u a fair chance of winning her."

"You are too good, Mr. Miller," cried Herbert, with effusion, stretching
forth his hand. "I do not know how to thank you enough, nor how to assure
you of my grateful acceptance of your terms."

But Mr. Miller drew back from the young man's proffered hand.

"Wait, there is no occasion to thank me;" and again his eyes fell sternly
upon that unlucky little heap of lace and ribbon. "I am sorry to tell you
that, since I have come here, my friendly and pleasant intentions towards
you have undergone a complete change."

"Sir!"

"Yes, Mr. Pryme; I came here prepared to treat you--well, I may as well
confess it--as a son, under the belief that you were an upright and
honourable man, and were sincerely and honestly attached to my daughter."

"Mr. Miller, is it possible that you can doubt it?"

The elder man pointed with contemptuous significance to the sunshade
before him.

"I find upon your table, young man, the evidences of the recent presence
of some wretched woman in your rooms, and your confusion of manner shows
me too plainly that you are not the kind of husband to which a man may
safely entrust his daughter's happiness."

"Mr. Miller, I assure you you are mistaken; it is not so."

"Every man in this country has a right to justify himself when he is
accused. If I am mistaken, Mr. Pryme, explain to me the meaning of
_that_," and the heavy forefinger was again levelled at the offending
objects before him.

Not one single word could Herbert utter. In vain ingenious fabrications
concerning imaginary sisters, maiden aunts, or aged lady clients rushed
rapidly through his brain; the natural answer on Mr. Miller's part to all
such inventions would have been, "Then, where is she?"

Mr. Miller must know as well as he did himself that the lady, whoever she
might be, must still be in his rooms, else why should her belongings be
left on his table; and if in the rooms, then, as there was no other
egress on the staircase than the one by which he had entered, clearly,
she must be secreted in his bedroom. Mr. Miller was not a young man, and
his perceptions in matters of intrigue and adventure might no longer be
very acute, but it was plain to Herbert that he probably knew quite as
well as he did himself that the owner of the gloves and sunshade was in
the adjoining room.

"Have you any satisfactory explanation to give me?" asked Mr. Miller,
once more, after a solemn silence, during which he g