affection, too----"

"I hope there is devoted affection," said Mrs. Dennistoun; "at all
events, there is what we are all united in calling 'love,' for the
present. He is in love with Elinor--I don't think there can be much
doubt of that."

"I did not of course know that he was here," said the Rector, with some
hesitation. "I came with the intention of speaking--I am very sorry to
see in the papers to-day something about that Joint-Stock Company of
which Mr. Compton was a director. It's rather a mysterious paragraph:
but it's something about the manager having absconded, and that some of
the directors are said to be involved."

"Do you mean my future son-in-law?" she said, turning quickly upon him.

"Good heavens, no! I wouldn't for the world insinuate---- It was only
that one felt a desire to know. Just upon the eve of a marriage
it's--it's alarming to hear of a business the bridegroom is involved in
being--what you may call broken up."

"That was one of the things Mr. Compton came to tell us about," said
Mrs. Dennistoun. "He said he hoped it might be kept out of the papers,
but that some of the books have got lost or destroyed. I am afraid I
know very little about business. But he has lost very little--nothing to
speak of--which was all that concerned me."

"To be sure," said the Rector, but in a tone not so assured as his
words. "It is not perhaps quite a nice thing to be director of a company
that--that collapses in this way. I fear some poor people will lose
their money. I fear there will be things in the papers."

"On what ground?" she said. "Oh, I don't deny there may be some one to
blame; but Mr. Compton was, I suspect, only on the board for the sake of
his name. He is not a business man. He did it, as so many do, for the
sake of a pretence of being in something. And then, I believe, the
directors got a little by it; they had a few hundreds a year."

"To be sure," said Mr. Hudson, but still doubtfully; and then he
brightened up. "For my part, I don't believe there is a word of truth in
it. Since I have seen him, indeed, I have quite changed my opinion--a
fine figure of a man, looking an aristocrat every inch of him. Such a
contrast and complement to our dear Elinor--and so fond of her. A man
like that would never have a hand in any sham concern. If it was really
a bogus company, as people say, he must be one of the sufferers. That is
quite my decided opinion; only the ladies, you know--the ladies who have