"Will you show it me presently, Mr. Haveloc? Will you show it me now?" "You do not give me time to do my best," said he, as he handed her a sheet of note paper, on which he had just made a pretty little sketch of the greyhound. "Oh, how exactly like! How very pretty! May I keep it, Mr. Haveloc?" "If you please--I shall be too happy." "I wish my uncle was awake," said Margaret looking towards him. "I should like to show it to him. I wonder if he would know it directly. I dare say he would!" "Not a doubt of it," said Mr. Haveloc, "all Italian greyhounds are alike. Any picture of an Italian greyhound would do for your dog. Do you wish me to wake Mr. Grey, that he may decide the question?" "Oh, no! what are you thinking of? People should never be wakened." "Will you tell me now, why you do not like George Gage?" "What, have you not forgotten that yet? Well I will tell you one reason. Because he stares so much." Mr. Haveloc laughed. "I really did not think," he said, "that ladies resented that offence, so strongly. Fortunately I cannot offend in that way, since I am half blind." "I wish Mr. Gage was near-sighted," said Margaret laughing, "he is quite mistaken if he thinks ladies like to be stared at; even Harriet, who does not care for many things, told him one evening that it made her quite nervous to have him opposite when she was singing, looking into her mouth like a dentist." "And when do you mean to ride out?" said Mr. Haveloc. "Oh! do you know I had quite forgotten my horse," exclaimed Margaret, "Uncle Grey!--There I have waked him at last." "What is it, my love?" said Mr. Grey looking up. "Miss Capel is so dismayed at having waked you," said Mr. Haveloc laughing. "Oh! I was not asleep," said Mr. Grey rubbing his eyes, "I have been listening to all you have been saying." Mr. Haveloc and Margaret exchanged smiles. "Will you let me ride out to-morrow, dear uncle?" "Yes, my love; you are quite sure of the horse, Claude. If somebody would go out first, just to try him; or if you have no engagement to-morrow, Claude, perhaps you would go with Margaret and Evans, just to see that all is right for the first time. Evans is a very steady man; afterwards I could trust him with comfort." No one could mistake the delight that was visible on Mr. Haveloc's countenance at this proposition. He could not have asked to ride out with her, but here was a reason--a sufficient cause. "Nothing could give him more pleasure," he said, "he begged to know what time would suit Miss Capel, that he might be in the way." Anybody but Mr. Grey would have noticed the impatience with which Mr. Haveloc looked forward to this ride: any one else would have been aware that it was some strong feeling that could make so ordinary an occurrence a matter of so much importance to him.