Considering her position, the world would approve of her marrying; for she had no one to protect her but a guardian, no kin near enough to take any interest in her. In her solitary situation, every one would approve of her marrying soon. There was a rustle, and all the men rose to their feet upon perceiving Miss Midharst in the act of rising. Grey looked across for a moment at her, as she stood upon the right hand of the vacant chair. "She mine!" he thought. "She will be my salvation! There is nothing now to keep her from me! Nothing between her and me!" "Miss Midharst," said a deep grave voice at the other side of the table, "I fear there is no one here who can introduce me to you, so that I shall be obliged to introduce myself." Grey started, and looking across the table, saw the stranger advancing towards Miss Midharst. The banker threw one glance around, by which he plainly told the other men that he intended resenting so unwarrantable an intrusion on the grief and privacy of the occasion. All his fears had vanished into air. The only feeling he now experienced was that a pushing stranger was seeking to occupy the unwilling attention of his legally constituted ward, and the woman who was to be his wife. Grey crossed the room rapidly at the back of the vacant chair, and placing himself beside Miss Midharst, bowed and offered her his arm. She took it, and for a second no one moved. Maud looked up and saw in front of her a tall, broad, dark-visaged, black-haired, sad-featured man, with dark and dreamy eyes. She shrank back slightly, and clung to the stalwart arm on which her small white hand lay. "I beg your pardon, sir," said the banker blandly, "I shall be happy to place myself at your disposal when I have led Miss Midharst to her private apartment. May I request you to take a seat until then?" "Thank you, sir. Your name is Grey." "It is. And as you have heard the will, you know I am in a position to tell you that anything you have to say to Miss Midharst may, under present circumstances, be more reasonably said to me." The banker advanced his foot, and Maud, still clinging to him, moved to go. Again the stranger bowed low to Miss Midharst. It was impossible, without downright rudeness, for Grey to move until the stranger should have recovered an erect attitude, as evidently there was something else he wished to say. "Miss Midharst," at last the stranger said, "I am William Midharst, your cousin;" he held out his hand to her. "The new baronet!" murmured the servants, in whispers. All the men looked keenly at the tall dark young man, who with a grave smile stood holding out a brown right hand to the fair, shrinking, timid, pale, beautiful girl. She took her white trembling hand off the banker's arm and held it out to him. She was cold and trembling, and she felt as though she should faint.