“I thank you, sir. I did indeed act in the interest of the young lady. I went to Scotland with the young pair and saw them properly married, in the parlor of the manse, by the minister, at Kilton, Dumfries, North Briton; and in addition to the certificate given to the bride, I took a duplicate, duly signed and witnessed, because I thought it just possible the young lady might mislay or lose her lines.” “You are sure that the place at which you stopped for the marriage was Kilton, in Scotland, and not Kelton, a few miles south in England?” inquired Mr. Force. Anglesea lifted his eyes from the paper in his hand and looked at the questioner with surprise. “They are so near together on the same line, and the sound of the names are so similar, that the mistake might easily have been made—on a night journey,” Mr. Force explained. “It might, but it was not. Here is the certificate. Will you examine it?” said the general, laying the document before the squire. Sure enough, there was the printed heading: Parish of Kilton, Dumfries, N. B. And then followed the date and the record of the marriage between Luigi Saviola, of Naples, Italy, and Elfrida Glennon, of Northumberland, England, signed by the minister and attested by two witnesses. Abel Force heaved so deep a sigh of relief that Lord Enderby bent toward him and inquired: “What is the matter? Why were you so anxious about this point?” “I will tell you later. I will explain everything later. For the present let us listen to the facts.” “I wish to put one question to you, Anglesea, and in the name of our lifelong friendship: Why did you never inform me of my sister’s marriage?” “Because, my dear fellow, I was in honor bound to keep the secret until the parties concerned announced their marriage. As I heard nothing about it from you or your father, I was restrained from mentioning the subject.” “I see! I see!” assented the earl. “I should not have brought up the matter now had not the death of Saviola and the marriage of his widow absolved me from my implied pledge of secrecy; and very important considerations constrained me to cross the ocean to seek out Lady Elfrida and to speak of her first marriage, of which I was the principal witness.” “I thank you, both on the part of Lady Elfrida and myself, for the great interest you have felt and the great trouble you have taken in her cause,” said Abel Force so earnestly that Lord Enderby muttered to himself: “I wonder what in the deuce has come over the squire? But I shall know presently, perhaps.” “I must explain these considerations,” continued the general. “I was at Naples last year, where I renewed my acquaintance with the aged prince, Antonio Saviola, whom I had known years before. We met at the house of a mutual friend. He invited me to dine _tête-à-tête_ with him on the next day, and to come early, as he wished to converse with me on a subject near. I accepted the invitation and went.”