hat I mean, Mad?" he said, putting his arm affectionately
round her waist. "And what is it that I mean? Come; you and I never
have any secrets;--you always say so when you want to get at mine.
Tell me what it is that I mean."

"I haven't got any secret."

"But what did I mean?"

"You looked at me, because I don't want you to let them send Mr.
Graham away. If it was old Mr. Furnival I shouldn't like them to turn
him out of this house when he was in such a state as that."

"Poor Mr. Furnival; no; I think he would bear it worse than Felix."

"Then why should he go? And why--should you look at me in that way?"

"Did I look at you, Mad? Well, I believe I did. We are to have no
secrets; are we?"

"No," said she. But she did not say it in the same eager voice with
which hitherto she had declared that they would always tell each
other everything.

"Felix Graham is my friend," said he, "my special friend; and I hope
you will always like my friends. But--"

"Well?" she said.

"You know what I mean, Mad"

"Yes," she said.

"That is all, dearest." And then she knew that he also had cautioned
her not to fall in love with Felix Graham, and she felt angry with
him for the caution. "Why--why--why--?" But she hardly knew as yet
how to frame the question which she desired to ask herself.

CHAPTER XL

I CALL IT AWFUL

"Oh indeed!" Those had been the words with which Mr. Furnival had
received the announcement made by Sir Peregrine as to his proposed
nuptials. And as he uttered them the lawyer drew himself up stiffly
in his chair, looking much more like a lawyer and much less like an
old family friend than he had done the moment before.

Whereupon Sir Peregrine drew himself up also. "Yes," he said. "I
should be intrusive if I were to trouble you with my motives, and
therefore I need only say further as regards the lady, that I trust
that my support, standing as I shall do in the position of her
husband, will be more serviceable to her than it could otherwise have
been in this trial which she will, I presume, be forced to undergo."

"No doubt; no doubt," said Mr. Furnival; and then the interview
had ended. The lawyer had been anxious to see his client, and had
intended to ask permission to do so; but he had felt on hearing Sir
Peregrine's tidings that it would be useless now to make any attempt
to see her alone, and that he could speak to her with no freedom
in Sir Peregrine's presence. So he left The Cleeve, h