im.

"Mr. Delamayn," she said, "do you know where Anne Silvester is this
morning?"

He was filling his pipe as she spoke, and he dropped some of the tobacco
on the floor. Instead of answering before he picked up the tobacco he
answered after--in surly self-possession, and in one word--"No."

"Do you know nothing about her?"

He devoted himself doggedly to the filling of his pipe. "Nothing."

"On your word of honor, as a gentleman?"

"On my word of honor, as a gentleman."

He put back his tobacco-pouch in his pocket. His handsome face was as
hard as stone. His clear blue eyes defied all the girls in England put
together to see into _his_ mind. "Have you done, Miss Lundie?" he asked,
suddenly changing to a bantering politeness of tone and manner.

Blanche saw that it was hopeless--saw that she had compromised her own
interests by her own headlong act. Sir Patrick's warning words came
back reproachfully to her now when it was too late. "We commit a serious
mistake if we put him on his guard at starting."

There was but one course to take now. "Yes," she said. "I have done."

"My turn now," rejoined Geoffrey. "You want to know where Miss Silvester
is. Why do you ask Me?"

Blanche did all that could be done toward repairing the error that she
had committed. She kept Geoffrey as far away as Geoffrey had kept _her_
from the truth.

"I happen to know," she replied "that Miss Silvester left the place
at which she had been staying about the time when you went out walking
yesterday. And I thought you might have seen her."

"Oh? That's the reason--is it?" said Geoffrey, with a smile.

The smile stung Blanche's sensitive temper to the quick. She made a
final effort to control herself, before her indignation got the better
of her.

"I have no more to say, Mr. Delamayn." With that reply she turned her
back on him, and closed the door of the morning-room between them.

Geoffrey descended the house steps and lit his pipe. He was not at the
slightest loss, on this occasion, to account for what had happened. He
assumed at once that Arnold had taken a mean revenge on him after his
conduct of the day before, and had told the whole secret of his errand
at Craig Fernie to Blanche. The thing would get next, no doubt, to Sir
Patrick's ears; and Sir Patrick would thereupon be probably the first
person who revealed to Arnold the position in which he had placed
himself with Anne. All right! Sir Patrick would be an excellent witn