d told upon
his daughter's heart; and they all loved _her_, and could not bear to
cause her pain. Tall, supple, graceful, strong, towering nearly a head
above the doctor, he stood, his pleasing features full of the best sort
of attraction, his violet eyes rather wider open than usual, the waves of
his silken hair smooth and bright. "If he were only half as fair in
conduct as in looks!" muttered the grieved divine.

But those violet eyes, usually beaming with kindness, suddenly changed
their present expression of depreciation to one of rage. Dr. Ashton gave
a pretty accurate description of how the crisis had been brought to his
knowledge--that Lord Hartledon had come to the Rectory, with his mistaken
assailant, to be identified; and Percival Elster's anger was turned
against his brother. Never in all his life had he been in so great a
passion; and having to suppress its signs in the presence of the Rector
only made the fuel burn more fiercely. To ruin him with the doctor by
going _there_ with the news! Anywhere else--anywhere but the Rectory!

Hedges, the butler, interrupted the conference. Dinner was waiting. Lord
Hartledon looked at Val as the two entered the room, and was rather
surprised at the furious gaze of reproach that was cast back on him.

Miss Ashton was not there. No, of course not! It needed not Val's glance
around to be assured of that. Of course they were to be separated from
that hour; the fiat was already gone forth. And Mr. Val Elster felt so
savage that he could have struck his brother. He heard Dr. Ashton's reply
to an inquiry--that Mrs. Ashton was feeling unusually poorly, and Anne
remained at home with her--but he looked upon it as an evasion. Not a
word did he speak during dinner: not a word, save what was forced from
him by common courtesy, spoke he after the ladies had left the room; he
only drank a great deal of wine.

A very unusual circumstance for Val Elster. With all his weak resolution,
his yielding nature, drinking was a fault he was scarcely ever seduced
into. Not above two or three times in his life could he remember to have
exceeded the bounds of strict, temperate sobriety. The fact was, he was
in wrath with himself: all his past follies were pressing upon him with
bitter condemnation. He was just in that frame of mind when an object to
vent our fury upon becomes a sort of necessity; and Mr. Elster's was
vented on his brother.

He was waiting at boiling-point for the opportunity to