the Honourable John Ruffin had seen
him. His eyes were positively gleaming with a manly fire.

"By Jove--by _Jove_!" said the Honourable John Ruffin softly.

"I thought you'd see it," said the duke complacently.

The Honourable John Ruffin rose from his chair, strode solemnly across
the hearthrug, seized the duke's hand, wrung it, and in a voice
trembling with emotion said:

"Osterley, I have done you an injustice. I have underrated your
intellect. Under that mild and irritated appearance you hide
genius--veritable genius. The idea is, as you say, roundabout, but it
will work. It will certainly work. You are dealing with a woman."

The duke smiled with an air of the deepest self-satisfaction.
Compliments from the Honourable John Ruffin were indeed rare.

"Yes; that's what I thought," he said. Then he chuckled, and added:

"Won't Caroline be mad when she finds I'm running another Marion?"

"'Mad' isn't the word for it," said the Honourable John Ruffin with
conviction.

"I shall certainly be getting a little of my own back," said the duke,
beaming.

The Honourable John Ruffin frowned at him heavily and said in a tone of
the coldest severity:

"That's a stupid way of looking at it. The important thing about your
idea is that it will very likely bring you together again. But I
wonder if you can work it. You won't find it an easy job."

"It all depends on whether Mary Bride can take Marion's place," said
the duke somewhat anxiously.

The Honourable John Ruffin looked at him queerly. It was not for him
to say that Pollyooly had already spent a fortnight at Ricksborough
Court as Lady Marion and that during that fortnight the duke had been
as completely duped as his household.

He only said:

"It isn't Pollyooly I'm doubtful about. You need have no fears about
her. She's by far the cleverest child I know, and she'll play her part
all right. But, unfortunately, when you kidnapped her in Piccadilly
and took her to Ricksborough House, your butler and Marion's
nurse--what's her name?--Mrs. Hutton, learnt that Marion has a double,
and they may suspect things."

"Oh, no: Lucas doesn't go to the court; and I discharged Mrs. Hutton
for being an idiot. Also, I dismissed Miss Marlow, Marion's governess.
I had no use for her. Really there's no one at the court now who came
into close contact with Marion at all," said the duke.

"That does simplify things," said the Honourable John Ruffin
cheerfully.