farewell to Capper was spoken
almost in a whisper, and Anne saw that his self-control was precarious.
When he shook hands with her he was beyond speech. She was glad to see
Nap rise and accompany him, with a friendly hand pushed through his arm.

For nearly half an hour longer she sat on with Capper; then at length
she rose to go.

"I shall see you in the morning," she said, pausing.

"I am making an early start," said Capper.

She smiled. "I shall see you all the same. Good-night."

Capper kept her hand in his, his green eyes running over her with elusive
intentness. "Wonder what you'll do," he said abruptly.

She met his look quite simply. "For the present," she said, "I must be
with Mrs. Errol. Later on--next month--she will no doubt go to the Dower
House, and I shall go back to the Manor."

"Don't mope!" he said.

She smiled again with a short sigh. "I shall be too busy for that."

"That so?" Capper drew his brows together. "Lady Carfax, at risk of
offending you, I've something to say."

"You will not offend me," she answered. "And I think I know what it is."

"Very possibly you do, but I guess I'd better say it all the same. You
may remember a talk we had at the commencement of our acquaintance,
regarding Nap. I told you he was just a wild animal, untamable,
untrustworthy. Well, you have proved me wrong. You have worked a
miracle, and you have tamed him. Lucas himself told me about it the day
before he died."

"Oh, no!" Anne said quickly and earnestly. "It was Lucas who worked the
miracle, Doctor. The magic was his."

"Guess he wouldn't have done it single-handed," said Capper. "He'd
been trying as long as I had known him, and he hadn't succeeded." He
paused, looking at her with great kindness. Then: "My dear," he said,
"you needn't be afraid to trust yourself to him. He will never let you
down again."

Anne stood silent, but under his look a deep flush rose and overspread
her face. She turned her eyes away.

Very gently Capper patted her shoulder. "You've made a man of him between
you," he said. "Lucas has left the developing process to you."

"Ah!" she said wistfully, and that was all, for her eyes were suddenly
full of tears.

She went to the door and stood there for several seconds. The voice of a
nightingale thrilled through the silence. Was it only a year--only a
year--since the veil had been rent from her eyes? Only a year since first
her heart had throbbed to "the everlasting Wonder Son