pted the
judge's invitation, sent his grateful thanks to Lady Staveley;--as
to Lady Staveley's delight, he was sure that the judge must have
romanced a little, for he had clearly recognised Lady Staveley as his
enemy;--and then he prepared himself for the chances of war.

On the evening before the trial he arrived at Noningsby just in time
for dinner. He had been obliged to remain an hour or two at Alston in
conference with Mr. Aram, and was later than he had expected he would
be. He had been afraid to come early in the day, lest by doing so he
might have seemed to overstep the margin of his invitation. When he
did arrive, the two ladies were already dressing, and he found the
judge in the hall.

"A pretty fellow you are," said the judge. "It's dinner-time already,
and of course you take an hour to dress."

"Mr. Aram--" began Felix.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Aram! I'll give you fifteen minutes, but not a moment
more." And so Felix was hurried on up to his bedroom--the old bedroom
in which he had passed so many hours, and been so very uneasy. As
he entered the room all that conversation with Augustus Staveley
returned upon his memory. He had seen his friend in London, and told
him that he was going down to Noningsby. Augustus had looked grave,
but had said nothing about Madeline. Augustus was not in his father's
confidence in this matter, and had nothing to do but to look grave.
On that very morning, moreover, some cause had been given to himself
for gravity of demeanour.

At the door of his room he met Mrs. Baker, and, hurried though he was
by the judge's strict injunction, he could not but shake hands with
his old and very worthy friend.

"Quite strong again," said he, in answer to her tender inquiries.

"So you are, I do declare. I will say this, Mr. Graham, for
wholesomeness of flesh you beat anything I ever come nigh. There's
a many would have been weeks and weeks before they could have been
moved."

"It was your good nursing, Mrs. Baker."

"Well, I think we did take care of you among us. Do you remember the
pheasant, Mr. Graham?"

"Remember it! I should think so; and how I improved the occasion."

"Yes; you did improve fast enough. And the sea-kale, Mr. Graham.
Laws! the row I had with John Gardener about that! And, Mr. Graham,
do you remember how a certain friend used to come and ask after you
at the door? Dear, dear, dear! I nearly caught it about that."

But Graham in his present frame of mind could not wel