entered in this way because I wished
no one but Francis to know of my arrival, and I was sure I should find
her here; but, now I am here, allow me to rest myself whilst I reflect
a little upon the best means of obtaining an interview with her."

And he threw himself at full length on the old sofa, which creaked
under his weight.

"Ah! ah!" he continued, examining the walls, "the family portraits
are gone--eaten away, no doubt, by the moths and the damp."

It was quite clear to me the stranger was not here for the first
time. Though his manners were free, there was something gentlemanly
in his personal appearance. Still his dress was fantastic. He wore
a short velvet jacket with metal buttons, and a silk handkerchief
loosely tied around his neck; tight trousers of a grey pearl colour,
and polished riding-boots with spurs, and a soft felt hat.

"You've got nothing to drink here?" he asked, after a pause of some
minutes. "I have ridden for three hours, and my throat is almost
choked with sand and dust."

He spoke Dutch with a foreign accent. His age seemed to be about fifty,
though he might be younger. His lively, active features were never at
rest for a moment; his greenish-grey eyes, the fine wrinkles on his
high sunburnt forehead, and the paleness of his cheeks, all marked
him as the adventurer endued with strong passions--an impression
that was increased by his thick-set face, large nose, and the tufted
mustachios hanging over his thick, sensual lips. I could not refuse
him a glass of water, unwelcome as I found his presence. As I handed
it to him I said--

"You seem to know this house well."

"Yes, and that's no wonder; I played many a prank here in my
boyhood. But you, sir, who are you? An adjutant of the Colonel's,
or a protege of Francis's?"

"I think I have the best right to question you, and to ask who
you are?"

"That's true enough; and I would tell you with pleasure, but it's a
secret which concerns others besides myself. Call me Mr. Smithson--it's
the name I am known by at present."

"Very well. Now what is your business here, Mr. Smithson?"

"I wish you to tell Francis I am here."

"Do you think the news will be agreeable to her?" I demanded.

"I cannot say, but she will come all the same."

"Here, into my room?"

"Bah! our Major Frank is no prude."

"Mr. Smithson, I give you fair warning that if you say a single word
derogatory to the character of Miss Mordaunt, I shall instantly make