"Please don't think of it," said Anne. "I am so used to being alone. In fact, your mother wanted to come with me, but I dissuaded her." "Then I conclude it is useless for me to offer myself as an escort?" said Lucas. "Yes, quite useless," she smiled, "though I am grateful to you all the same. Good-bye, Mr. Errol!" "Good-bye!" he said. As Bertie closed the door behind her he took up a letter from the heap at his elbow; but his eyes remained fixed for several seconds. At length: "Bertie," he said, without looking up, "are you due at the Rectory this morning?" "This afternoon," said Bertie. He also bent over the pile of correspondence and began to sort. He often did secretarial work for Lucas. Lucas suffered him for some seconds longer. Then, "You don't generally behave like a boor, Bertie," he said. "Oh, confound it!" exclaimed Bertie, with vehemence. "You don't suppose I enjoyed letting her think me a cad, do you?" "I don't suppose she did," Lucas said thoughtfully. "Well, you do anyway, which is worse." Bertie slapped down the letters and walked to the fire. Lucas returned without comment to the paper in his hand. After a long pause Bertie wheeled. He came back to his brother's side and pulled up a chair. His brown face was set in stern lines. "I don't see why I should put up with this," he said, "and I don't mean to. It was Nap's doing. I was going to drive her. He interfered--as usual." "I thought you said Nap was skiing." Lucas spoke without raising his eyes. He also looked graver than usual. "I did. He is. But he has got some game on, and he didn't want me looking on. Oh, I'm sick to death of Nap and all his ways! He's rotten to the core!" "Gently, boy, gently! You go too far." Lucas looked up into the hot blue eyes, the severity all gone from his own. "It isn't what things look like that you have to consider. It is what they are. Nap, poor chap, is badly handicapped; but he has been putting up a big fight for himself lately, and he hasn't done so badly. Give the devil his due." "What's he doing now?" demanded Bertie. "It's bad enough to have the whole community gossiping about his flirtations with women that don't count. But when it comes to a good woman--like Lady Carfax--oh, I tell you it makes me sick! He might leave her alone, at least. She's miserable enough without him to make matters worse." "My dear boy, you needn't be afraid for Lady Carfax." Lucas Errol's voice held absolute conviction. "She wouldn't tolerate him for an instant if he attempted to flirt with her. Their intimacy is founded on something more solid than that. It's a genuine friendship or I have never seen one." "Do you mean to say you don't know he is in love with her?" ejaculated Bertie.