‘Will you go in first and get them out, and then I will cross the threshold and take them from you.’ ‘Are you so terribly afraid of me as all that, Nora?’ ‘Not afraid of you or any man,’ she answered haughtily, ‘but afraid of compromising my good name. It is too fearful a risk. Anything might happen. Mr Lennox might return, or the people of the house come down, or--or-- Oh, Jack, if you ever loved me the least little bit, don’t ask me to do more than I have done.’ He appeared to be satisfied with her excuse, for Nell saw him leave her side and disappear into the house. In another minute the countess, who had stood looking anxiously after him, seemed to have received his signal, for she cautiously followed him. Then there was a silence of several minutes, during which Nell listened eagerly to hear what passed, but no sound reached her ear. The next thing she saw was the figure of Lady Ilfracombe, who left the house hurriedly, and, throwing herself down on the grass, burst into tears. It was a rare occurrence for Nora to lose command of herself, but to-night she felt utterly worsted and broken down. She had built so many fair hopes on this venture, and now she found herself as far from obtaining her wishes as ever. ‘You are _a brute_!’ she exclaimed, as Jack Portland joined her; ‘a false and merciless brute! You have lured me here under false pretences, and in order to get me only more surely in your toils. You knew you were deceiving me--you knew the letters were not there--you persuaded me to enter your room against all my better judgment, in order that I may compromise myself, and be more your slave than before. But there must be an end put to it some day. I will not go on being laughed at by you for ever. I defy you to do your worst. Show Ilfracombe those letters, as you have so often threatened, and I will take good care the day you do so is the last you ever spend under any roof of mine.’ ‘Softly, softly, my lady,’ said Portland; ‘aren’t you going a little too fast, and making a little too much noise over this business? I give you my word of honour that I fully believed that interesting packet of letters was in my despatch-box.’ ‘Your word of _honour_!’ repeated Nora, disdainfully, as she rose from her despairing attitude and stood up, wiping her wet eyes; ‘how long have you possessed the article?’