ving been bruised all over, after his second interview with Travers,
and his talk with Doctor Newington in the library. Louisa did him
good. She was calm and sensible and a woman of the world. She never
puzzled Luke, nor had she that vague longing to be misunderstood, the
peculiar attribute of the woman of to-day. In face of her serenity he
almost despised himself for the intensity of his own passion. She was
so pure, so womanly in her tenderness, a girl still, she was hardly
conscious of passion. But she knew that he was in pain--morally and
mentally in pain--and that worse was yet to come; and she, the
commonplace, sensible girl, brought forth her full array of calm and
of triviality, checking by a placid smile the faintest onrush of
passion in him, for passion could but torture him now, when his very
soul was troubled and every nerve on the jar.

And thus Colonel Harris found them.

When he entered, Louisa was recounting to Luke the menu of last
night's dinner.

"And 'Homard a la Danoise' was a perfect dream," she was saying. "I
suppose it would not be etiquette to ask Her Excellency for the
recipe."

Luke rose as the colonel entered and passed his hand across the back
of his smooth head, a gesture peculiarly English and peculiarly his
own. The older man was undoubtedly the most troubled of the three.

"It's a damnable business this," he said as soon as he had shaken Luke
by the hand and thrown off hat and coat.

"Does Sir Thomas Ryder," asked Luke lightly, "also think that I have
murdered Philip?"

He knew where Colonel Harris had been. Louisa had not thought of
keeping this from him.

"Tom's a fool!" retorted the colonel involuntarily.

It was tantamount to an avowal. Luke never flinched; he even contrived
to smile. Louisa sat up very straight, and with an instinctive
movement gave the sofa cushions a nervy shake up. But her eyes were
fastened on Luke.

"Don't worry, sir," said Luke very quietly. "I'll get out of it all in
good time."

"Of course you will! Damn it all!" ejaculated the other fervently.

"The inquest you know is to-morrow."

It was Luke who spoke and Colonel Harris looked up quickly.

"Then," he said, "surely some light will be thrown on this mysterious
business."

"Let's hope so, sir," rejoined Luke dryly.

"Has Uncle Ryder told you anything fresh, father? Anything that we
don't yet know?"

Colonel Harris did not reply, and Louisa knew that there was something
that Uncle Ryde