ght," replied her father, quickly. "Go down stairs,
I'll join you shortly."

Madge went back to the drawing-room only half satisfied with the
explanation. She found Brian waiting at the door, with rather an
anxious face.

"What's the matter?" he asked, as she paused a moment at the foot of
the stairs.

"Papa says nothing," she replied, "but I am sure he must have been
startled, or he would not have cried out like that."

She told him what Dr. Chinston had said about the state of her father's
heart, a recital which shocked Brian greatly. They did not return to
the drawing-room, but went out on the verandah, where, after wrapping a
cloak around Madge, Fitzgerald lit a cigarette. They sat down at the
far end of the verandah somewhat in the shadow, and could see the hall
door wide open, and a warm flood of mellow light pouring therefrom, and
beyond the cold, white moonshine. After about a quarter of an hour,
Madge's alarm about her father having somewhat subsided, they were
chatting on indifferent subjects, when a man came out of the hall door,
and paused for a moment on the steps of the verandah. He was dressed in
rather a fashionable suit of clothes, but, in spite of the heat of the
night, he had a thick white silk scarf round his throat.

"That's rather a cool individual," said Brian, removing his cigarette
from between his lips. "I wonder what--Good God!" he cried, rising to
his feet as the stranger turned round to look at the house, and took
off his hat for a moment--"Roger Moreland."

The man started, and looked quickly round into the dark shadow of the
verandah where they were seated, then, putting on his hat, he ran
quickly down the path, and they heard the gate clang after him.

Madge felt a sudden fear at the expression on Brian's face, as revealed
by a ray of moonlight streaming full on it.

"Who is Roger Moreland?" she asked, touching his arm--"Ah! I remember,"
with sudden horror, "Oliver Whyte's friend."

"Yes," in a hoarse whisper, "and one of the witnesses at the trial."

CHAPTER XXIX.

MR. CALTON'S CURIOSITY IS SATISFIED.

There was not much sleep for Brian that night. He left Madge almost
immediately, and went home, but he Aid not go to bed. He felt too
anxious and ill at ease to sleep, and passed the greater part of the
night walking up and down his room, occupied with his own sad thoughts.
He was wondering in his own mind what could be the meaning of Roger
Moreland's visit to Mark F