hat_ exposed?" she asked.

Lord Theign, a little unready, cast about at his storied halls; any
illusion to the "exposure" of the objects they so solidly sheltered was
obviously unpleasant to him. But then it was as if he found at a
stroke both his own reassurance and his daughter's. "How can there be a
question of it when he only wants Sir Joshuas?"

"He wants ours?" the girl gasped.

"At absolutely any price."

"But you're not," she cried, "discussing it?"

He hesitated as between chiding and contenting her--then he handsomely
chose. "My dear child, for what do you take me?" With which he
impatiently started, through the long and stately perspective, for the
saloon.

She sank into a chair when he had gone; she sat there some moments in a
visible tension of thought, her hands clasped in her lap and her dropped
eyes fixed and unperceiving; but she sprang up as Hugh Crimble, in
search of her, again stood before her. He presented himself as with
winged sandals.

"What luck to find you! I must take my spin back."

"You've seen everything as you wished?"

"Oh," he smiled, "I've seen wonders."

She showed her pleasure. "Yes, we've got some things."

"So Mr. Bender says!" he laughed. "You've got five or six--"

"Only five or six?" she cried in bright alarm.

"'Only'?" he continued to laugh. "Why, that's enormous, five or six
things of the first importance! But I think I ought to mention to you,"
he added, "a most barefaced 'Rubens' there in the library."

"It isn't a Rubens?"

"No more than I'm a Ruskin."

"Then you'll brand us--expose us for it?"

"No, I'll let you off--I'll be quiet if you're good, if you go straight.
I'll only hold it _in terrorem_. One can't be sure in these dreadful
days--that's always to remember; so that if you're not good I'll come
down on you with it. But to balance against that threat," he went on,
"I've made the very grandest find. At least I believe I have!"

She was all there for this news. "Of the Manto-vano--hidden in the other
thing?"

Hugh wondered--almost as if she had been before him. "You don't mean to
say _you've_ had the idea of that?"

"No, but my father has told me."

"And is your father," he eagerly asked, "really gratified?"

With her conscious eyes on him--her eyes could clearly be very conscious
about her father--she considered a moment. "He always prefers old
associations and appearances to new; but I'm sure he'll resign himself
if you see your way to a