North stood there, with his hands clenched and his brow rugged, glaring angrily, for he well knew what this meant. The voices were heard retiring, and the sound of the dining-room door closing, and muffling them suddenly, told him as plainly as if he had seen that the housekeeper had followed Cousin Thompson into that room, where an angry altercation seemed to be in progress. "Hah!" ejaculated the miserable man; "canting and unscrupulous to the end. He is keeping her in parley while his people do their work." He laughed bitterly, for at that moment the door was tried softly, and then there was a gentle tapping on the panel. "May my money prove a curse to him, and the whole place constantly remind him of his treachery," he muttered, as the soft tapping was repeated, and a low voice, which he did not recognise, said: "Dr North--Dr North! Can I speak to you a minute?" He made no answer, but drew back to the table. "Will they dare to break in?" he said to himself, as his face wore a look of bitter scorn and contempt. Just then Mrs Milt's voice could be heard raised loudly in protest; but it was in vain. Cousin Thompson, under the pretext of holding a parley, had entrapped her in the dining-room, and then interposed his person whenever she attempted to leave by door or window. The tapping at the door ceased, and there was a sound of whispering; whilst a minute after a stoutly-built, rather hard-faced man, with a determined look, suddenly appeared at the French window looking on the garden, and tried the handle. It was fast on the inside. He passed on and went round to the surgery door, which he tried, too; but North had fastened this when he let Dally out, and the man came back, looked in and tapped gently on the pane to take North's attention. Then seeing that he did not stir from where he stood at the table, the man smiled and beckoned to him. This he repeated again and again, but North did not stir. Then his lips moved, and he involuntarily repeated Hamlet's words: "I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a hernshaw." The man nodded and smiled again, and passed away. There was another low murmuring outside the door, and a fresh tapping, as a persuasive voice said: "Dr North, will you be kind enough to open the door, and come into the dining-room? Mrs Milt, the housekeeper, would like to speak to you." "What a child--what a weak lunatic they must think me!" muttered North; but he did not move, and, as he fully expected, the last speaker, as he supposed, went round to the window and tapped softly. The fresh comer might have been twin brother of the first, so similar was his expression, so exactly a repetition were his acts. They were of as much avail, and he returned to the hall, when a few words were exchanged in a low tone of voice, followed by a sharp tapping at the dining-room door. This was opened, and Mrs Milt's voice rose loudly: