."

Then she passed to the window; to hide her emotion? to hide her
duplicity? to change the subject? to give Mr. Belcher a glance at her
gracefully retreating figure? to show herself, framed by the window,
into a picture for the delight of his devouring eyes?

Mr. Belcher followed her. His hand lightly touched her waist, and she
struck it down, as if her own were the velvet paw of a lynx.

"You startled me so!" she said.

"Are you always to be startled so easily?"

"Here? yes."

"Everywhere?"

"Yes. Perhaps so."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For the perhaps."

"You are easily pleased and grateful for nothing; and, now, tell me who
lives opposite to you?"

"A lawyer by the name of James Balfour."

"James Balfour? Why, he's one of my old flames. He ought to have been
here to-day. Perhaps he'll be in this evening."

"Not he."

"Why?"

"He has the honor to be an enemy of mine, and knows that I would rather
choke him than eat my dinner."

"You men are such savages; but aren't those nice boys on the steps?"

"I happen to know one of them, and I should like to know why he is
there, and how he came there. Between you and me, now--strictly between
you and me--that boy is the only person that stands between me
and--and--a pile of money."

"Is it possible? Which one, now?"

"The larger."

"But, isn't he lovely?"

"He's a Sevenoaks pauper."

"You astonish me."

"I tell you the truth, and Balfour has managed, in some way, to get hold
of him, and means to make money out of me by it. I know men. You can't
tell me anything about men; and my excellent neighbor will have his
hands full, whenever he sees fit to undertake his job."

"Tell me all about it now," said Mrs. Dillingham, her eyes alight with
genuine interest.

"Not now, but I'll tell you what I would like to have you do. You have a
way of making boys love you, and men too--for that matter--and precious
little do they get for it."

"Candid and complimentary," she sighed.

"Well, I've seen you manage with my boys, and I would like to have you
try it with him. Meet him in the street, manage to speak to him, get him
into your house, make him love you. You can do it. You are bold enough,
ingenious enough, and subtle enough to do anything of that kind you will
undertake. Some time, if you have him under your influence, you may be
of use to me. Some time, he may be glad to hide in your house. No harm
can come to you in making his acquaintance."