‘Let us hope for the best, dear Margaret--I may call you Margaret, as I did in the old days, mayn’t I?’ said Laura, when Margaret rose to go. ‘And you will let me help you to look for rooms, won’t you?’ But Margaret was in no mood to accept civilities. She thanked Laura rather coolly, and went away, declining her cousin’s offer to escort her to Highgate. ‘Have you been to see Alec, James?’ asked Miss Lindsay, when Margaret had gone. Now this was what Semple had not been able to bring himself to do. ‘Not yet,’ he said sullenly. ‘He doesn’t want a lot of people bothering round him. At least, if I were in his place I wouldn’t.’ ‘If you were in his place----’ repeated the old lady, as if she were not thinking of her words, as she turned and slowly left the room. Semple shuddered, and watched her curiously till the door closed behind her. ‘James,’ said Laura suddenly, ‘you remember one night, before my uncle died, you asked me to watch what he did with a paper that had come from the lawyers. What was in that paper? Had it anything to do with the will?’ ‘What paper? Oh, I remember now. No; nothing in the world.’ Laura had purposely put her question in this shape. ‘James, you are not telling me the truth,’ she said, looking at him steadily. ‘You gave me to understand at the time that it had to do with it.’ ‘You are quite mistaken,’ cried Semple, greatly alarmed. It was the manner of his denial which the clever girl had wished to observe; and what she saw satisfied her that she had been right in her guess about the paper. ‘My uncle put it in his desk,’ she said slowly, ‘and I told you how to take the desk out of the room. Did you get the paper? What did you do with it? Did you burn it?’ ‘No--no! What makes you imagine such things?’ ‘I believe you did burn it. Come now!’ she said, laughing. Semple laughed a little too, and looked furtively at his companion, as she sat looking into the fire. Laura turned round sharply, and caught his glance, smiled to herself, and gracefully changed the subject. Seeing that the danger had gone by, Semple ventured to take her hand. Laura quietly withdrew it. ‘What’s the matter, Laura?’ ‘Nothing.’ ‘Why do you treat me like that?’ ‘How else should I treat you?’ ‘Aren’t we two engaged?’ ‘Not that I know of.’ ‘But we are,’ cried Semple, catching her wrist. ‘Indeed you are mistaken,’ said the girl, throwing off his grasp. ‘You asked me, I know.’ ‘And you accepted me.’ ‘I have not made up my mind about it yet.’ ‘Upon my word!’ His astonishment prevented his saying more. Suddenly a thought occurred to him, which stung him like a serpent. ‘Oh, I suppose that means that you have heard.’ ‘Heard what?’ ‘That Alec Lindsay is a residuary legatee as well as I.’ In a moment he saw that he had made a great mistake. She had not known it before. But he was too angry to think of what he said. ‘If the poor fellow escapes penal servitude, that is,’ said he, with a sneer.