He presented her with a shilling; and left the maid all smiles. CHAPTER XXV ON THEIR HONEYMOON Mr. and Mrs. Nash had been spending the afternoon in Arundel Park. When they returned to their rooms at Littlehampton they were met by the diminutive maid with a message. "If you please, Mr. Stephen Morgan of Cloverlea called." "Mr.---- who?" asked Mr. Nash. Mrs. Nash changed colour. The maid repeated the visitor's name. "She must mean Morgan the butler; what does he mean by coming here?" "I--I can't think." She was conscious of that sudden sickness which she had experienced once before; all at once the room seemed to be whirling round and round. The maid went on. "He said he'd call again; he couldn't say quite when, but he'd certainly call again before you left Littlehampton." "Like his impudence! What on earth can the fellow mean? By the way, Louisa, have you seen a letter-case of mine lying about?" "No, sir, that I haven't." Mr. Nash went into the next room, hurriedly. So soon as he was through the door he saw the letter-case upon the mantelpiece, where Mr. Morgan had left it. The sight of it seemed to surprise him. "Who put it there? I'll swear I didn't. Louisa, have you been in here since I went out?" "No, sir; not once." "Has Mrs. Lorrimer?" "I don't think so, sir; she's been out; she only come in just before you did." He was searching the letter-case, turning it literally inside out. Suddenly he went to the door. "Louisa, come here!" Louisa came. He spoke to her in lowered tones, as if he did not wish what he said to be heard in the next room, where his wife still was. "Who was in when Mr. Morgan came?" "If you please, sir, I was; Mrs. Lorrimer, she was out." "Where you in all the time that he was here?" "No, sir; I had to go out and do some errands." "And was he alone in the house while you were gone?" "Yes, sir; he was outside the front door when I came back; it was then he gave me the message about his calling again." So surprising a look came on Mr. Nash's face that the girl shrunk back, almost as if she had been afraid that he would strike her. He went back into the bedroom, shutting the door with a bang. He stood glaring about him, as if beside himself with rage. Then, with an effort, he steadied himself. Again he turned the letter-case inside out, going carefully through the papers it contained. Then he searched the room so methodically that even a pin could hardly have escaped his notice, moving every article it contained, his wife's trunks, his own boxes, even turning down the bedclothes and looking under the pillows, going down on his knees to peer under the bed. When all his hunting came to nothing he leaned his elbows on the mantelpiece and shut his eyes, as if suffering physical pain.