?" No intrusive visitors were within hearing, this time.
"My dear!" Cosway remonstrated, "Mrs. Margery must have told you, when
she sent me my invitation." Adela turned pale. "Mrs. Margery?" she
repeated. "Mrs. Margery has said nothing to me; Mrs. Margery detests
you. We must have this cleared up. No; not now--I must attend to our
guests. Expect a letter; and, for heaven's sake, Edwin, keep out of my
father's way. One of our visitors whom he particularly wished to see has
sent an excuse--and he is dreadfully angry about it."

She left him before Cosway could explain that he and Mr. Restall had
thus far never seen each other.

He wandered away toward the extremity of the grounds, troubled by vague
suspicions; hurt at Adela's cold reception of him. Entering a shrubbery,
which seemed intended to screen the grounds, at this point, from a lane
outside, he suddenly discovered a pretty little summer-house among the
trees. A stout gentleman, of mature years, was seated alone in this
retreat. He looked up with a frown. Cosway apologized for disturbing
him, and entered into conversation as an act of politeness.

"A brilliant assembly to-day, sir."

The stout gentleman replied by an inarticulate sound--something between
a grunt and a cough.

"And a splendid house and grounds," Cosway continued.

The stout gentleman repeated the inarticulate sound.

Cosway began to feel amused. Was this curious old man deaf and dumb?

"Excuse my entering into conversation," he persisted. "I feel like a
stranger here. There are so many people whom I don't know."

The stout gentleman suddenly burst into speech. Cosway had touched a
sympathetic fiber at last.

"There are a good many people here whom _I_ don't know," he said,
gruffly. "You are one of them. What's your name?"

"My name is Cosway, sir. What's yours?"

The stout gentleman rose with fury in his looks. He burst out with an
oath; and added the in tolerable question, already three times repeated
by others: "How did you get here?" The tone was even more offensive than
the oath. "Your age protects you, sir," said Cosway, with the loftiest
composure. "I'm sorry I gave my name to so rude a person."

"Rude?" shouted the old gentleman. "You want my name in return, I
suppose? You young puppy, you shall have it! My name is Restall."

He turned his back and walked off. Cosway took the only course now open
to him. He returned to his lodgings.

The next day no letter reached him from Ad