val of the visitors. She
instinctively guessed at the identity of the latter, but it was clean
contrary to Violet Avory's creed to hurry herself on account of any man.
So having sacrificed a few moments of curiosity to this principle, and,
needless to say, taken the indispensable look at herself in the glass,
she issued leisurely forth.

Now, as she did so, Selwood was ushering in his stranger guest--was, in
fact, at that moment standing back to allow the latter to enter before
him. Thus they met face to face.

Then was her self-possession tried in such wise as no member of that
household had yet witnessed. She halted suddenly, her face deadly
white. A quick ejaculation escaped the stranger's lips.

It died as quickly, and his half-outstretched hand dropped to his side
in obedience to her warning glance; for her confusion was but a
momentary flash. It entirely escaped Selwood, who was walking behind
his guest, the broad shoulders and fine stature of the latter acting as
an opportune screen, and all the others were still outside.

"Miss Avory," introduced honest Chris, becoming aware of her presence.
"Mr--er--I really beg your pardon, but I'm afraid I didn't quite catch
your name just now--and Renshaw didn't happen to mention it in his
letter?"

"Sellon," supplied the other.

"By Jove! We hold half our names in common. We are both `Sells,' but
there we branch off--ho--ho! Sellon and Selwood, both `Sells,'"
repeated Chris, who was fond of a joke.

An unimportant, not to say trivial remark. But like many such, it was
destined in the fulness of time to be brought back pretty vividly to the
memory of its originator and his hearers.

Violet acknowledged the introduction with a queenly sort of bow, and
turning preceded them into the sitting-room.

"Where's Mr Fanning?" she asked, rising almost as soon as she was
seated. "I must go and say `How do you do?' to him."

Sellon muttered an oath to himself as she slipped from the room, not
loud enough to be heard by his host, however, who proceeded to ply him
with questions as to his journey--and brandy-and-water.

Meanwhile Violet, in pursuance of her expressed intent, was greeting the
other arrival with a pretty cordiality that was perfection itself, and
when she tuned her voice to the requisite minor key as she asked all
manner of questions and expressed all manner of sympathy with regard to
his late illness, and whether he ought to have undertaken such a lo