"Papa sold out previous to his death." "Oh, I see," and he resumed his walk. "Mr. Chandos, may I ask you a question?" "You know you may. I will answer it if I can." "What has Mr. Edwin Barley to do with you? Why should he be your enemy?" "That is what I cannot answer," he quickly rejoined. "He is an implacable enemy to me and my family; and likely ever to remain so. I cannot divest myself of the idea that he was the author of that visit we were favoured with last night by the police. Between the two—him and his wife—we have suffered enough. I should be puzzled to say which of them did us most harm, Miss Hereford." Miss Hereford! And I was the Barleys' relative! My heart felt sick and faint within me. "Well, what now?" asked Mr. Chandos, who happened to be looking, and he came up and stood close before me. "Nothing, sir, nothing; only I cannot help Selina's having been my aunt. Perhaps you will never care to be kind to me again." His eyes, so grave before, quite danced with their pleasant light. He laid his hand gently on my shoulder. "Anne, the only kind thought I have had of your aunt Selina is since I knew she was of your kindred. If——" I pushed his hand away from me. I rose with a vivid blush. Inside the door, having come in so quietly as to be unheard, stood Mrs. Penn, Mr. Chandos turned, a haughty frown on his brow. "I beg your pardon, madam; do you want anything?" "I beg yours, sir, for my intrusion," she answered, civilly. "I only had a little errand with Miss Hereford. Will you"—turning to me—"kindly let me have my embroidery scissors, if you have done with them?" I took them from my basket and gave them to her. "Thank you, Mrs. Penn, for the loan of them. They cut my strip of work nicely." "It is a chilly evening," she remarked, moving to depart. "I fancy we are going to have rain." Mr. Chandos opened the door for her, and when she left slipped the bolt. Ere he was half way across the room on his return, however, he went back and undid it, some reflection appearing to strike him. His brow was stern and displeased. "That Mrs. Penn is a curious woman!" "Curious! In what way, sir? Do you mean her hair?" He slightly laughed. "I spoke the word literally, Anne. She came in, I fancy, just to see what was going on, the scissors being the excuse." "She complains of its being so dull in the east wing. I think she is glad to escape from it for a moment when she can." "Ay, no doubt; we must not be harsh upon her. She is a contrast to Mrs. Freeman, who never put herself into anybody's way. I wish I could discover the author of these losses in the house," he continued, passing to another subject. "Had it been alone the looking into letters or stealing them, I might have suspected Edwin Barley. That is, that some one was at work for him here. That he would like to get my private memoranda into his fingers, and peep at my letters, I know; but he could have no possible motive for causing lace and money to be stolen."