a doubt that her _chauffeur_, of whom she thought so highly, was
a fraudulent villain, a thief, and, it was to be feared, even worse. He
said that he had suspected for some time, but now his suspicions were
confirmed by Lady Brighthelmston, who believed that some terrible evil
had fallen upon her son through this Brown. Miss Kedison chimed in, and
so did Lady B., and I don't much wonder that it took the girl some time
to understand what they were all driving at, sharp as these Yankee
women are. When it was clear what they accused the _chauffeur_ of doing,
she said it was absolutely impossible, that there was certainly some
extraordinary mistake, and she would not believe any harm of Brown. Then
Mr. Payne told her that anyhow her father believed, and owing to a
warning letter, had come all the way from New York to take her from the
clutches of an unscrupulous scoundrel capable of anything. She _was_
surprised at that. Evidently her father hadn't let her know he was
coming. Perhaps he thought that if he did, she'd elope with the
_chauffeur_. She had gone from red to white, from white to red, while
the three poured accusations on her favourite; but when she heard her
father was actually on the spot, she really _did_ look rather handsome
for a moment. It was as if a light from inside illuminated her face.
"Dad _here_!" she exclaimed, with her eyes shining. "Oh, then everything
will be all right! Where--where is he?"

"Gone down to look for you at the house of Lady Brighthelmston's friend,
Sir Evelyn Haines, where your _chauffeur_ is swaggering about like a
wolf in sheep's clothing to be presently delivered into our hands,"
replied Mr. Payne solemnly. "Come with us, meet your father, and be
convinced with your own eyes of that scoundrel's guilt."

"If my father is there looking for me, I will go," said the girl. "Aunt
Mary, you had better stay here and lie down."

That is the way these American girls order their middle-aged relatives
about. If I told Pa to stop somewhere and lie down, he'd tell me to go
hang, but Aunt Mary didn't seem to mind. She just bowed to everybody
and trotted away, as meek as a fat white lamb, and Mr. Payne engaged
another cab for Miss Randolph and himself, and we drove down the hill.
Those two were in front of us, and I could see him talking to her all
the way like a father-confessor, his face close to her ear; but she
never looked round at him once.

I was almost as much excited as Lady B. by th