"Listen to me now, girl: this is business. Attach ten thousand times more value to the answers you are going to make me than to any other answers you gave in all your life. My question is: What names did she mention?" "None. She mentioned no name." "Absolutely and literally no name?" "She mentioned no name." "Not even her own?" "Not even her own." "But you know, of course, who she is?" "I never saw her before. I do not know who she is." "The servants know her name." "Jordan told me a lady wished to see me in private. He did not know her name." "Are you sure of all this?" "Yes." "What was her business with you?" "She left me that packet on the table." "Did she say nothing about it?" "That it contained something of mine, and that I was not to open it until to-morrow morning." "Is that all?" "That is all." "Swear it to me." "Mr. Grey!" "I know; but swear all the same." "I will not." "Then you have been lying." "I have not. How dare you say such a thing, Mr. Grey!" "Well, there, Maud, dear Maud, let us drop the comedy. I am afraid I have carried it too far already. You know really who the poor creature is?" "I have told you I do not." "She is a harmless old woman who is mad on religion, and goes about doing this kind of thing, and leaving bundles of tracts like this." He took up the parcel off the table. "She must not be allowed in here again. I will give orders that she shall not be admitted. And now can you guess the reason for my comedy?" "I cannot." "It was, dear Maud, because I heard to-day there is some chance of the will being disputed, and I wanted to try how you would go through the ordeal of a severe cross-examination. And I must say, anything to equal my Maud's admirable coolness I never saw. You did not for a moment fancy I was in earnest?" "I don't know what I thought. I was greatly frightened." "Well, I admit I did go too far. But it was in your own interest, dear Maud--in your own interest. You are all right again, dear Maud?" He took her hand in his. "I feel a little nervous and hysterical. Please open the door and let me go." "Certainly; it was carrying the joke too far to lock the door; but I was borne away by the spirit of the thing. You will forgive me." "Oh, yes." "Well, dear Maud, good-bye now. You are leaving your parcel of tracts behind you. Never mind; I'll read them for you." When she had left the room he took up the parcel, dropped it into his pocket, and started at once for the city. That day Maud wrote to her cousin, Sir William Midharst. The concluding paragraph of her letter ran thus: "I do not know what is the matter with Mr. Grey; his manner terrifies me. If you can, come back at once." CHAPTER VI. PENNILESS.