look at, and was particularly pleasant in its shadowed coolness this summer afternoon. At the centre table sat the lady of the house, with an air of reproachful patience, talking surface talk with the girls about their country trip. Eleanor stood near her, looking very charming in her pale blue gown, with her flushed cheeks, and brightened eyes. Patty supported Mr. Brion, who was not quite at home in this strange atmosphere, and she watched the door with a face of radiant excitement. "Where is Elizabeth?" asked the major, having hospitably shaken hands with the lawyer, whom he had never seen before. "Elizabeth," said Mr. Yelverton, using the name familiarly, as if he had never called her by any other, "is not coming." "Oh, indeed. Well, I suppose we are to go on without her, eh?" "Yes, I suppose so." They were all seating themselves at the table, and as he took a chair by Patty's side he looked round and caught a significant glance passing between the major and his wife. "It is not of _my_ convening, this meeting," he explained; "whatever business is on hand, I know nothing of it at present." "_Don't_ you?" cried his hostess, opening her eyes. The major smiled; he, too, was thrown off the scent and puzzled, but did not show it as she did. "No," said Mr. Brion, clearing his throat and putting his hand into his breast pocket to take out his papers, "what Mr. Yelverton says is true. He knows nothing of it at present. I am very sorry, for his sake, that it is so. I may say I am very sorry for everybody's sake, for it is a very painful thing to--" Here Mr. Yelverton rose to his feet abruptly, nipping the exordium in the bud. "Allow me one moment," he said with some peremptoriness. "I don't know what Mr. Brion means by saying he is sorry for _my_ sake. I don't know whether he alludes to a--a special attachment on my part, but I cannot conceive how any revelation he may make can affect me. As far as I am concerned--" "My dear sir," interrupted the lawyer in his turn, "if you will wait until I have made my explanation, you will understand what I mean." "Sit down," said Patty, putting a hand on his arm. "You have no idea what he is going to say. Sit down and listen." "I do not want to listen, dear," he said, giving her a quick look. "It cannot be anything painful to me unless it is painful to you, and if it is painful to you I would rather not hear it." The major was watching them all, and ruminating on the situation. "Wait a bit, Yelverton," he said in his soft voice. "If it's their doing there's some good reason for it. Just hear what it is that Mr. Brion has to say. I see he has got some legal papers. We must pay attention to legal papers, you know." "Oh, for goodness sake, go on!" cried Mrs. Duff-Scott, whose nerves were chafed by this delay. "If anything is the matter, let us know the worst at once."