ain quite silent for those few
minutes which elapsed between the departure from Hertford Street and
the arrival at the east side of Grosvenor Square. When she saw her
uncle coming down the steps of the doctor's house in company with the
doctor himself, she knew that the second victory had been won
to-night: that Sir Thomas Ryder would be allowed to interview Lord
Radclyffe. She had, of course, no suspicion of Doctor Newington's
conditions to the interview, but the victory gained was an important
one, and for the moment she was content.

CHAPTER XXXVIII

THE HAND OF DEATH WAS ON HIM TOO

A respectable looking butler opened the door in answer to Doctor
Newington's pull at the bell.

Luke had had time--on the day preceding the inquest--to put some
semblance of order in his uncle's household. The doctor had sent in
the nurses, and he had seen to a nice capable housekeeper being
installed in the house. She took the further management at once in her
own hands. She dismissed the drunken couple summarily and engaged a
couple of decent servants--a butler and a cook.

The house, though no less gloomy, looked certainly less lonely and
neglected.

Mr. Warren, who had been Lord Radclyffe's secretary for years, but who
had been speedily given his conge when the imposter took up his
permanent abode in the house, was installed once more in the library,
replying to the innumerable letters and telegrams of inquiry which
poured in with every post.

Louisa and Sir Thomas were shown into the room where the young man was
sitting. He rose at once, offering chairs and pushing his own work
aside. In the meanwhile the doctor had gone up stairs.

Several minutes elapsed. No one spoke. Mr. Warren, who had always
been deeply attached to Luke de Mountford, was longing to ask
questions, which, however, he was too shy to formulate. At last there
was a knock at the door and one of the nurses came in to say that Lord
Radclyffe would be pleased to see Sir Thomas Ryder up stairs.

Louisa rose at the same time as her uncle, but the latter detained her
with a gesture full of kind sympathy.

"Not just yet, my dear," he said. "I'll call you as soon as possible."

"But," she asked anxiously, "I shall be allowed to see him, shan't I?"

"I think so," he replied evasively. "But even if you do not see him,
you can trust to me. Oh, yes! you can," he added insistently, seeing
the deeply troubled look that had crept into her face at his words.