l endure to
discuss his remembrances on that subject with Mrs. Baker, so he
good-humouredly pushed her out of the room, saying that the judge
would be mad if he delayed.

"That's true, too, Mr. Graham. And it won't do for you to take up Mr.
Augustus's tricks in the house yet; will it?" And then she left the
room. "What does she mean by 'yet'?" Felix said to himself as he went
through the ceremony of dressing with all the haste in his power.

He was in the drawing-room almost within the fifteen minutes, and
there he found none but the judge and his wife and daughter. He had
at first expected to find Augustus there, but had been told by Mrs.
Baker that he was to come down on the following morning. His first
greeting from Lady Staveley was something like that he had already
received up stairs, only made in less exuberant language. He was
congratulated on his speedy recovery and made welcome by a kind
smile. Then he shook hands with Madeline, and as he did so he
observed that the judge was at the trouble to turn away, so that he
should not watch the greeting. This he did see, but into Madeline's
face he hardly ventured to look. He touched her hand, however, and
said a word; and she also murmured something about his injury. "And
now we'll go to dinner," said the judge. "Give your arm that is not
broken to Lady Staveley." And so the meeting was over. "Augustus will
be in Alston to-morrow when the court is opened," said the judge.
"That is to say if he finds it possible to get up so soon; but to-day
he had some engagements in town." The truth however was that the
judge had chosen to be alone with Felix after dinner.

The dinner was very pleasant, but the judge talked for the whole
party. Madeline hardly spoke at all, nor did Lady Staveley say much.
Felix managed to put in a few words occasionally, as it always
becomes a good listener to do, but the brunt of the battle lay with
the host. One thing Felix observed painfully,--that not a word was
spoken about Lady Mason or Orley Farm. When he had been last there
the judge had spoken of it openly before the whole party, expressing
his opinion that she was a woman much injured; but now neither did
he say anything nor did Lady Staveley. He would probably not have
observed this had not a feeling crept upon him during the last
fortnight, that that thorough conviction which men had felt as to her
innocence was giving way. While the ladies were there, however, he
did not himself allu