She did not need either, but she must get rid of him. “No, indeed; but will it not do as well a couple of hours hence? Our callers in yonder might think me ungracious to go away while they are here.” Isabel’s heart sank; she must get him away at once if possible; she knew that Adrian Dredmond would allow no part of their meanness to be concealed, and there would probably be a hot battle before they were through. But she thought if she could only get her lover away from it all, maybe they could come to some terms with Lady Randal to conceal the affair from him; for she knew she was as anxious as any one for the marriage to come off. But it would not do to let him mistrust how anxious she was, so she replied, hesitatingly: “It might do if it were not for the dress—that must be attended to at once; and then if you do not succeed in matching my dress in gloves, I shall have to send up to town for them, and you know we have no time to spare.” “Would it not do to send a piece of the dress and let Brown do the errand? I really do not like to seem uncourteous, notwithstanding their treatment of us the other evening,” he replied. Isabel flushed angrily at the remembrance. “No, indeed, I should not dare trust Brown; and then you forget you have not given your instructions concerning the bell, which was to be made at the village florists, as there were not japonicas enough in the greenhouse here,” Isabel said, catching at this device for getting him away. “Besides,” she added, “this is only a business call, you know.” He began to notice her anxiety in spite of her forced composure, and with a searching look into her face he replied, as he turned away: “True, I had almost forgotten about that. I will attend to your commissions at once.” She told him to wait one moment while she procured a piece of silk to match the gloves by; and he stood there with bent head and contracted brow until she returned with it, and then, without a word, he passed out toward the stables. The guilty girl then sped back again to her room as if on wings to bring the casket, anxious to have everything settled, and those wretched marplots out of the way before his return. As she re-entered the drawing-room she saw at a glance that her mother was very much disconcerted about something, and she heard Adrian say, sternly: “Then, madam, you still assert that you were very much surprised, as well as distressed, at Miss Douglas’ disappearance?” “Certainly; how could it be otherwise?” she demanded, haughtily, but very pale. “Were you a man,” he returned, with biting scorn in his tones, “I should not thus privately bandy words with you—you should answer publicly for what you have done; and it is time your complicity in this matter be exposed.” “I beg your pardon,” she interrupted, “but Isabel has returned with the box for which you came, and as we are extremely busy, you will kindly excuse us from a longer interview.”