"Oh dear," I thought to myself, "what a labyrinth a little indiscretion may involve one in. I see now that I was not justified in telling Moore about Grimsthorpe. It was not faithful to Isabel, but with his being here on the spot and seeing the place for himself, it never struck me before in this light. No doubt he would have heard some gossip about it, but probably not enough to cause much curiosity. I shall really be very glad when we are both safely back at home again, and the whole thing forgotten, so far as ever can be. Moore has had his lesson anyway; I am certain he would never intrude on the Greys again, even if he were here for months. How very discreet those old ladies were! I suppose they have learnt it, poor things." For that there was a secret, and a very sad one, my recent experiences had in no way led me to doubt. "By the way," I went on in my own mind, "I wonder how they knew our name?" Then I recalled the little colloquy at the hall-door. "Of course," I reflected, "they must have asked for the young lady who was staying here, and naturally the footman would speak of me as `Miss Fitzmaurice'?" and later I discovered, by a little judicious inquiry through my own maid, that this had in fact been the case. Nor did I make the inquiry solely through curiosity. I had noticed the almost imperceptible hesitation in Miss Jessie's manner as she addressed me by name, and I could not forget--it was no use pretending to myself that I should ever do so--the mention of "Ernest Fitzmaurice" which I had overheard. "Something to do specially with Jessie," I had gathered. "Poor little woman! What may she not have suffered in life, and how brave she seems!" were my last waking thoughts that night. CHAPTER TEN. CHANGE OF SCENE. The Wynyards' return was after all delayed for a day or two, and this, as will be readily understood, I did not regret, as it gave more time for Moore's progress in convalescence. I had persuaded Mrs Bence and Sims, though not without some difficulty, to join me in keeping back the news of the accident from our hosts till we could tell it to them by word of mouth. "It would only worry them," I said, "and do no conceivable good, and they are sure to come back the very first day possible." And when they did arrive I felt doubly glad that I had taken this precaution, for Mr Wynyard was looking rather tired and depressed, and Isabel confided to me that the meeting his relative after an interval of a great many years had--as she expressed it--"taken it out of him" considerably, though the business matters which they had met to arrange had all been satisfactorily concluded.