, and then died away; and the girl lay still, collapsed
in the abandonment of dry-eyed grief.

Then she rose, and taking off her dressing-gown, said tenderly:

'Let me stay with you to-night, dear one? Go to sleep in my arms, as you
did long ago when there was any grief that you could not bear.'

So Stephen lay in those loving arms till her own young breast ceased
heaving, and she breathed softly. Till dawn she slept on the bosom of
her who loved her so well.

CHAPTER XXI--THE DUTY OF COURTESY

Leonard was getting tired of waiting when he received his summons to
Normanstand. But despite his impatience he was ill pleased with the
summons, which came in the shape of a polite note from Miss Rowly asking
him to come that afternoon at tea-time. He had expected to hear from
Stephen.

'Damn that old woman! You'd think she was working the whole show!'
However, he turned up at a little before five o'clock, spruce and dapper
and well dressed and groomed as usual. He was shown, as before, into the
blue drawing-room. Miss Rowly, who sat there, rose as he entered, and
coming across the room, greeted him, as he thought, effusively. He
actually winced when she called him 'my dear boy' before the butler.

She ordered tea to be served at once, and when it had been brought she
said to the butler:

'Tell Mannerly to bring me a large thick envelope which is on the table
in my room. It is marked L.E. on the outside.' Presently an elderly
maid handed her the envelope and withdrew. When tea was over she opened
the envelope, and taking from it a number of folios, looked over them
carefully; holding them in her lap, she said quietly:

'You will find writing materials on the table. I am all ready now to
hand you over the receipts.' His eyes glistened. This was good news at
all events; the debts were paid. In a rapid flash of thought he came to
the conclusion that if the debts were actually paid he need not be civil
to the old lady. He felt that he could have been rude to her if he had
actual possession of the receipts. As it was, however, he could not yet
afford to have any unpleasantness. There was still to come that lowering
interview with his father; and he could not look towards it
satisfactorily until he had the assurance of the actual documents that he
was safe. Miss Rowly was, in her own way, reading his mind in his face.
Her lorgnon seemed to follow his every expression like a searchlight. He
remembe