est daughter? I tried hard to penetrate the mystery--and gave
it up in despair.

Three days before the date at which Rothsay and I were to pay our visit
to Lord Lepel, I found myself compelled to undergo one of the minor
miseries of human life. In other words I became one of the guests at a
large dinner-party. It was a rainy day in October. My position at the
table placed me between a window that was open and a door that was
hardly ever shut. I went to bed shivering; and woke the next morning
with a headache and a difficulty in breathing. On consulting the doctor,
I found that I was suffering from an attack of bronchitis. There was
no reason to be alarmed. If I remained indoors, and submitted to the
necessary treatment, I might hope to keep my engagement with my uncle in
ten days or a fortnight.

There was no alternative but to submit. I accordingly arranged with
Rothsay that he should present himself at Lord Lepel's house (taking
the picture with him), on the date appointed for our visit, and that I
should follow as soon as I was well enough to travel.

On the day when he was to leave London, my friend kindly came to keep me
company for a while. He was followed into my room by Mrs. Mozeen, with
a bottle of medicine in her hand. This worthy creature, finding that the
doctor's directions occasionally escaped my memory, devoted herself to
the duty of administering the remedies at the prescribed intervals of
time. When she left the room, having performed her duties as usual, I
saw Rothsay's eyes follow her to the door with an expression of sardonic
curiosity. He put a strange question to me as soon as we were alone.

"Who engaged that new servant of yours?" he asked. "I mean the fat
fellow, with the curly flaxen hair."

"Hiring servants," I replied, "is not much in my way. I left the
engagement of the new man to Mrs. Mozeen."

Rothsay walked gravely up to my bedside.

"Lepel," he said, "your respectable housekeeper is in love with the fat
young footman."

It is not easy to amuse a man suffering from bronchitis. But this
new outbreak of absurdity was more than I could resist, even with a
mustard-plaster on my chest.

"I thought I should raise your spirits," Rothsay proceeded. "When I came
to your house this morning, the valet opened the door to me. I expressed
my surprise at his condescending to take that trouble. He informed
me that Joseph was otherwise engaged. 'With anybody in particular?'
I asked, humoring th