lucky
man."

Nan was asked to play; but, although she acknowledged that she still
kept up her practising, she had not brought her violin with her. She was
half afraid, moreover, that Sydney did not like her to perform. She
fancied that he had an objection to any sort of display of either
learning or accomplishment on a woman's part; she had gathered this
impression from the way in which he spoke of his sister Lettice. And she
did not want to expose herself to the same sort of criticism.

One of the younger ladies at Lady Pynsent's that night was a Mrs.
Westray, wife of the eminently respectable member for Bloomsbury, who,
as a city merchant of great wealth and influence, was one of the invited
guests. Mrs. Westray was by way of being a literary lady, having printed
a volume of her "Travels." Unfortunately she had only traveled in
France, over well-worn tracks, and her book appeared just after those of
two other ladies, with whom the critics had dealt very kindly indeed; so
that the last comer had not been treated quite so well as she deserved.
Nevertheless she keenly enjoyed her reputation as a woman of letters;
and having found on inquiry that Sydney Campion was the brother of the
lady whose novel had gained such a brilliant success in the spring, she
asked her husband to bring him to her.

"Oh, why does Miss Campion live out of England?" Mrs. Westray asked him,
after gushing a little about his sister's "exquisite romance". "Surely
she does not mean to do so always?"

"No," said Sydney. "I hope not. She was rather seriously ill last
Christmas, and we thought it best for her to live in Italy until she
quite recovered. I trust that we shall have her back again before the
end of the year." He was as yet unacquainted with the history of his
sister's movements.

"I am so glad to hear it. I want very much to make her acquaintance."

"We hope that my sister will come to stay with us for a time," said
Sydney, "and in that case you will be sure to see her."

"That will be so very nice," said the lady; "I am quite certain I shall
like her immensely."

Sydney felt a little doubtful whether Lettice would like Mrs. Westray;
and he also doubted whether his wife and his sister would be found to
have much in common. But he was more or less consciously building on the
hope that Dalton's suit would prosper, and that Lettice would settle
down quietly as the mistress of Angleford Manor, and so be weaned from
the somewhat equivoc