ightly perplexed
astonishment the announcement had evoked in the faces of the two women.

"But I thought you were staying at the Hall," Brenda said, looking at me
with that air of suspicion to which I was rapidly growing accustomed.

"I was," I said; "but for reasons that your brother may be able to
explain, I'm staying there no longer."

She looked at Jervaise, then, but he had no reply ready. I had put him in
a difficult position. I had a chance to revenge myself at last.

"I don't understand, Frank," Brenda prompted him; and Anne began to come
to life for the first time since I had entered the room--there was a new
effect of mischief about her, as if she had partly guessed the cause of my
expulsion from the Hall.

"It's a long story," Jervaise prevaricated.

"But one that I think you ought to tell," I said, "in justice to me."

"We found that Melhuish had been, most unwarrantably, interfering in--in
this affair of yours, B.," he grumbled; "and, in any case, it's no
business of his."

Brenda's dark eyebrows lifted with that expression of surprised
questioning to which she could give such unusual effect. I suppose it
emphasised that queer contrast--unique in my experience--between her
naturally fair hair, and her black eyebrows and eyelashes. I have to
emphasise the fact that the straw gold of her abundant vital hair was its
_natural_ colour. She had often, I believe, threatened to dye it, in order
to avoid the charge of having already done so.

"What piffle!" she remarked. "How has Mr. Melhuish interfered? Why, this
is the first time I've seen him since last night at the dance. Besides,"
she glanced at me with a half-whimsical touch of apology, "I hardly know
him."

"Oh! it's some romantic rot of his, I suppose," Jervaise returned
sullenly. "I never thought it was serious."

"But," Anne interposed, "it sounds very serious...if Mr. Melhuish has had
to leave the Hall in the middle of his visit--and come to us." I inferred
that she was deliberately overlooking my presence in the room for some
purpose of her own. She certainly spoke as if I were not present.

"Partly a misunderstanding," Jervaise said. "No reason why he shouldn't
come back with me now if he wants to."

"You would in that case explain, of course, how the misunderstanding
arose?" I put in.

"_I_ don't know what your game is," he returned allusively.

"I never had one," I said.

"Looked infernally suspicious," was his grudging answer.

T