ly furnished. It had an ancient
look and an ancient smell, and the few articles of plain oak furniture
harmonized with it. The window stood wide open, and the fragrance of a
grove of silver firs outside drifted in. The surroundings had their
effect on Lisle, who had not been accustomed to dwellings of that kind.

"You have been here a fortnight and must have formed a few opinions about
us," Nasmyth remarked at length. "You needn't be shy about expressing
them, and I've no doubt there are things you'd like to ask."

"As a whole, my opinion's highly favorable," Lisle announced with a
smile. "I'd be uncommonly hard to please if it weren't."

"That's flattering. But I'm not sure that I meant as a whole; I had a few
particular instances in my mind. Bella Crestwick, for example; I'm
curious to hear what you think of her. She seems quite favorably
impressed with you."

"She's interesting," Lisle replied. "A type that's new to me; the latest
development, isn't it? Anyway, I like her--whatever the admission's
worth--though I must say that I found her rather startling at first.
She's honest, I think, and that counts for a good deal."

"I suppose you're not aware that she's desirably rich?"

"I wasn't. It's not a fact of any moment to me. Besides, I've a suspicion
that it's Gladwyne's scalp she's after."

Nasmyth nodded.

"You're pretty shrewd. Though I've had much greater opportunities for
observation, that idea has only lately occurred to me. Of course, in a
general way, I shouldn't discuss my acquaintances in this casual fashion,
but as you are likely to see a good deal of us there are things you'd
better know."

"I'll explain my point of view," said Lisle, refilling his pipe. "You
have seen something of the kind of life I've led. Half my time, I
suppose, has been spent in primeval surroundings; the rest in contact
with the latest efforts of a rather unfinished civilization. Well, what
you have to show me here is vastly different. These old houses, your
smoothed-down ways, are a revelation to me. The polish on some of your
furniture has taken several hundred years to put on; that in my Victoria
quarters smells of the factory, and the board walls of other hotels I've
lived in rend into big cracks because they're fresh from the mill. I'm
full of interest; everything's new to me. But so far my curiosity's
impersonal; I'm taking no hand in anything."

His companion's face grew grave.

"The trouble is that you may not b