Her father understood her gaze, he read her thoughts, and his smile deepened. Colonel Mires heard the unconscious whistle, also. He darted a look at Hal, and then turned to Wilton, and peering at him under his eyebrows in a scrutinising manner, he said, in a tone which had more than a tinge of irony in it-- “Will you say to-morrow, Mr. Wilton?” “Of course,” thought Hal, “that’s just it; he might as well say half-an-hour hence--one is as likely as the other.” To his surprise, not less than to that of Colonel Mires, Wilton answered-- “To-morrow, if you please. At what hour?” “At moonshine,” thought Hal; “poor old man, how mad he is getting!” “Ten o’clock in the morning,” returned the Colonel, with a grim smile. “At ten!” echoed Wilton; “you have not named the place,” he added. “It must be here, if there is to be a meeting anywhere,” thought Hal. Colonel Mires produced a card-case, and handed a card to Wilton, who held it close to his eyes. “So far,” he muttered, and then exclaimed aloud--“I will be there, Colonel, punctually, and without fail.” “It will not put you to any inconvenience, I hope?” said Colonel Mires, with a mystified air. “No, no, oh no!” returned old Wilton, with a smile. “To be sure not,” reflected Hal, “how should it? there is only two thousand pounds to prevent him leaving the prison, and what is that to a man who has not two crowns to jingle together?” Colonel Mires gave a dry cough. “I was not aware,” he said, “that it was an easy thing to effect a liberation from this place. I have an old friend in durance here, whom I came to see; he has been here a length of time, and is in tribulation at the remote possibility of his deliverance.” “The thing is not difficult when you know the way. I have a way,” returned Wilton, rather curtly. “And two thousand pounds, too, of course,” mentally suggested Hal, considering it hard to understand why, under such circumstances, Wilton should have suffered himself to be imprisoned at all. “I shall keep my appointment, Colonel Mires, never fear,” said Wilton decidedly, though coldly. “You leave here, possibly, to-day,” suggested the Colonel. “I shall accompany my daughter hence,” responded Wilton Hal walked to the window and looked out: this last remark by Wilton seemed to him quite to settle the point of his sanity. “Poor old gentleman! his brain is completely turned. Poor Flora! fresh troubles, instead of coming happiness for you,” he thought. “Well, I will try everything to make your heavy burden of care sit as lightly upon your shoulders as possible.” “Now, let me repeat, Colonel,” remarked old Wilton, with emphasis, “I shall be glad if by taking your leave you will close this interview. I am fatigued--overcome by the exciting events of the past few days; I wish to be alone with my daughter and Mr. Vivian, as noble and gallant a gentleman as England ever produced.” “Indeed!” ejaculated the Colonel, in a tone of insulting surprise.