from the terrace, and
had remained in the background, a very attentive listener and
observer during the conversation that followed.

'So that is Angus Egerton,' he said, when our visitor had left us.

'Yes, Julian. O, by the bye, I forgot to introduce you; you came in
so quietly,' answered Mr. Darrell.

'I can't say I particularly care about the honour of knowing that
gentleman,' said Mr. Stormont in a half-contemptuous tone.

'Why not?' Milly asked quickly.

'Because I never heard any goof of him.'

'But he has reformed, it seems,' said Mr. Darrell, 'and is leading
quite a steady life at Cumber, the Collingwoods tell me. Augusta and
I called at the Rectory this morning, and the Rector and his wife
talked a good deal of him. I was