"How do you do?" he said, in a sharp decisive way, as he held out both hands, Gertrude placing hers within them, to be retained, as the stranger looked at her searchingly, and evidently with satisfaction. "There you need not tell me," he continued, "you're Gertrude, I know. I say, quite a shock to me to come back too late. That's the old man, I suppose?" He nodded towards the portrait as, without moving her eyes from his, Gertrude replied: "Yes, that is uncle's--I mean dear guardian's portrait." "Like him?" "Oh, so very like," replied Gertrude, "I can almost fancy sometimes he is looking down at me from the wall." "Ah," exclaimed the other, giving a quick glance up at the picture and back to Gertrude, whose hands he still held, and pressed warmly. "Of course I don't remember. Quite a little shaver when I went over yonder." Saul, who stood glowering at the pair, half mad with rage and disappointment, winced at these words, but setting his teeth hard, he said quietly: "Have you just arrived?" "Reached Liverpool last night. Came on this morning. Very rough passage. Who are you?" "I," said Saul, forcing a smile--"well, I am--here is my card." He did not finish his sentence, but drew a card from his case. "Mr Saul Harrington," read the stranger. "Let's see, I think I have heard of you?" "Well, I should presume so," replied Saul stiffly. "I was right up the country when grandfather's last letter came," said the new-comer hastily, "but I got back to 'Frisco, and then across to New York, and took boat soon as I could, and here I am. Didn't stop about much luggage, so as to be quick. Can I stay here?" "Stay here?" said Gertrude, withdrawing her hands. "Oh, yes, it is your own house." "Ah, to be sure, I suppose so," cried the young man sharply; and as he spoke his dark eyes were running from one to the other, and then to the dog, which kept on sniffing at him uneasily. "Won't bite, will he?" "Oh no. Lie down, Bruno," cried Gertrude hastily. "Don't know so much about that," said Saul; "he can bite sometimes." "Well, he'd better keep his fangs out of me," said the young man, with an involuntary movement of the hand beneath the back of his morning coat. "You'll excuse me," interposed Saul, taking a step forward, "but you are a perfect stranger to us, sir." "Natural-lee," said the young man. "Never met before, of course." "Then will you be good enough to give me some proofs that you are the gentleman whose card you sent up." "Eh? Proofs? Oh, yes. No, I won't. Look here, sir, this is a curious welcome; pray, who are you?" "I gave you my card, sir." "Yes, of course, Saul Harrington--Mr Saul Harrington. But that don't explain--yes, it does, you're a cousin. The old man said something about you in his last letter." "And in the others," said Saul sharply. "Of course." "Have you the letters?" "I told you I had, didn't I? Am I to show them to you?" "Stop," cried Gertrude quietly.