t if she should be guilty?" said Lord Alston.

"Permit me to say," said Sir Peregrine, still standing, and standing
now bolt upright, as though his years did not weigh on him a feather,
"that this conversation has gone far enough. There are some surmises
to which I cannot listen, even from Lord Alston."

Then his lordship shrugged his shoulders, declared that in speaking
as he had spoken he had endeavoured to do a friendly duty by an old
friend,--certainly the oldest, and almost the dearest friend he
had,--and so he took his leave. The wheels of the chariot were heard
grating over the gravel, as he was carried away from the door at a
gallop, and the two ladies looked into each other's faces, saying
nothing. Sir Peregrine was not seen from that time till dinner; but
when he did come into the drawing-room his manner to Lady Mason was,
if possible, more gracious and more affectionate than ever.

"So Lord Alston was here to-day," Peregrine said to his mother that
night before he went to bed.

"Yes, he was here."

"It was about this marriage, mother, as sure as I am standing here."

"I don't think Lord Alston would interfere about that, Perry."

"Wouldn't he? He would interfere about anything he did not like; that
is, as far as the pluck of it goes. Of course he can't like it. Who
can?"

"Perry, your grandfather likes it; and surely he has a right to
please himself."

"I don't know about that. You might say the same thing if he wanted
to kill all the foxes about the place, or do any other outlandish
thing. Of course he might kill them, as far as the law goes, but
where would he be afterwards? She hasn't said anything to him, has
she?"

"I think not."

"Nor to you?"

"No; she has not spoken to me; not about that."

"She promised me positively that she would break it off."

"You must not be hard on her, Perry."

Just as these words were spoken, there came a low knock at Mrs.
Orme's dressing-room door. This room, in which Mrs. Orme was wont to
sit for an hour or so every night before she went to bed, was the
scene of all the meetings of affection which took place between the
mother and the son. It was a pretty little apartment, opening from
Mrs. Orme's bed-room, which had at one time been the exclusive
property of Peregrine's father. But by degrees it had altogether
assumed feminine attributes; had been furnished with soft chairs,
a sofa, and a lady's table; and though called by the name of Mrs.
Orme's dres