r me here, and took me down last Friday."

"Are these people who are generally accounted respectable?" Mannering
asked.

"I don't think that Bristow is much better or worse than half of our
country houses," Borrowdean answered. "People who are at all in the swim
must have excitement nowadays, you know. Bristow himself isn't very
popular, but people go to the house."

Mannering made no further remark.

"If you will come into the study, Borrowdean," he said, "I will settle
this matter with you."

Borrowdean hesitated.

"Your niece said something about having three hundred pounds," he
remarked.

Mannering glanced towards her.

"I think," he said, "that that must be a mistake. My niece has no such
sum at her command."

Clara rose to her feet.

"You may as well know everything," she said. "The Duchess of Lenchester
came in and found me very unhappy this morning. I told her everything,
and she offered to lend me the money. I told her then that it was only
three hundred pounds. I thought that was all I owed."

"Have you made any other confidants?" Mannering asked.

"No!"

"You will return the Duchess's cheque," Mannering said. "Borrowdean, will
you come this way?"

CHAPTER V

LOVE _versus_ POLITICS

Berenice was a little annoyed. It was the hour before dressing for dinner
which she always devoted to repose--the hour saved from the stress of the
day which had helped towards keeping her the young woman she certainly
was. Yet Borrowdean's message was too urgent to ignore. She suffered her
maid to wrap some sort of loose gown about her, and received him in her
own study.

"My dear Sir Leslie," she said, a little reproachfully, "was this really
necessary? You know that after half-past six I am practically a person
not existing--until dinner time!"

"I should not have ventured to intrude upon you," Borrowdean said,
quickly, "if the circumstances had not been altogether exceptional.
I know your habits too well. I have just come from Mannering."

"From Mannering--yes!"

"Duchess," Borrowdean said, "have you--forgive a blunt question--but have
you any influence over him?"

Berenice was silent for several moments.

"You ask me rather a hard question," she said. "A few months ago I think
that I should have said yes. To-day--I am not sure. What has happened?
Is anything wrong with him?"

"Nothing, except that he seems to have gone mad," Borrowdean said,
bitterly. "I went to him to-day to get him to