een struck by his own tone.

"I've had promotion and you must congratulate me. They're sending me out
as minister to a little hot hole in Central America--six thousand miles
away. I shall have to go rather soon."

"Oh I'm so glad!" Lady Agnes breathed. Still she paused at the foot of
the stair and still she gazed.

"How very delightful--it will lead straight off to all sorts of other
good things!" Grace a little coarsely commented.

"Oh I'm crawling up--I'm an excellency," Peter laughed.

"Then if you dine with us your excellency must have great people to meet
you."

"Nick and Biddy--they're great enough."

"Come upstairs--come upstairs," said Lady Agnes, turning quickly and
beginning to ascend.

"Wait for Biddy--I'm going out," Grace continued, extending her hand to
her kinsman. "I shall see you again--not that you care; but good-bye
now. Wait for Biddy," the girl repeated in a lower tone, fastening her
eyes on his with the same urgent mystifying gleam he thought he had
noted at luncheon.

"Oh I'll go and see her in Rosedale Road," he threw off.

"Do you mean to-day--now?"

"I don't know about to-day, but before I leave England."

"Well, she'll be in immediately," said Grace. "Good-bye to your
excellency."

"Come up, Peter--_please_ come up," called Lady Agnes from the top of
the stairs.

He mounted and when he found himself in the drawing-room with her and
the door closed she expressed her great interest in his fine prospects
and position, which she wished to hear all about. She rang for coffee
and indicated the seat he would find most comfortable: it shone before
him for a moment that she would tell him he might if he wished light a
cigar. For Peter had suddenly become restless--too restless to occupy a
comfortable chair; he seated himself in it only to jump up again, and he
went to the window, while he imparted to his hostess the very little he
knew about his post, on hearing a vehicle drive up to the door. A strong
light had just been thrown into his mind, and it grew stronger when,
looking out, he saw Grace Dormer issue from the house in a hat and a
jacket which had all the air of having been assumed with extraordinary
speed. Her jacket was unbuttoned and her gloves still dangling from the
hands with which she was settling her hat. The vehicle into which she
hastily sprang was a hansom-cab which had been summoned by the butler
from the doorstep and which rolled away with her after she had given a