"Or anything you can't get," Sir Francis commented to himself, looking with distaste at the plump, foolish, pink and white face of the young woman with whom he had been entrapped into intercourse. "You have some roses, I see," he said aloud. "They are sent to me," smiled a conscious Bessie. She did not consider herself to be lying. What was sent to Deleah she continued to persuade herself was intended for her. "I know whose money goes for that," Sir Francis inwardly ejaculated. He glanced at his brother, hanging his foolish head from the window again. "I'm glad I came, after all. I'll put a stop to this," he resolved. "Your gardens at Cashelthorpe must be charming now, Sir Francis." Sir Francis admitted without emotion that they were charming. "That's why you're leaving them, and going off to Scotland next week," Reggie supposed, drawing in his head from the window. "It must be delightful to travel," gushed Bessie, seizing on the topic. She exacted a programme from him, punctuated by her "Delightful! Delightful!" of the places he was intending to visit. And so for a few minutes, Bessie struggling with all her poor wits to do so, they kept up a painfully lagging conversation. And all the time the poor girl was desperately supplying improbable, and impossible reasons to account to herself for the bewildering fact of his visit; all the time Sir Francis was wondering how quickly without incivility he could get away; all the time Reggie, as he watched for the figure of Deleah coming down the street, was muttering to himself, "He's on my track again, hang him!" At the end of the difficult ten minutes Sir Francis rose: "Coming my way?" he inquired of Reggie. "Not just this minute, old man," said Reggie, who knew better. "Mind you don't tumble downstairs," he called after his departing brother. Sir Francis gazing stonily in his direction did not deign to thank him for the not all unnecessary caution. Emily awaiting him in the little hall at the bottom of the stairs, had set the outer door open to light the distinguished visitor upon his way. "Miss Deleah should be in by now, sir," she said as he passed out. Fain would she have all Brockenham to see him issuing from that door, yet fain would she have kept him there for Deleah. "It is of no consequence, I will write," he said, and departed with a sense of escape. "Well!" Bessie breathed, as the door closed on the visitor. "Wasn't that extraordinary! What on earth--?" Her feelings would not allow her to finish the sentence. She looked the rest at Reggie, eyes and mouth open, the fluster into which the visit had thrown her still visibly palpitating in all her person. "Oh, the dear old boy came to look after me," Reggie explained, calmly indifferent. "I shall get it hot now." "But _why_?" "He won't like my being at home here, like this, you know," the ingenuous youth admitted. "But, Reggie, you're your own master, aren't you?"