"Trouble? Trouble?" said the secretary, raising his eyebrows. "Of course, sir, about the bad news you told her this morning." "Indeed! And did Lady Royland confide in you?" "Why, of course!" said Roy, quickly. "Oh, yes,--of course! Her ladyship would do what is for the best. Well, let us to our reading. We have lost half an hour, and I am going to make it a little shorter this morning, for I thought of going across as far as the vicarage." "To see Master Meldew, sir?" "Yes; of course. He has not been here lately. Now, then, where we left off,--it was about the Punic War, was it not?" "Yes, sir; but don't let's have anything about war this morning." "Very well," said the secretary; "let it be something about peace." It was something about peace, but what Roy did not know half an hour later, for his head was in a whirl, and his reading became quite mechanical. For there was the trouble his mother was in, her wishes as to his conduct, and his secret interview with Ben, to keep on buzzing in his brain, so that it was with a sigh of relief that he heard the secretary's command to close his book, and he gazed at him wonderingly, asking himself whether the words were sarcastic, for Master Pawson said-- "I compliment you, Roy; you have done remarkably well, and been very attentive this morning. By the way, if her ladyship makes any remark about my absence, you can say that you expect Master Meldew has asked me to stay and partake of dinner with him." "Yes, sir." "Not unless she asks," continued the secretary. "In all probability she will not notice my absence." Roy descended with his books; then felt that he should like to be alone and think, and to this end he made his way to the gloomy old guard-room on the right of the great gate-way, ran up the winding stair, and soon reached the roof, where he lay down on the breastwork over the machicolations, and had not been there long before he heard steps, and, looking over, saw Master Pawson cross the drawbridge and go out of the farther gate-way, watching him unseen till he turned off by the pathway leading through the village and entering the main road. Then it occurred to Roy that, as he had an unpleasant communication to make, he could not do better than get it over at once. So he descended, and began to search for the old soldier; but it was some time before he could find him out. Yet it seemed to be quite soon enough, for the old fellow looked very grim and sour as he listened to the communication. "Very well, Master Roy," he said; "the mistress is master now, and it's your dooty to obey her; but it do seem like playing at fast and loose with a man. There, I've got no more to say,--only that I was beginning to feel a bit bright and chirpy; but now I'm all going back'ard again, and feel as rusty as everything else about the place." "I'm very sorry, Ben, for I really did want to learn," said Roy, apologetically.