"My dear Paul, if you would only not hurry me and flurry me so," said his mother, as she sought in her pockets, one after another, and then looked under the china ornaments on the mantel-piece, and drove her son wild altogether. At last she said as a brilliant idea crossed her mind, "I remember now. I was so afraid of forgetting it that I put it inside one of your slippers, Paul, and I knew that you were quite sure to find it to-night, when you put your slippers on. I think it was rather clever of me, eh Paul?" But Paul had left the room. As he read his wife's note, consisting only of a few lines, he felt he loved her very dearly. She had gone to Richmond, she could not bear to see him so changed towards her. "When you have forgiven me, if you can forgive me, then I will come back," she said. Paul knew he had forgiven her, but he was still sore about that third person intervening. He was on his way to Richmond before many minutes were over. Grace received him with intense satisfaction, she was ready to promise everything. Then came that question about Sir Albert Gerald. "Is it possible you do not really understand all that story?" asked Grace, who, now, with that weight removed from her mind, and restored to her husband's affection, was in tremendous spirits. "I understand nothing about him. What story do you mean?" Then his wife enlightened him. "I was to let him know about Margaret when I thought it would not hurt his cause--I was to send for him." "Oh!" said Paul, "then you think he is in love with Margaret?" "I do not think it, I know," she answered, laughing. That evening dinner was ready at the Brook Street Hotel--three covers were laid. "I think you may remove one cover," said Lady Lyons, "only two are going to dine to-night." The waiter looked surprised and hesitated, then the door opened, and Grace, beaming, entered, followed by Paul. CHAPTER X. Mrs. Dorriman was not a little perplexed just then by the delay in her brother's arrival. She had lost much of her dread in connection with those papers which had at one time weighed so heavily upon her, and the affection which had sprung up between her and her roughly-spoken brother made her feeling in regard to a possible fault he might have committed sink into the background. But all through her little daily duties, rendered sweeter and pleasanter because of Margaret's companionship, when she was reading or working, walking by the burn-side, or gliding along on the sea in a boat, whatever her occupation was there was a subtle indefinable consciousness of something impending, which did not actually make her unhappy, but which kept her in a state of suppressed mental excitement.