“A very good thought, but let your mind dwell on Medora a bit before you do. You think so clear and see so straight that you won’t make any mistake in that quarter. You’ve got to remember how it looks to Kellock so far, and whether it looks right to him, or whether it do not. Now Kellock only knows as yet that you don’t put away Medora; and that means he can’t marry her, so this brother and sister racket must end. As for Mrs. Dingle, she’s done with the masculine gender, and, of course, she may have told Kellock so—I can’t say as to that. But you see him by all means.” They talked till dusk fell, then Mr. Knox departed and Ned considered all he had said, with the imputations proper to Philander’s words. He had trusted largely to the vatman of late, and found himself in agreement with his sentiments on all occasions, for Knox was treating Ned with rare diplomacy. Next morning, Jordan himself anticipated his visitor, and as Ned set out to see him, he appeared at Ashprington. He wore holiday attire, looked pale, and was somewhat nervous. They met at the gate of Dingle’s house, and Ned spoke. “Come in the house, and you can speak first—no, I will.” They entered the little parlour and sat down opposite each other. “I hear you’ve lost your stroke. I suppose to find what I meant to do was a bit too shattering. No doubt you’ll get it back. I’ve no wish to come between you and your livelihood; but when you and my wife hatched this bit of wickedness, you didn’t stop to think whether it would play hell with my nerves; and if you’d known it would, that wouldn’t have changed you.” “That’s quite true,” admitted Kellock, “and, I may tell you, it’s come home to me pretty sharp before you said it. As for me, I may get my stroke again, or I may not; and if I don’t, I shall never blame you—I shall blame myself. Those that think they stand, often get a fall, and I’m not too proud to confess to you that that’s what has happened to me.” “Serve you right.” “I don’t matter any more. What matters is Medora, and I shall be greatly obliged if you’ll allow me to speak a few words on that subject.” “The fewer the better.” “I come from myself, understand. She knows nothing about it. I didn’t ask her, because if she’d said ‘no,’ I couldn’t have come. And she might have forbid.” “Well, get on with it.” “It’s very difficult, and I beg you’ll make allowances for a man who has done wrong and done you wrong, too. You’ll probably say that I’m only changed since you told me you weren’t going to divorce Medora. That’s true in a way, but not all true. I’ve learned a great deal I didn’t know from Medora, but I’ve only come now to talk about her. The question is how you feel about her.” “That’s my business, not yours.”