by
common consent matters that touched them too nearly. Presently the
maid, came noiselessly into the firelit room.

"A gentleman has called to see Miss Davenant," she said, addressing her
mistress.

Nan's heart missed a beat. It was Peter--she was sure of it--Peter,
who had come back to her! In the long watches of the night he had found
out that they could not part . . . not like this . . . never to see
each other any more! It was madness. And he had come to tell her so.
The agony of the interminable night had been his as well as hers.

"Did he give any name?" Her violet eyes were almost black with
excitement.

"No, miss. He is in the sitting-room."

Slowly Nan made her way across the hall, one hand pressed against her
breast to still the painful throbbing of her heart. Outside the room
she hesitated a moment; then, with a quick indrawing of her breath, she
opened the door and went in.

"_Roger_!"

She shrank back and stood gazing at him dumbly, silent with the shock
of sudden and undreamed-of disappointment. She had been so sure, so
_sure_ that it was Peter! And yet, jerked suddenly back to the reality
of things, she almost smiled at her own certainty. Peter was too
strong a man to renounce and then retract his renunciation twenty-four
hours later.

Trenby, who had been standing staring into the fire, turned at the
sound of her entrance. He looked dog-tired, and his eyes were sunken
as though sleep had not visited them recently. At the sight of her a
momentary expression of what seemed to be unutterable relief flashed
across his face, then vanished, leaving him with bent brows and his
under-jaw thrust out a little.

"Roger!" repeated Nan in astonishment.

"Yes," he replied gruffly. "Are you surprised to see me?"

"Certainly I am. Why have you come? Why have you followed me here?"

"I've come to take you back," he said arrogantly.

Her spirit rose in instant revolt.

"You might have saved yourself the trouble," she flashed back angrily.
"I'm not coming. I'll return when I've finished my visit to Penelope."

"You'll come back with me now--to-night," he replied doggedly. "We can
catch the night mail and I've a car waiting below."

"Then it can wait! Good heavens, Roger! D'you think I'll submit to be
made a perfect fool of--fetched back like a child?"

He took a step towards her.

"And do you think that _I'll_ submit to be made a fool of?" he asked in
a voice of intense anger.