y to welcome her as
a sister-in-law."

A warm flush was added to the frown on her brother's brow, but he made
no remark.

"Gracious me!" cried the lady, laughing again "have I once more put my
foot in it? Why Ned, what a fine confidential friend you are. If I were
a young man, and so sweet a girl had promised to marry me, I should
proclaim the fact from the house-tops."

"You wouldn't need to," groaned Ned, "if you had a sister."

"Never mind him," said Stranleigh, "you have betrayed no secret, Mrs.
Vanderveldt. His own confused utterances when referring to the young
lady, rendered any verbal confession unnecessary. I suspected how the
land lay at a very early stage of our conversation."

"Well, I think he may congratulate himself that you do not enter the
lists against him. You possess some tact, which poor Ned has never
acquired, and now I'll make him sit up by informing him that Connie
Maturin took a special trip over to England recently, in order to meet
you."

"To meet me?" cried Stranleigh in astonishment.

"Yes, indeed, and an amazed girl she was to learn that you had sailed
for America. She came right back by the next boat. She has a great plan
in her mind which requires heavy financing. My brother here isn't rich
enough, and I, of course, am much poorer than he is, so she thought if
she could interest you, as the leading capitalist of England----"

"Good heavens, girl," interrupted Ned, the perspiration standing out on
his brow, "do show some consideration for what you are saying! Why, you
rattle on without a thought to your words. Lord Stranleigh just made it
a proviso that----. Oh, hang it all, Sis; you've put your foot in it
this time, sure enough."

The lady turned on him now with no laughter on her lips, or merriment in
her tone.

"Why, Ned, you're actually scolding me. I promised Connie Maturin to
help her, and my way of accomplishing anything is to go directly for
it."

"Oh, heaven help me," murmured Ned, "the law courts have already taught
me that."

"Mrs. Vanderveldt," said the Earl of Stranleigh, very quietly, "please
turn to your champion, and ignore this wretched man, whose unnecessary
reticence is finding him out."

The only person to be embarrassed by this tangle of concealments and
revelations was Constance Maturin, who had indulged in neither the one
nor the other. The Earl of Stranleigh found it difficult to become
acquainted with her. She seemed always on her guard, and never