"He asked for master, miss," whispered the old woman. "He did not know. In the dining-room, miss. It's Master George." A mist seemed to float before Gertrude's eyes, but not before she had read upon the card the name: "Mr George Harrington." CHAPTER EIGHT. "MR GEORGE HARRINGTON." "Who's that? What's that?" cried Saul Harrington sharply, as he saw by Gertrude's agitation that there was something particular on the way. "It's Master George come, sir," said the old housekeeper. "What?" he roared; and his face turned sallow. "Impossible!" Gertrude stood trembling, with the card in her hand, the name thereon seeming to play strange tricks, and growing larger and then dying away, till it seemed to be hidden in a mist, while a chaos of thoughts ran confusedly through her brain. At one moment she looked upon the coming of this stranger with dread, for a stranger he was to her; the next her heart began to beat, and her cheeks flushed, as she recalled that he was her affianced husband, and that he had come to protect her from this man, and that henceforth she would be safe. She was brought back to the present by the old housekeeper, who, for the second time, touched her arm. "Miss Gertrude, ma'am, don't you hear me?" she said. "What shall I tell him?" "I--I--" "Stop!" cried Saul sharply. "You are a young unprotected girl, and as the executors are not here, Gertie, I look upon it as my duty to see after your welfare. How do we know that this is George Harrington? Let me look at that card." He snatched the card from the trembling girl's fingers, and scowled as he read the inscription, though he could gather nothing from that. "Here, I'll go down and see what he's like. It may be some impostor." He had reached the door when Gertrude flushed up, and seemed in her decisive action to have changed from girl to woman. "Stop, Mr Harrington!" she said; "this would not be the way to welcome my poor dead guardian's grandson, and I think it is due to me that you should refrain." "What!" he cried, staggered for the moment by her manner and bearing, as she crossed to a writing-table. "Nonsense, girl; you know nothing of the ways of the world. I'll meet this man, and see what he is like." Gertrude took no notice, but wrote two telegrams, and handed them to the housekeeper. "Send them at once," she whispered, and she turned to the door, where Saul's hand was raised to stop her, but there was a low growl from close at hand, Saul started and shrank away, leaving the door free; but before Gertrude was half way to the room, with the dog close at her heels, Saul had followed, and entered the dining-room just as the keen-looking, sun-browned, and well-dressed man, who had stood gazing at old Harrington's portrait, turned quickly and advanced to meet the agitated girl.