oom. I called for a bath, dressed, and made an excellent
breakfast. Then I brought out my notebook and prepared for work. I had
scarcely dipped my pen in the ink, however, when a shadow darkened the
window. I looked up quickly. It was Ray.

He entered without knocking, and I saw at once that he was in a strange
condition. He scarcely greeted me, but sank into my easy chair, and
drawing out his pipe began to fill it. Then I saw, too, what I had
never seen before. His fingers were shaking.

"Boy," he said, "have you any wine?"

"The Duke sent me some claret," I answered. "Will that do?"

I summoned Grooton and ordered the wine and some biscuits. Ray was a
man who ate and drunk sparingly. Yet he filled a tumbler and drank it
straight off.

"You and I," he remarked, "are the only two who sat the whole show out.
It was a grind, wasn't it?"

"It was," I answered, "but I have slept, and I feel none the worse for
it. Lord Cheisford carried us on splendidly. There is solid work
here," I said; "something worth the planning."

I touched my notebook almost affectionately, for the work was
fascinating now that it had attained coherent form. Ray smoked on and
said nothing for several minutes. Then he looked up at me.

"Have you a spare bedroom, Ducaine?"

"One or two," I answered. "They are not all furnished, but one at any
rate is decent."

"Will you put me up for a day--perhaps two?"

"Of course," I answered, "but--"

He answered my unspoken question.

"The Duke has turned me out," he said grimly. "Who would have suspected
the old man of such folly? He believes in Blenavon. I told him the
plain truth, and he told me that I was a liar."

"I thought that he would be difficult to convince," I remarked.

"He has all the magnificent pig-headedness of his race," Ray answered.
"Blenavon is Blenavon, and he can do no wrong. He would summon him home
again, but fortunately the young man himself is no fool. He will not
come. You told Lady Angela?"

"Everything."

"She believed you?"

"I think that she did," I answered.

His face softened.

"The Duke showed me from the door himself," he said. "You will not
object to my sending a note to Lady Angela by your servant?"

"Make whatever use of him you choose," I answered. "There are pen and
ink and notepaper upon the table."

Then I settled down to my work. Ray wrote his note, and went upstairs
to sleep. In an hour's time he was down again. There were black rims
under