"I will take charge of Miss Blake now, Patterson," he said, gravely--very gravely; and accepting this as an intimation that he desired my absence, I was turning away, when I heard Miss Blake say: "Where is she--the creature? What have they done with her at all?" "I have sent her home," was Mr. Craven's reply. "How could you be so foolish as to mislead me as you have done?" "Come," thought I, smelling the battle afar off, "we shall soon have Craven _v_. Blake tried privately in our office." I knew Mr. Craven pretty well, and understood he would not readily forgive Miss Blake for having kept Miss Helena's experiences a secret from him. Over and over I had heard Miss Blake state there was not a thing really against the house, and that Helena, poor dear, only hated the place because she had there lost her father. "Not much of a loss either, if she could be brought to think so," finished Miss Blake, sometimes. Consequently, to Mr. Craven, as well as to all the rest of those connected with the firm, the facts elicited by Serjeant Playfire were new as unwelcome. If the daughter of the house dreamed dreams and beheld visions, why should strangers be denied a like privilege? If Miss Elmsdale believed her father could not rest in his grave, how were we to compel belief as to calm repose on the part of yearly tenants? "Playfire has been pitching into us pretty strong," remarked Taylor, when I at length elbowed my way back to where our manager sat. "Where is Mr. Craven?" "I left him with Miss Blake." "It is just as well he has not heard all the civil remarks Playfire made about our connection with the business. Hush! he is going to call his witnesses. No, the court is about to adjourn for luncheon." Once again I went out into Westminster Hall, and was sauntering idly up and down over its stones when Mr. Craven joined me. "A bad business this, Patterson," he remarked. "We shall never get another tenant for that house," I answered. "Certainly no tenant will ever again be got through me," he said, irritably; and then Taylor came to him, all in a hurry, and explaining he was wanted, carried him away. "They are going to compromise," I thought, and followed slowly in the direction taken by my principal. How I knew they were thinking of anything of the kind, I cannot say, but intuitively I understood the course events were taking.