eat glasses, humid and
immense. His lower lip drooped in an uncertain manner. He had a great
deal of nice feeling about him, had Dicky.

"I hope those men aren't making a nuisance of themselves They've had
strict orders to keep in the background I'm orf'ly upset," said Mr.
Pilkington in a thick emotional voice, "about this affair; and I want
to consider you, Miss Harden, in every possible way."

"You are very kind. But I would rather you didn't consider me, in any
way at all."

As she said this Mr. Rickman looked at her with a grave smile,
conveying (behind Mr. Pilkington's back) an unmistakable warning.

Mr. Pilkington smiled too, a large and fluttering smile as of one
indulgent to any little attempt at brilliance on the part of a young
lady under a cloud. Lucia swept him and his smile with her long and
steady gaze, a gaze which made Dicky exceedingly uncomfortable.

"I think if you have any arrangements to make, you had better see my
solicitor."

"I have an appointment," said Dicky, not without a certain dignity,
"with Mr. Schofield, to-morrow morning."

"Then I suppose what you want now is to look over the house?"

The question and the gaze were so direct that Dicky (who had meant to
amble delicately round that point for another quarter of an hour) lost
his head, dropped his eye-glass, and fairly let himself go.

"Well, perhaps as I _am_ here, I'd better 'ave a look round. Of
course--if--if it's in any way inconvenient--"

"Not in the least. You can look round at once."

She rang the bell. On her way to it she gathered up some books that
were lying out of sight and laid them on the table.

"These," she said to Rickman, "belong to the library. They must go
with the rest."

He looked at them. One was an Aldine Dante, he had seen her reading
it. He took Pilkington aside and said something to him in a tone which
Lucia could not hear. Her hand was on the door when Pilkington sprang
forward.

"One moment, Miss Harden. Everything must be sold in the regular way,
but if you'll tell me of any books you've a special fancy for, I'll
make a note of them and buy them in for you." He paused, awaiting the
breath of inspiration. It came. "For--for a merely nominal sum."

To do Dicky justice this delicate idea greatly commended itself to his
good nature. Business is business, but not willingly did Dicky inflict
pain, least of all upon a young and pretty woman. Besides he had an
eye to his reputation; he was dispose