the disgrace and trouble of it! I tell you, Henry,
it will bring misfortune!"

Lord Maxwell was much troubled. Certainly he should have talked to
Agneta beforehand. But the fact was he had his cowardice, like other
men, and he had been trusting to the girl herself, to this beauty he
heard so much of, to soften the first shock of the matter to the present
mistress of the Court.

"We will hope not, Agneta," he said gravely. "We will hope not. But you
must remember Aldous is no boy. I cannot coerce him. I see the
difficulties, and I have put them before him. But I am more favourably
struck with the girl than you are. And anyway, if it comes about, we
must make the best of it."

Miss Raeburn made no answer, but pretended to set her heel, her needles
shaking. Lady Winterbourne was very sorry for her two old friends.

"Wait a little," she said, laying her hand lightly on Miss Raeburn's.
"No doubt with her opinions she felt specially drawn to assert herself
to-day. One can imagine it very well of a girl, and a generous girl in
her position. You will see other sides of her, I am sure you will. And
you would never--you could never--make a breach with Aldous."

"We must all remember," said Lord Maxwell, getting up and beginning to
walk up and down beside them, "that Aldous is in no way dependent upon
me. He has his own resources. He could leave us to-morrow. Dependent on
me! It is the other way, I think, Agneta--don't you?"

He stopped and looked at her, and she returned his look in spite of
herself. A tear dropped on her stocking which she hastily brushed away.

"Come, now," said Lord Maxwell, seating himself; "let us talk it over
rationally. Don't go, Lady Winterbourne."

"Why, they may be settling it at this moment," cried Miss Raeburn,
half-choked, and feeling as though "the skies were impious not to fall."

"No, no!" he said smiling. "Not yet, I think. But let us prepare
ourselves."

* * * * *

Meanwhile the cause of all this agitation was sitting languidly in a
great Louis Quinze chair in the picture gallery upstairs, with Aldous
beside her. She had taken off her big hat as though it oppressed her,
and her black head lay against a corner of the chair in fine contrast to
its mellowed golds and crimsons. Opposite to her were two famous Holbein
portraits, at which she looked from time to time as though attracted to
them in spite of herself, by some trained sense which could not be
si