the week before last: about ten or eleven days ago."

"Ay; April the fourteenth, the paper said. She is one of the Kirton
family. When do you expect him home?"

"I don't know at all, sir. I've not heard anything about it."

"He is in France, you say, Paris, I suppose. Can you furnish me with his
address?"

Up to this point the colloquy had proceeded smoothly on both sides: but
it suddenly flashed into the mind of Hedges that the stranger's manner
was somewhat mysterious, though in what the mystery lay he could not have
defined. The communicative man, true to the interests of his master,
became cautious at once: he supposed some of Lord Hartledon's worries,
contracted when he was Mr. Elster, were returning upon him.

"I cannot give his address, sir. And for the matter of that, it might not
be of use if I could. Lord and Lady Hartledon did not intend remaining
any length of time in one place."

The stranger had dug the point of his umbrella into the level greensward
that bounded the gravel, and swayed the handle about with his hand,
pausing in thought.

"I have come a long way to see Lord Hartledon," he observed. "It might be
less trouble and cost for me to go on to Paris and see him there, than to
start back for home, and come here again when he returns to England. Are
you sure you can't give me his address?"

"I'm very sorry I can't, sir. There was a talk of their going on to
Switzerland," continued Hedges, improvising the journey, "and so coming
back through Germany; and there _was_ a talk of their making Italy before
the heat came on, and stopping there. Any way, sir, I dare say they are
already away from Paris."

The stranger regarded Hedges attentively, rather to the discomfiture of
that functionary, who thought he was doubted. He then asked a great many
questions, some about Lord Hartledon's personal habits, some about Lady
Maude: the butler answered them freely or cautiously, as he thought he
might, feeling inclined all the while to chase the intruder off the
premises. Presently he turned his attention on the house.

"A fine old place, this, Mr. Butler."

"Yes, sir."

"I suppose I could look over it, if I wished?"

Hedges hesitated. He was privately asking himself whether the law would
allow the stranger, if he had come after any debt of Lord Hartledon's, to
refuse to leave the house, once he got into it.

"I could ask Lady Kirton, sir, if you particularly wished it."

"Lady Kirton? You have som