me away from this
house?"

"My dear child! Why else did I look at the time-table in the hall?"

CHAPTER THE FORTY-THIRD.

THE EXPLOSION.

ARNOLD'S mind was far from easy when he was left by himself again in the
smoking-room.

After wasting some time in vainly trying to guess at the source from
which Lady Lundie had derived her information, he put on his hat, and
took the direction which led to Blanche's favorite walk at Ham Farm.
Without absolutely distrusting her ladyship's discretion, the idea
had occurred to him that he would do well to join his wife and her
step-mother. By making a third at the interview between them, he might
prevent the conversation from assuming a perilously confidential turn.

The search for the ladies proved useless. They had not taken the
direction in which he supposed them to have gone.

He returned to the smoking-room, and composed himself to wait for events
as patiently as he might. In this passive position--with his
thoughts still running on Lady Lundie--his memory reverted to a brief
conversation between Sir Patrick and himself, occasioned, on the
previous day, by her ladyship's announcement of her proposed visit to
Ham Farm. Sir Patrick had at once expressed his conviction that his
sister-in-law's journey south had some acknowledged purpose at the
bottom of it.

"I am not at all sure, Arnold" (he had said), "that I have done wisely
in leaving her letter unanswered. And I am strongly disposed to think
that the safest course will be to take her into the secret when she
comes to-morrow. We can't help the position in which we are placed.
It was impossible (without admitting your wife to our confidence) to
prevent Blanche from writing that unlucky letter to her--and, even if
we had prevented it, she must have heard in other ways of your return to
England. I don't doubt my own discretion, so far; and I don't doubt the
convenience of keeping her in the dark, as a means of keeping her from
meddling in this business of yours, until I have had time to set it
right. But she may, by some unlucky accident, discover the truth for
herself--and, in that case, I strongly distrust the influence which she
might attempt to exercise on Blanche's mind."

Those were the words--and what had happened on the day after they had
been spoken? Lady Lundie _had_ discovered the truth; and she was, at
that moment, alone somewhere with Blanche. Arnold took up his hat once
more, and set forth on the search f