Spencer Coyle was tempted to follow her, but remembering his standard of tact he rejoined his wife in their apartment. He delayed however to go to bed, and though he went into his dressing-room he couldn't bring himself even to take off his coat. He pretended for half an hour to read a novel; after which, quietly, or perhaps I should say agitatedly, he passed from the dressing-room into the corridor. He followed this passage to the door of the room which he knew to have been assigned to young Lechmere and was comforted to see that it was closed. Half an hour earlier he had seen it standing open; therefore he could take for granted that the bewildered boy had come to bed. It was of this he had wished to assure himself, and having done so he was on the point of retreating. But at the same instant he heard a sound in the room--the occupant was doing, at the window, something which showed him that he might knock without the reproach of waking his pupil up. Young Lechmere came in fact to the door in his shirt and trousers. He admitted his visitor in some surprise, and when the door was closed again Spencer Coyle said: "I don't want to make your life a burden to you, but I had it on my conscience to see for myself that you're not exposed to undue excitement." "Oh, there's plenty of that!" said the ingenuous youth. "Miss Julian came down again." "To look for a turquoise?" "So she said." "Did she find it?" "I don't know. I came up. I left her with poor Wingrave." "Quite the right thing," said Spencer Coyle. "I don't know," young Lechmere repeated uneasily. "I left them quarrelling." "What about?" "I don't understand. They're a quaint pair!" Spencer Coyle hesitated. He had, fundamentally, principles and scruples, but what he had in particular just now was a curiosity, or rather, to recognise it for what it was, a sympathy, which brushed them away. "Does it strike you that _she's_ down on him?" he permitted himself to inquire. "Rather!--when she tells him he lies!" "What do you mean?" "Why, before _me_. It made me leave them; it was getting too hot. I stupidly brought up the question of the haunted room again, and said how sorry I was that I had had to promise you not to try my luck with it." "You can't pry about in that gross way in other people's houses--you can't take such liberties, you know!" Mr. Coyle interjected. "I'm all right--see how good I am. I don't want to go _near_ the place!" said young Lechmere, confidingly. "Miss Julian said to me 'Oh, I daresay _you'd_ risk it, but'--and she turned and laughed at poor Owen--'that's more than we can expect of a gentleman who has taken _his_ extraordinary line.' I could see that something had already passed between them on the subject--some teasing or challenging of hers. It may have been only chaff, but his chucking the profession had evidently brought up the question of his pluck." "And what did Owen say?"