e later."

"Is it right for us to help her deceive poor Mr. Bennett?" asked Maud
Vanneck, who is a person of earnest convictions.

I chuckled at hearing the big chap called "poor," perhaps for the first
time in his life; and even Somerled smiled.

"None of us are pledging ourselves to lie for the lady," said he. "We
simply hold our tongues. If Bennett asks Mrs. Bal to be his wife, he's
not the sharp man of affairs he's supposed to be if he expects to find
her a mirror of truth. When he discovers that she has a grown-up
daughter he'll shrug his shoulders, and perhaps never even let her know
she's been found out. I'm not very well acquainted with Bennett, but
I've met him a few times, and his most agreeable social quality seems to
me his strong, rather rough sense of humour. I expect he'll see the
funny side of being hoodwinked by Mrs. Bal. And a few years more or less
on her age--what do they matter to him? He's forty-five; and on the
whole he couldn't get a wife to suit him better."

"I have a sneaking sympathy with Mrs. Bal," confessed Aline, in her
gentlest voice. "She's conquered all of you men, and has no further fear
of you; but I feel that she's trembling in her shoes because of Maud and
me. I should love to reassure her and let her know that we're not cats."

"Shall I take her a message?" I suggested, trying not to seem too eager.
"I'm sure she'd like to get it."

Aline smiled indulgently. "Poor boy, doesn't he want me to say 'yes?'
It's too late this evening, I'm afraid; but call on her and Barrie early
to-morrow morning, and ask if she'd care to drop in on the poor invalid,
on her way to rehearsal. I'd better see Mrs. Bal alone. She may want to
say things she wouldn't wish Barrie to hear--don't you think so, Mr.
Somerled? And, by the way, now your little ward is--more or less--safe
in other hands, have you settled your future plans?"

"I expect to have something mapped out to-morrow," Somerled answered.

"You'll go on with your trip--your rest cure--I suppose, as you meant to
when we--that is, before you were saddled with all this responsibility?"

"I've been looking forward to Edinburgh, from the first," said he,
evasively.

Aline saw that she would get no more satisfaction, and ceased to risk
irritating him; but after her guests had bidden her good-night, she kept
me for a talk.

Of course she made me describe the scene between Barrie and her mother,
but she was more interested to know how Somerle