had arrived--the British envoy, Mr. Castres, with
his lady; Lord Charles Douglas, about to leave Lisbon after a visit
of pleasure; Mrs. Hake, a sister of Governor Hardy of New York--she,
with an invalid husband and two children, occupied a villa somewhat
lower down the slope of Buenos Ayres; white-haired old Colonel
Arbuthnot, _doyen_ of the English residents; Mr. Hay, British Consul,
and Mr. Raymond, one of the chiefs of the English factory, with their
wives. . . . Ruth looked at the clock. All were here save only their
host, Sir Oliver.

Mr. Langton, with Lord Charles Douglas, had returned from the
auto-da-fe. Like his friend George Selwyn--friend these many years
by correspondence only--Mr. Langton was a dilettante in executions
and like horrors, and had taken Lord Charles to the show, to initiate
him. He reported that they had left Sir Oliver in a press of the
crowd, themselves hurrying away on foot. He would doubtless arrive
in a few minutes. Mr. Langton said nothing of the executions.

Mr. Castres, too, ignored them. He knew, of course, that the
auto-da-fe had taken place, and that the Court had witnessed it in
state from a royal box. But his business, as tactful Envoy of a
Protestant country, was to know nothing of this. He went on talking
with Mrs. Hake, who--good soul--actually knew nothing of it.
Her children absorbed all her care; and having heard Miriam, the
younger, cough twice that morning, she was consulting the Envoy on
the winter climate of Lisbon--was it, for instance, prophylactic
against croup.

At five minutes past four Sir Oliver arrived. Before apologising he
stood aside ceremoniously in the doorway to admit a companion--the
Countess of Montalegre.

"I have told them," said he as Donna Maria tripped forward demurely
to shake hands, "to lay for the Countess. The business was long, by
reason of an interminable sermon, and at the end there was a crush at
the exit from the Terreiro de Paco and a twenty good minutes' delay--
impossible to extricate oneself. Had I not persuaded the Countess to
drive me all the way home, my apologies had been a million instead of
the thousand I offer."

Had he brought the woman in defiance? Or was it merely to discover
how much, if anything, Ruth suspected? If to discover, his design
had no success. Ruth saw--it needed less than half a glance--Batty
Langton bite his lip and turn to the window. Lord Charles wore a
faintly amused smile. These two kn