e real victim
would be that sweetest of all girls, Nora Rowley. Mr. Glascock
innocently asked why Nora Rowley should be a victim. "Don't you
understand, Mr. Glascock, how the most remote connection with a
thing of that kind tarnishes a young woman's standing in the world?"
Mr. Glascock was almost angry with the well-pleased Countess as he
declared that he could not see that Miss Rowley's standing was at all
tarnished; and old Lady Milborough, when he got up and left her, felt
that she had done a good morning's work. If Nora could have known it
all, Nora ought to have been very grateful, for Mr. Glascock got into
a cab in Eccleston Square and had himself driven direct to Curzon
Street. He himself believed that he was at that moment only doing the
thing which he had for some time past resolved that he would do; but
we perhaps may be justified in thinking that the actual resolution
was first fixed by the discretion of Lady Milborough's communication.
At any rate he arrived in Curzon Street with his mind fully resolved,
and had spent the minutes in the cab considering how he had better
perform the business in hand.

He was at once shown into the drawing-room, where he found the two
sisters, and Mrs. Trevelyan, as soon as she saw him, understood the
purpose of his coming. There was an air of determination about him, a
manifest intention of doing something, an absence of that vagueness
which almost always flavours a morning visit. This was so strongly
marked that Mrs. Trevelyan felt that she would have been almost
justified in getting up and declaring that, as this visit was paid
to her sister, she would retire. But any such declaration on her
part was unnecessary, as Mr. Glascock had not been in the room three
minutes before he asked her to go. By some clever device of his own,
he got her into the back room and whispered to her that he wanted to
say a few words in private to her sister.

"Oh, certainly," said Mrs. Trevelyan, smiling.

"I dare say you may guess what they are," said he. "I don't know what
chance I may have."

"I can tell you nothing about that," she replied, "as I know nothing.
But you have my good wishes."

And then she went.

It may be presumed that gradually some idea of Mr. Glascock's
intention had made its way into Nora's mind by the time that she
found herself alone with that gentleman. Why else had he brought into
the room with him that manifest air of a purpose? Why else had he
taken the very