A WEEK has passed. The scene opens again in the dining-room atMablethorpe House.

The hospitable table bears once more its burden of good thingsfor lunch. But on this occasion Lady Janet sits alone. Herattention is divided between reading her newspaper and feedingher cat. The cat is a sleek and splendid creature. He carries anerect tail. He rolls luxuriously on the soft carpet. Heapproaches his mistress in a series of coquettish curves. Hesmells with dainty hesitation at the choicest morsels that can beoffered to him. The musical monotony of his purring fallssoothingly on her ladyship's ear. She stops in the middle of aleading article and looks with a careworn face at the happy cat."Upon my honor," cries Lady Janet, thinking, in her inveteratelyironical manner, of the cares that trouble her, "all thingsconsidered, Tom, I wish I was You!"

The cat starts--not at his mistress's complimentary apostrophe,but at a knock at the door, which follows close upon it. LadyJanet says, carelessly enough, "Come in;" looks round listlesslyto see who it is; and starts, like the cat, when the door opensand discloses--Julian Gray!

"You--or your ghost?" she exclaims.

She has noticed already that Julian is paler than usual, and thatthere is something in his manner at once uneasy andsubdued--highly uncharacteristic of him at other times. He takesa seat by her side, and kisses her hand. But--for the first timein his aunt's experience of him--he refuses the good things onthe luncheon table, and he has nothing to say to the cat! Thatneglected animal takes refuge on Lady Janet's lap. Lady Janet,with her eyes fixed expectantly on her nephew (determining to"have it out of him" at the first opportunity), waits to hearwhat he has to say for himself. Julian has no alternative but tobreak the silence, and tell his story as he best may.

"I got back from the Continent last night," he began. "And I comehere, as I promised, to report myself on my return. How does yourladyship do? How is Miss Roseberry?"

Lady Janet laid an indicative finger on the lace pelerine whichornamented the upper part of her dress. "Here is the old lady,well," she answered--and pointed next to the room above them."And there," she added, "is the young lady, ill. Is anything thematter with _you_, Julian?"

"Perhaps I am a little tired after my journey. Never mind me. IsMiss Roseberry still suffering from the shock?"

"What else should she be suffering from? I will never forgiveyou, Julian, for bringing that crazy impostor into my house."

"My dear aunt, when I was the innocent means of bringing her hereI had no idea that such a person as Miss Roseberry was inexistence. Nobody laments what has happened more sincerely than Ido. Have you had medical advice?"

"I took her to the sea-side a week since by medical advice."

"Has the change of air don e her no good?"

"None whatever. If anything, the change of air has made herworse. Sometimes she sits for hours together, as pale as death,without looking at anything, and without uttering a word.Sometimes she brightens up, and seems as if she was eager to saysomething; and then Heaven only knows why, checks herselfsuddenly as if she was afraid to speak. I could support that. Butwhat cuts me to the heart, Julian, is, that she does not appearto trust me and to love me as she did. She seems to be doubtfulof me; she seems to be frightened of me. If I did not know thatit was simply impossible that such a thing could be, I shouldreally think she suspected me of believing what that wretch saidof her. In one word (and between ourselves), I begin to fear shewill never get over the fright which caused that fainting-fit.There is serious mischief somewhere; and, try as I may todiscover it, it is mischief beyond my finding."

"Can the doctor do nothing?"

Lady Janet's bright black eyes answered before she replied inwords, with a look of supreme contempt.

"The doctor!" she repeated, disdainfully. "I brought Grace backlast night in sheer despair, and I sent for the doctor thismorning. He is at the head of his profession; he is said to bemaking ten thousand a year; and he knows no more about it than Ido. I am quite serious. The great physician has just gone awaywith two guineas in his pocket. One guinea, for advising me tokeep her quiet; another guinea for telling me to trust to time.Do you wonder how he gets on at this rate? My dear boy, they allget on in the same way. The medical profession thrives on twoincurable diseases in these modern days--a He-disease and aShe-disease. She-disease--nervous depression;He-disease--suppressed gout. Remedies, one guinea, if _you_ go tothe doctor; two guineas if the doctor goes to _you_. I might havebought a new bonnet," cried her ladyship, indignantly, "with themoney I have given to that man! Let us change the subject. I losemy temper when I think of it. Besides, I want to know something.Why did you go abroad?"

At that plain question Julian looked unaffectedly surprised. "Iwrote to explain," he said. "Have you not received my letter?"

"Oh, I got your letter. It was long enough, in all conscience;and, long as it was, it didn't tell me the one thing I wanted toknow."

"What is the 'one thing'?"

Lady Janet's reply pointed--not too palpably at first--at thatsecond motive for Julian's journey which she had suspected Julianof concealing from her.

"I want to know," she said, "why you troubled yourself to makeyour inquiries on the Continent _in person?_ You know where myold courier is to be found. You have yourself pronounced him tobe the most intelligent and trustworthy of men. Answer mehonestly--could you not have sent him in your place?"

"I _might_ have sent him," Julian admitted, a little reluctantly.

"You might have sent the courier--and you were under anengagement to stay here as my guest. Answer me honestly oncemore. Why did you go away?"

Julian hesitated. Lady Janet paused for his reply, with the airof a women who was prepared to wait (if necessary) for the restof the afternoon.

"I had a reason of my own for going," Julian said at last.

"Yes?" rejoined Lady Janet, prepared to wait (if necessary) tillthe next morning.

"A reason," Julian resumed, "which I would rather not mention."

"Oh!" said Lady Janet. "Another mystery--eh? And another woman atthe bottom of it, no doubt. Thank you--that will do--I amsufficiently answered. No wonder, as a clergyman, that you look alittle confused. There is, perhaps, a certain grace, under thecircumstances, in looking confused. We will change the subjectagain. You stay here, of course, now you have come back?"

Once more the famous pulpit orator seemed to find himself in theinconceivable predicament of not knowing what to say. Once moreLady Janet looked resigned to wait (if necessary) until themiddle of next week.

Julian took refuge in an answer worthy of the most commonplaceman on the face of the civilized earth.

"I beg your ladyship to accept my thanks and my excuses," hesaid.

Lady Janet's many-ringed fingers, mechanically stroking the catin her lap, began to stroke him the wrong way.

Lady Janet's inexhaustible patience showed signs of failing herat last.

"Mighty civil, I am sure," she said. "Make it complete. Say, Mr.Julian Gray presents his compliments to Lady Janet Roy, andregrets that a previous engagement-- Julian!" exclaimed the oldlady, suddenly pushing the cat off her lap, and flinging her lastpretense of good temper to the winds--"Julian, I am not to betrifled with! There is but one explanation of your conduct--youare evidently avoiding my house. Is there somebody you dislike init? Is it me?"

Julian intimated by a gesture that his aunt's last question wasabsurd. (The much-injured cat elevated his back, waved his tailslowly, walked to the fireplace, and honored the rug by taking aseat on it.)

Lady Janet persisted. "Is it Grace Roseberry?" she asked next.

Even Julian's patience began to show signs of yielding. Hismanner assumed a sudden decision, his voice rose a tone louder.

"You insist on knowing?" he said. "It _is_ Miss Roseberry."

"You don't like her?" cried Lady Janet, with a sudden burst ofangry surprise.

Julian broke out, on his side: "If I see any more of her," heanswered, the rare color mounting passionately in his cheeks, "Ishall be the unhappiest man living. If I see any more of her, Ishall be false to my old friend, who is to marry her. Keep usapart. If you have any regard for my peace of mind, keep usapart."

Unutterable amazement expressed itself in his aunt's liftedhands. Ungovernable curiosity uttered itself in his aunt's nextwords.

"You don't mean to tell me you are in love with Grace?"

Julian sprung restlessly to his feet, and disturbed the cat atthe fireplace. (The cat left the room.)

"I don't know what to tell you," he said; "I can't realize it tomyself. No other woman has ever roused the feeling in me whichthis woman seems to have called to life in an instant. In thehope of forgetting her I broke my engagement here; I purposelyseized the opportunity of making those inquiries abroad. Quiteuseless. I think of her, morning, noon, and night. I see her andhear her, at this moment, as plainly as I see and hear you. Shehas made _her_self a part of _my_self. I don't understand my lifewithout her. My power of will seems to be gone. I said to myselfthis morning, 'I will write to my aunt; I won't go back toMablethorpe House.' Here I am in Mablethorpe House, with a meansubterfuge to justify me to my own conscience. 'I owe it to myaunt to call on my aunt.' That is what I said to myself on theway here; and I was secretly hoping every step of the way thatshe would come into the room when I got here. I am hoping it now.And she is engaged to Horace Holmcroft--to my oldest friend, tomy best friend! Am I an infernal rascal? or am I a weak fool? Godknows--I don't. Keep my secret, aunt. I am heartily ashamed ofmyself; I used to think I was made of better stuff than this.Don't say a word to Horace. I must, and will, conquer it. Let mego."

He snatched up his hat. Lady Janet, rising with the activity of ayoung woman, pursued him across the room, and stopped him at thedoor.

"No," answered the resolute old lady, "I won't let you go. Comeback with me."

As she said those words she noticed with a certain fond pride thebrilliant color mounting in his cheeks--the flashing brightnesswhich lent an added luster to his eyes. He had never, to hermind, looked so handsome before. She took his arm, and led him tothe chairs which they had just left. It was shocking, it waswrong (she mentally admitted) to look on Mercy, under thecircumstances, with any other eye than the eye of a brother or afriend. In a clergyman (perhaps) doubly shocking, doubly wrong.But, with all her respect for the vested interests of Horace,Lady Janet could not blame Julian. Worse still, she was privatelyconscious that he had, somehow or other, risen, rather thanfallen, in her estima tion within the last minute or two. Whocould deny that her adopted daughter was a charming creature? Whocould wonder if a man of refined tastes admired her? Upon thewhole, her ladyship humanely decided that her nephew was ratherto be pitied than blamed. What daughter of Eve (no matter whethershe was seventeen or seventy) could have honestly arrived at anyother conclusion? Do what a man may--let him commit anything helikes, from an error to a crime--so long as there is a woman atthe bottom of it, there is an inexhaustible fund of pardon forhim in every other woman's heart. "Sit down," said Lady Janet,smiling in spite of herself; "and don't talk in that horrible wayagain. A man, Julian--especially a famous man like you--ought toknow how to control himself."

Julian burst out laughing bitterly.

"Send upstairs for my self-control," he said. "It's in _her_possession--not in mine. Good morning, aunt."

He rose from his chair. Lady Janet instantly pushed him back intoit.

"I insist on your staying here," she said, "if it is only for afew minutes longer. I have something to say to you."

"Does it refer to Miss Roseberry?"

"It refers to the hateful woman who frightened Miss Roseberry.Now are you satisfied?"

Julian bowed, and settled himself in his chair.

"I don't much like to acknowledge it," his aunt went on. "But Iwant you to understand that I have something really serious tospeak about, for once in a way. Julian! that wretch not onlyfrightens Grace--she actually frightens me."

"Frightens you? She is quite harmless, poor thing."

"'Poor thing'!" repeated Lady Janet. "Did you say 'poor thing'?"

"Yes."

"Is it possible that you pity her?"

"From the bottom of my heart."

The old lady's temper gave way again at that reply. "I hate a manwho can't hate anybody!" she burst out. "If you had been anancient Roman, Julian, I believe you would have pitied Nerohimself."

Julian cordially agreed with her. "I believe I should," he said,quietly. "All sinners, my dear aunt, are more or less miserablesinners. Nero must have been one of the wretchedest of mankind."

"Wretched!" exclaimed Lady Janet. "Nero wretched! A man whocommitted robbery, arson and murder to his own violinaccompaniment--_only_ wretched! What next, I wonder? When modernphilanthropy begins to apologize for Nero, modern philanthropyhas arrived at a pretty pass indeed! We shall hear next thatBloody Queen Mary was as playful as a kitten; and if poor dearHenry the Eighth carried anything to an extreme, it was thepractice of the domestic virtues. Ah, how I hate cant! What werewe talking about just now? You wander from the subject, Julian;you are what I call bird-witted. I protest I forget what I wantedto say to you. No, I won't be reminded of it. I may be an oldwoman, but I am not in my dotage yet! Why do you sit therestaring? Have you nothing to say for yourself? Of all the peoplein the world, have _you_ lost the use of your tongue?"

Julian's excellent temper and accurate knowledge of his aunt'scharacter exactly fitted him to calm the rising storm. Hecontrived to lead Lady Janet insensibly back to the lost subjectby dexterous reference to a narrative which he had thus far leftuntold--the narrative of his adventures on the Continent.

"I have a great deal to say, aunt," he replied. "I have not yettold you of my discoveries abroad."

Lady Janet instantly took the bait.

"I knew there was something forgotten," she said. "You have beenall this time in the house, and you have told me nothing. Begindirectly."

Patient Julian began.