inn?"

"'Eaps of questions, Miss Silver, as bold as brass, all about Sir
Everard and my lady--our young lady, you know. Shall I fetch him up?"

"Certainly."

There chanced to be no other visitor at the Court, and Sybilla received
Mr. Parmalee with infinite smiles and condescension.

"Beg your pardon, miss," he said, politely; "sorry to put you to so
much trouble, but I calculated on seeing this old pile before I left
these parts, and as they told me down at the tavern this was the day--"

"It is not the slightest trouble, I assure you," Miss Silver
interposed. "I am only too happy to have a stranger come and break the
quiet monotony of our life here. And, besides, it affords me double
pleasure to make the acquaintance of an American--a people I intensely
admire. You are the first I ever had the happiness of meeting."

"Want to know!" said Mr. Parmalee, in a tone betokening no earthly
emotion whatever. "It's odd, too. Plenty folks round our section come
across; but I suppose they didn't happen along down here. Splendid
place this; fine growing land all round; but I see most of it is let
run wild. If all that there timber was cut down and the stumps burned
out and the ground turned into pasture, you hain't no idea what an
improvement it would be. But you Britishers don't go in for progress
and that sort of thing. This old castle, now--it's two hundred years
old, I'll be bound!"

"More than that--twice as old. Will you come and look at the pictures
now? Being an artist, of course you will like to see the pictures
first."

Mr. Parmalee followed the young lady to the long picture-gallery, his
hands still in his pockets, whistling softly to himself, and eying
everything.

"Must have cost a sight of money, all these fixings," he remarked. "I
know how them statues and busts reckons up. This here baronet must be
a powerful rich man?"

"He is," said Miss Silver, quietly.

"Beg your pardon, miss, but air you one of the family?"

"No, sir. I am lady Kingsland's companion."

"Oh, a domestic!" said Mr. Parmalee, as if to himself. "Who'd a'
thought it? Lady Kingsland's companion? Which of 'em? There's two,
ain't there?"

"Sir Everard's mother has left Kingsland Court. I am companion to Sir
Everard's wife."

"Ah! jest so! Got married lately, didn't he! Might I ask your name,
miss?"

"I am Sybilla Silver."

"Thanky," said Mr. Parmalee, with a satisfied nod. "So much easier
getting along whe