"Never, Sir Francis. I will not call myself your grandson, or take the name of Devereux, until my father bears it too. I would sooner live and die Hugh Arbuthnot." Then, without another look at one of them, without even a glance into Maud's white face, I turned, and walked slowly out of the gallery and out of the house. CHAPTER XXIV A MIDNIGHT VISITOR Like a man in a dream, I walked with unsteady footsteps down the avenue, through the shrubbery, and across the park to the cottage. I had forgotten my latch-key, and the servant who answered my ring welcomed me with a little cry of relief. "John was just a-coming up to the house for you, sir," she exclaimed, shutting the door again. "There's a strange woman wants to see you most particular. She's been here more than an hour, a-fretting ever so because you wasn't here." "Where is she?" I asked. "In your study, sir. I see'd as there was nothink about as she could lay 'er 'ands on before I let her in." I had no doubt but that it was the wife of one of the tenants on the estate, though why she should choose such a strange time for her visit I could not imagine. But when I walked into the study I saw at once that she was a stranger to me. And yet, no. I had seen her face before somewhere. She rose nervously when I entered, and pulled her shawl closer around her. "You'll excuse the liberty I've taken in coming, sir," she began, hurriedly. "I 'a come to do yer a service. You doan't seem to recollect me. I'm John Hilton's wife; him as you comed to see t'other week." I recognised her at once, and became more interested. "You see, sir, it's like this," she went on. "My Jack, he's had one o' his drinking fits on, and he's always mortal mischievous after one of 'em. He seems to 'a got a powerful sort o' a grudge agin' you, and there's that piece o' paper as you wrote out, and he put 'is name to. He says as 'ow he might get lagged for that if you showed it." "Well, has he sent you to try and get it away again?" I asked. "Not he! If he know'd as I'd come 'ere at all he'd half kill me." "Well, what is it, then?" I asked. "Well, it's just like this," she answered, slowly; "he's a-coming himself to try and get it back agin." "Indeed! And when may I expect him?" I inquired, becoming suddenly interested. "To-night." I leaned back in my chair, and laughed dryly. The woman must be mad. "'Tain't no laughing matter, master," she said, sullenly. "You'd 'a laughed t'other side o' your mouth, I can tell 'e, if I hadn' 'a chosen ter come and tell 'e. He ain't a-coming to ask you for it. He's a-coming to take it, and to pay yer back something as yer gave 'im at our cottage--him and a mate." I began to see what it all meant now, and to understand why the woman had come. "And you've come here to put me on my guard, is that it?" I remarked.