d for information in the housekeeper's face
while she spoke those conciliatory words. Mrs. Lecount baffled the
look by putting her handkerchief to her eyes. Had she, or had she not,
noticed the momentary change in Magdalen's voice from the tones that
were assumed to the tones that were natural? Impossible to say.

"What more can I do!" murmured Mrs. Lecount behind her handkerchief.
"Give me time to think--give me time to recover myself. May I retire,
sir, for a moment? My nerves are shaken by this sad scene. I must have
a glass of water, or I think I shall faint. Don't go yet, Miss Garth. I
beg you will give us time to set this sad matter right, if we can--I beg
you will remain until I come back."

There were two doors of entrance to the room. One, the door into the
front parlor, close at Magdalen's left hand. The other, the door
into the back parlor, situated behind her. Mrs. Lecount politely
retired--through the open folding-doors--by this latter means of exit,
so as not to disturb the visitor by passing in front of her. Magdalen
waited until she heard the door open and close again behind her, and
then resolved to make the most of the opportunity which left her alone
with Noel Vanstone. The utter hopelessness of rousing a generous impulse
in that base nature had now been proved by her own experience. The last
chance left was to treat him like the craven creature he was, and to
influence him through his fears.

Before she could speak, Noel Vanstone himself broke the silence.
Cunningly as he strove to hide it, he was half angry, half alarmed at
his housekeeper's desertion of him. He looked doubtingly at his visitor;
he showed a nervous anxiety to conciliate her until Mrs. Lecount's
return.

"Pray remember, ma'am, I never denied that this case was a hard one," he
began. "You said just now you had no wish to offend me--and I'm sure I
don't want to offend you. May I offer you some strawberries? Would
you like to look at my father's bargains? I assure you, ma'am, I am
naturally a gallant man; and I feel for both these sisters--especially
the younger one. Touch me on the subject of the tender passion, and you
touch me on a weak place. Nothing would please me more than to hear that
Miss Vanstone's lover (I'm sure I always call her Miss Vanstone, and so
does Lecount)--I say, ma'am, nothing would please me more than to hear
that Miss Vanstone's lover had come back and married her. If a loan of
money would be likely to bring