d hurried across to
the front door. Then, as he went out, Mr John Ball came in.

"Good evening, sir," said Mr Rubb. "I am Mr Samuel Rubb. I have just
been seeing Miss Mackenzie, on business. Good evening, sir."

John Ball said never a word, and Samuel Rubb hurried across the
grounds to the railway station.

CHAPTER XX

Showing How the Third Lover Behaved

"What has that man been here for?" Those were the first words which
Mr Ball spoke to his cousin after shutting the hall-door behind
Mr Rubb's back. When the door was closed he turned round and saw
Margaret as she was coming out of the dining-room, and in a voice
that sounded to her as though he were angry, asked her the above
question.

"He came to see me, John," said Miss Mackenzie, going back into the
dining-room. "He was my brother's partner."

"He said he came upon business; what business could he have?"

It was not very easy for her to tell him what had been Mr Rubb's
business. She had no wish to keep anything secret from her cousin,
but she did not know how to describe the scene which had just taken
place, or how to acknowledge that the man had come there to ask her
to marry him.

"Does he know anything of this matter of your money?" continued Mr
Ball.

"Oh yes; he knows it all. He was in Gower Street when I told my
sister-in-law."

"And he came to advise you about it?"

"Yes; he did advise me about it. But his advice I shall not take."

"And what did he advise?"

Then Margaret told him that Mr Rubb had counselled her to fight it
out to the last, in order that a compromise might at any rate be
obtained.

"If it has no selfish object in view I am far from saying that he is
wrong," said John Ball. "It is what I should advise a friend to do
under similar circumstances."

"It is not what I shall do, John."

"No; you are like a lamb that gives itself up to the slaughterer. I
have been with one lawyer or the other all day, and the end of it
is that there is no use on earth in your going to London to-morrow,
nor, as far as I can see, for another week to come. The two lawyers
together have referred the case to counsel for opinion,--for an
amicable opinion as they call it. From what they all say, Margaret,
it seems to me clear that the matter will go against you."

"I have expected nothing else since Mr Slow spoke to me."

"But no doubt you can make a fight, as your friend says."

"I don't want to fight, John; you know that."

"Mr Slo