"No, no; don't dismiss it yet," cried Kate, eagerly. "Tell me what he said." "Humph!" said Garstang, frowning; "shall I? No; better not." "Yes, please; I can not help wanting to know." "But I'm afraid of upsetting you, my dear." "It will not now; I am growing firmer, Mr Garstang, my guardian," she said. "Better tell me than leave me to think, and perhaps lie awake to-night imagining things that may not be true." "Well, yes--that would be bad," he said, nodding his head. "There, sit down then, and draw your chair to the fender. Your face is burning, but your hands are cold. That's better," he continued, as he took up the poker again, and sat forward, gazing at the fire, and once more tapping the pieces of coal into the glowing caverns. "You see, he has been to me three times." "And I did not know!" cried Kate. "No, you did not know, my dear, because I did not want to upset you. What do you think he says?" "That I fled to you, and placed myself under your protection?" "Wrong," said Garstang, looking round and smiling in the beautiful face across the hearth, as he played the part of an amiable fatherly individual to perfection. "Shall I say guess again?" "No, no, pray don't trifle with me, guardian." "Trifle with you?" he cried, growing stern of aspect. "No. There, it must come out. He did not say that, and he did not accuse me of fetching you away, for he and Master Claud are upon a wrong scent." "Yes--yes," said Kate, eagerly. "They say that Harry Dasent made an excuse of his friendship with Claud to go down to Northwood with another object in view." "Yes--what?" she said, looking at him wonderingly. "You, my child." "Me?" she cried, aghast. "Well, to speak more correctly, your money, my dear; and that, despairing of winning you in a straightforward way, he either came and caught you in the humour for being persuaded to leave with him, having on his other visits paved the way by making love to you--" "Oh!" ejaculated Kate; "I never noticed anything particular in his manner to me--yes, I did, once or twice he was very, very attentive." "Indeed," said Garstang, frowning. "But you said `either,'" cried Kate, anxiously. "Yes; either that he had persuaded you to elope with him, or he had climbed to your window and by some means forced you to come away." "What madness!" cried Kate. "Yes, and there's more behind; they accuse me of conniving at it, and say they are sure you are married, and that I know where you are." "Mr Dasent!" exclaimed Kate, gazing at Garstang wonderingly. "Yes, Harry Dasent," he said, drawing himself up. "He is my poor dead wife's son, my dear, and it so happens that he is giving colour to the idea by his absence from home on one of his reckless, ne'er-do-weel expeditions; but between ourselves, my child, I'd rather see you married to Claud Wilton, your cousin, than to him; and," he added warmly, "I think I would sooner follow you to your grave than--Yes--what is it?"