"I should have thought you might have seen it yesterday." She stopped for a moment, then almost demanded, "What are you going to do?" "I am going back to town at once; but it's no good not being straight in a matter of this sort, and first I shall have it out with Lena." "It will be thoroughly indecent of you." "Can't help it; I'm going," and he marched towards the house and into the morning-room again. Lena was lying on the sofa; he went up to her and sat down on the chair beside her, determined to have it over and be done with it. "Look here, I want to talk to you," he said; "this place has become a sort of nightmare, and I want you to wake me up from it like a sensible girl." "Tell me about it, Tom, dear," she said, and wriggled towards the edge of the sofa. "You wouldn't say things to me yesterday." "Too much worried. Now, then," he went on, drawing back a little and looking her well in the face, "I have fallen in love with Margaret Vincent. She has been in London for the last three weeks, and we have seen each other every day--perhaps you didn't know that? It's all nonsense to suppose that she's in love with Mr. Garratt; I have found out the truth of that business. He is merely a bounder who went to look after Hannah, the half-sister, then found out he liked Margaret better--I don't wonder. Hannah bothered her about it, and she went up to town. Louise Hunstan wired me from Bayreuth that Margaret was in Great College Street, and I went and looked after her. If this hadn't happened--your wires, I mean--I dare say I should have got a special license by this time. I want you to be good to Margaret," and he put his hand affectionately on Lena's. "I love her and don't mean to marry anybody else. Now, then, how is it going to be?" "Poor little Margaret; I shall love her," said Lena, "because you do." Tom blinked his eyes to make sure he was awake; either Mrs. Lakeman was as mad as a March hare, he thought, or he was dreaming, for there was not a sign of disappointment in Lena's manner. "Oh," he said, helplessly. "It will be nice for her to marry you, dear," she went on; "you are so different from Mr. Garratt." "Mr. Garratt has nothing to do with it. But unless you take kindly to the marriage, of course we shall have to cut each other afterwards. Well, then, is it all right?" "Of course it is," she said, and wriggled closer to him. "Good, good! Now I am going," he said, with determination. "But where are you going?" she asked, anxiously. "Over to Aviemore; I know some people there. But I shall take the train back to London this evening. It's all right," he said to Mrs. Lakeman, who had sauntered up to the window with a newspaper in her hand; "Lena's a sensible girl; I knew she was." Mrs. Lakeman looked at him almost vacantly; she had ceased to take the slightest interest in his love affairs. "Have you seen the _Scotsman_?" she asked; "the boy has just come with it." "No; why?" "Cyril is dead, and Gerald is Lord Eastleigh."