dinner."

She strolled off, humming a tune to herself. Lord Saxthorpe watched her
with a shadow upon his plain, good-humoured face.

"Somehow or other," he remarked quietly, "Mrs. Fentolin never seems to
have got over the loss of her husband, does she? How long is it since he
died?"

"Eight years," Mr. Fentolin replied. "It was just six months after my
own accident."

"I am losing a great deal of sympathy for you, Mr. Fentolin," Lady
Saxthorpe confessed, coming over to his side. "You have so many
resources, there is so much in life which you can do. You paint, as
we all know, exquisitely. They tell me that you play the violin like a
master. You have unlimited time for reading, and they say that you are
one of the greatest living authorities upon the politics of Europe. Your
morning paper must bring you so much that is interesting."

"It is true," Mr. Fentolin admitted, "that I have compensations which no
one can guess at, compensations which appeal to me more as time steals
on. And yet--"

He stopped short.

"And yet?" Lady Saxthorpe repeated interrogatively.

Mr. Fentolin was watching Gerald drive golf balls from the lawn beneath.
He pointed downwards.

"I was like that when I was his age," he said quietly.

CHAPTER XIX

Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his
guests. He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there
with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his
knee. On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the
household so that they formed a little court around him. Even Hamel,
who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an
appealing glance from Esther. Mr. Fentolin was in one of his most
loquacious moods. For some reason or other, the visit of the Saxthorpes
seemed to have excited him. He talked continually, with the briefest
pauses. Every now and then he gazed steadily across the marshes through
his telescope.

"Lord Saxthorpe," he remarked, "has, I must confess, greatly excited
my curiosity as to the identity of our visitor. Such a harmless-looking
person, he seems, to be causing such a commotion. Gerald, don't you feel
your responsibility in the matter?"

"Yes, sir, I do!" Gerald replied, with unexpected grimness. "I feel my
responsibility deeply."

Mr. Fentolin, who was holding the telescope to his eye, touched Hamel on
the shoulder.

"My young friend," he said, "your eyes are better