"No; we can only suppose that the conclusions the rescue party came to were correct. But all that we found relating to the week or two before the separation spoke of the courageous struggle that your brother made and his generosity in sending the others away." She bent her head. "That," she said quietly, "is only what one would have expected. He left a diary; you must come over and see it." "I should like to, if it wouldn't be painful to you." "No," she replied; "I shall be glad to show it to you." She left him shortly after this and strolled out on to the terrace, thinking about him. The little she had seen of him had pleased her; he had earnest eyes and a resolute air, and she liked the men who lived in the open. He was direct, and perhaps a little rudimentary without being awkward, which was in his favor, for subtlety of any kind was distasteful to her. Still, in one respect, she was disappointed--he had in no way amplified Nasmyth's story, and she had expected to hear a little more of the expedition from him. CHAPTER IX LISLE GATHERS INFORMATION Nasmyth's dinner was over and he lay, pipe in hand, in an easy-chair in his smoking-room, with Lisle lounging opposite him. They had been walking up partridges among the higher turnip fields all day, and now both were pleasantly tired and filled with languid good-humor. Nasmyth's house was old--it had been built out of the remains of a Border pele--and the room was paneled to the ceiling and very simply furnished. It had an ancient look and an ancient smell, and the few articles of plain oak furniture harmonized with it. The window stood wide open, and the fragrance of a grove of silver firs outside drifted in. The surroundings had their effect on Lisle, who had not been accustomed to dwellings of that kind. "You have been here a fortnight and must have formed a few opinions about us," Nasmyth remarked at length. "You needn't be shy about expressing them, and I've no doubt there are things you'd like to ask." "As a whole, my opinion's highly favorable," Lisle announced with a smile. "I'd be uncommonly hard to please if it weren't." "That's flattering. But I'm not sure that I meant as a whole; I had a few particular instances in my mind. Bella Crestwick, for example; I'm curious to hear what you think of her. She seems quite favorably impressed with you." "She's interesting," Lisle replied. "A type that's new to me; the latest development, isn't it? Anyway, I like her--whatever the admission's worth--though I must say that I found her rather startling at first. She's honest, I think, and that counts for a good deal." "I suppose you're not aware that she's desirably rich?" "I wasn't. It's not a fact of any moment to me. Besides, I've a suspicion that it's Gladwyne's scalp she's after." Nasmyth nodded.