o do, and
as I say, he's in the hall."

"Show him in somewhere, Hedges. Lady Hartledon is in the drawing-room, I
suppose: let him go into the dining-room."

"Her ladyship's dinner is being laid there, my lord," dissented the
cautious retainer. "She said it was to be served as soon as it was ready,
having come home earlier than she expected."

"Deuce take it!" testily responded Val, "one can't swing a cat in these
cramped hired houses. Show him into my smoking-den upstairs."

"Let me go there," said Mr. Carr, "and you can see him in this room."

"No; keep to your wine, Carr. Take him up there, Hedges."

The butler retired, and Lord Hartledon turned to his guest. "Carr, can
you give a guess at the fellow's business?"

"It's nothing to trouble you. If you have overlooked any old debt, you
are able to give a cheque for it. But I should rather suspect your
persevering friend to be some clergyman or missionary, bent on drawing
a good subscription from you."

Val did not raise his eyes. He was playing again with his empty
wine-glass, his face grave and perplexed.

"Do they serve writs in these cases?" he suddenly asked.

Mr. Carr laughed. "Is the time so long gone by that you have forgotten
yours? You have had some in your day."

"I am not thinking of debt, Carr: that is over for me. But there's no
denying that I behaved disgracefully to--you know--and Dr. Ashton has
good reason to be incensed. Can he be bringing an action against me, and
is this visit in any way connected with it?"

"Nonsense," said Mr. Carr.

"Is it nonsense! I'm sure I've heard of their dressing-up these
serving-officers as clergymen, to entrap the unwary. Well, call it
nonsense, if you like. What of my suggestion in regard to Dr. Ashton?"

Thomas Carr paused to consider. That it was most improbable in all
respects, he felt sure; next door to impossible.

"The doctor is too respectable a man to do anything of the sort," he
answered. "He is high-minded, honourable, wealthy: there's no inducement
whatever. _No._"

"Yes, there may be one: that of punishing me by bringing my disgrace
before the world."

"You forget that he would bring his daughter's name before it at the same
time. It is quite out of the range of possibility. The Ashtons are not
people to seek legal reparation for injury of this sort. But that your
fears are blinding you, you would never suspect them of being capable of
it."

"The stranger is upstairs, my lord," interrupt