e glad to be free; and as for the
story, the people who like me will not believe any harm of me, and the
people who don't like me may believe what they please. But I'm very
glad you showed me that article, disgusting as it is.'

'I was beginning to be sorry I had brought it.'

'No. You did me a service, for I had no idea that any one was going to
take advantage of my divorce to make a cowardly attack on my friend--I
mean Mr. Van Torp. I shall certainly not make any defence before the
Patriarch, but I shall make a statement which will go to the right
people, saying that I met Mr. Van Torp in a lawyer's chambers in
the Temple, that is, in a place of business, and about a matter of
business, and that there was no secret about it, because my husband's
servant called the cab that took me there, and gave the cabman the
address. I often do go out without telling any one, and I let myself
in with a latch-key when I come home, but on that particular occasion
I did neither. Will you say that if you hear me talked about?'

'Of course I will.'

Nevertheless, Margaret thought that Lady Maud might have given her a
little information about the 'matter of business' which had
involved such a large sum of money, and had produced such important
consequences.

CHAPTER XI

Mr. Van Torp was walking slowly down the Elm Walk in the park at Oxley
Paddox. The ancient trees were not in full leaf yet, but there were
myriads of tiny green feather points all over the rough brown branches
and the smoother twigs, and their soft colour tinted the luminous
spring air. High overhead all sorts and conditions of little birds
were chirping and trilling and chattering together and by turns, and
on the ground the sparrows were excessively busy and talkative, while
the squirrels made wild dashes across the open, and stopped suddenly
to sit bolt upright and look about them, and then dashed on again.

Little Ida walked beside the millionaire in silence, trustfully
holding one of his hands, and as she watched the sparrows she tried
to make out what sort of sound they could be making when they hopped
forward and opened their bills so wide that she could distinctly see
their little tongues. Mr. Van Torp's other hand held a newspaper, and
he was reading the article about himself which Margaret had shown to
Lady Maud. He did not take that particular paper, but a marked copy
had been sent to him, and in due course had been ironed and laid on
the break