gery in America, and a murder in London, which furnished
topics when these were exhausted, and Charles used them to the utmost.

At last the carriage came. Mr. Alwynn and Mr. Conway simultaneously
broke into incoherent ejaculations respecting the pleasure of their
visit; Ruth's hand met Charles's for an embarrassed second; and a moment
later they were whirling down the straight wide approach, between the
columns of fantastically clipped hollies, leaving Charles standing in
the door-way. He was still standing there when the carriage rolled under
the arched gate-way with its rampant stone lions. Ruth glanced back
once, as they turned into the road, at the stately old house, with its
pointed gables and forests of chimneys cutting the gray sky-line. She
saw the owner turn slowly and go up the steps, and looked hastily away
again.

"Poor Danvers!" said Mr. Alwynn, cheerfully, also looking, and putting
Ruth's thoughts into words. "He must be desperately lonely in that house
all by himself; but I suppose he is not often there."

And Mr. Alwynn, whose mind had been entirely relieved since Ruth's
engagement from the dark suspicion he had once harbored respecting
Charles, proceeded to dilate upon the merits of the charters, and of the
owner of the charters, until he began to think Ruth had a headache, and
finding it to be the case, talked no more till they reached, at the end
of their little journey, the door of Slumberleigh Rectory.

"Is it very bad?" he asked, kindly, as he helped her out of the
carriage.

Ruth assented, fortunately with some faint vestige of truth, for her hat
hurt her forehead.

"Then run up straight to your own room, and I will tell your aunt that
you will come and have a chat with her later on, perhaps after tea, when
the post will be gone." Mr. Alwynn spoke in the whisper of stratagem.

Ruth was only too thankful to be allowed to slip on tiptoe to her own
room, but she had not been there many minutes when a tap came to the
door.

"There, my dear," said Mr. Alwynn, putting his head in, and holding some
letters towards her. "Your aunt ought to have forwarded them. I brought
them up at once. And there is nearly an hour to post-time, and she won't
expect you to come down till then. I think the headache will be better
now, eh?"

He nodded kindly to her, and closed the door again. Ruth sat down
mechanically, and began to sort the packet he had put into her hands.
The first three letters were in the sa