ke up!"

Lord Theign, after the longest but the blankest contemplation of
him, broke hereupon, for the first time, that attitude of completely
sustained and separate silence which he had yet made compatible with his
air of having deeply noted every element of the scene--so that it was of
this full view his participation had effectively consisted, "I haven't
the least idea, sir, what you're talking about!" And he squarely turned
his back, strolling toward the other room, the threshold of which he the
next moment had passed, remaining scantily within, however, and in
sight of the others, not to say of ourselves; even though averted and
ostensibly lost in some scrutiny that might have had for its object the
great enshrined Lawrence.

There ensued upon his words and movement a vivid mute passage, the
richest of commentaries, between his companions; who, deeply divided by
the width of the ample room, followed him with their eyes and then used
for their own interchange these organs of remark, eloquent now over
Hugh's unmistakable dismissal at short order, on which obviously he must
at once act. Lady Grace's young arms conveyed to him by a despairing
contrite motion of surrender that she had done for him all she could do
in his presence and that, however sharply doubtful the result, he was to
leave the rest to herself. They communicated thus, the strenuous pair,
for their full moment, without speaking; only with the prolonged,
the charged give and take of their gaze and, it might well have
been imagined, of their passion. Hugh had for an instant a show of
hesitation--of the arrested impulse, while he kept her father within
range, to launch at that personage before going some final remonstrance.
It was the girl's raised hand and gesture of warning that waved away
for him such a mistake; he decided, under her pressure, and after a last
searching and answering look at her reached the door and let himself
out. The stillness was then prolonged a minute by the further wait of
the two others, Lord Theign where he had been standing and his daughter
on the spot from which she had not moved. It presently ended in his
lordship's turn about as if inferring by the silence that the intruder
had withdrawn.

"Is that young man your lover?" he said as he drew again near.

Lady Grace waited a little, but spoke as quietly as if she had been
prepared. "Has the question a bearing on the promise you a short time
ago demanded of me?"

"It has