Sir Florian's death,--she had been
at great trouble to clear the way for him. She knew of his silly
engagement to Lucy Morris, and was willing to forgive him that
offence. She knew that he could not marry Lucy, because of her
pennilessness and his indebtedness; and therefore she had taken the
trouble to see Lucy with the view of making things straight on that
side. Lucy had, of course, been rough with her, and ill-mannered,
but Lizzie thought that, upon the whole, she had succeeded. Lucy was
rough and ill-mannered, but was, at the same time, what the world
calls good, and would hardly persevere after what had been said to
her. Lizzie was sure that, a month since, her cousin would have
yielded himself to her willingly, if he could only have freed himself
from Lucy Morris. But now, just in this very nick of time, which was
so momentous to her, the police had succeeded in unravelling her
secret, and there sat Frank, looking at her with stern, ill-natured
eyes, like an enemy rather than a lover.

"What piece of business?" she asked, in answer to his question. She
must be bold,--if she could. She must brazen it out with him, if only
she could be strong enough to put on her brass in his presence. He
had been so stupidly chivalrous in believing all her stories about
the robbery when nobody else had quite believed them, that she felt
that she had before her a task that was very disagreeable and very
difficult. She looked up at him, struggling to be bold, and then her
glance sank before his gaze and fell upon the floor.

"I do not at all wish to pry into your secrets," he said.

Secrets from him! Some such exclamation was on her lips, when she
remembered that her special business, at the present moment, was to
acknowledge a secret which had been kept from him. "It is unkind of
you to speak to me in that way," she said.

"I am quite in earnest. I do not wish to pry into your secrets. But I
hear rumours which seem to be substantiated; and though, of course, I
could stay away from you--"

"Oh,--whatever happens, pray, pray do not stay away from me. Where am
I to look for advice if you stay away from me?"

"That is all very well, Lizzie."

"Ah, Frank! if you desert me, I am undone."

"It is, of course, true that some of the police have been with you
lately?"

"Major Mackintosh was here, about the end of last week,--a most kind
man, altogether a gentleman, and I was so glad to see him."

"What made him come?"

"What ma