"Now, my dear young lady," he began, almost as soon as she was in the room, "what you have first of all to remember is that you, at any rate, are still alive, and likely, in all human probability, to remain so for some considerable time to come; your first duty therefore, towards yourself, and towards your father, is to see that your interests are properly safeguarded." "I don't know what you mean." "Then I will endeavour to make myself clear. I believe you are engaged to be married." "You know I am." "Where, at the present moment, is Mr. Spencer?" "He is on his way home from Cairo, where he has been staying with his aunt, Lady Jane Carruthers, who is ill." "Does he know what has happened?" "I don't quite know where he is. When he last wrote he told me that he was going to take what he called an 'after-cure' in Italy "--she smiled, as if at some thought of her own--"but he entered into no particulars, and until I hear from him again I don't quite know where he's to be found; all I do know is that he's to be home before the first of May." "As things stand, that's some distance ahead. I believe that his father and mother, the Earl and Countess, are also absent." She nodded. "You say you don't know who was your father's man of business; then who is there to whom you feel yourself entitled to turn for the kind of assistance of which you stand in such imperative need, at once; certainly in the course of to-day?" "There's Elaine." "You mean Miss Harding?" It was his turn to smile. "I'm afraid she's not the kind of person I'm thinking of; though I do not for a moment doubt her cleverness. She suffers from one disqualification; she's not a man. What you want is a dependable, and thoroughly capable lawyer." "There's Mr. Nash." "Mr. Nash is, again, hardly the sort of person you're in want of. To begin with, he's too young, has too little experience; it was only the other day he qualified--with difficulty." "He has been qualified more than three years; he did a good many things for papa." "Yes, but what kind of things? Not the kind which will have to be done for you; and I happen to know that what he did he bungled." "I believe he's coming here to-day." "Have you sent for him?" "I haven't; but Elaine came into my room this morning and asked if she should, and I believe she has." "Miss Harding sent for him?" The doctor eyed her intently for a moment; then, turning, he went to the window and looked out; presently he spoke to her from there. "And do you propose to give Herbert Nash the run of your father's papers?" "I don't know what I propose to do; I haven't thought about it at all; I want him to do what he can to help me; I don't feel as if I could do very much to help myself."