otice my humble labours," replied
the old lady, expanding at once under the first word of flattery. "My
brother tells me you're connected with a great newspaper. How ennobling
that must be! It gives you such a wide scope for doing good."

Marchmont, who had hardly adopted journalism for this purpose, and was
conscious of having done his fair share of mischief in the world, made a
desperate effort to look the part assigned to him, and murmuring
something about the inspiration, to toilers like himself, of such
self-sacrificing lives as hers, abruptly turned the conversation by
alluding to the pleasure which she must have felt at her nephew's
return.

"Of course we're very glad to have him back," acceded Miss Matilda. "But
then we see little or nothing of him."

"Naturally," said the journalist, "his days must be given up to his
friends. How you must be looking forward to the time when you can have
him quite to yourself!"

The gleam that came into the old lady's eye at this remark told him
that he had not been mistaken in fancying her hostile to the strangers,
and he hastened to continue such a fruitful theme, saying:

"I suppose that, as they've been here a month now, you'll be losing them
soon."

"I can't say," she snapped. "They seem to be staying for an indefinite
period."

"Really?" he replied. "I shouldn't have fancied that your nephew would
have found them very congenial. Indeed, if you'll pardon my frankness, I
was rather surprised to meet them here."

Miss Matilda at once gave him her undivided attention.

"You knew them in America?" she asked.

"Of course I knew about them. I was hardly acquainted personally."

It was his tone rather than his words that lent an unfavourable colour
to the remark, but the implication was not lost on the Bishop's sister.
Here at last was a man who could give her the information she was most
anxious to obtain.

"I should have supposed," she ventured, "that you'd have known such very
intimate friends of Cecil's as these appear to be."

"Oh, no," he returned. "New York's a big place. I dare say you know much
more about them than I do."

"I know nothing!" she burst out. "Strange as it may appear to you, my
nephew has never told me one word concerning his guests, though I'm
expected to receive them under my--his father's roof and introduce them
to my friends."

"I see," replied Marchmont cautiously. "Cecil should have trusted to
your excellent discrimination and judgm