The colour of the whole was dim and rich; antiquity, refinement reigned, together with an exquisite quiet and order.

No one was to be seen, and not a voice was to be heard; but there was no impression of solitude.

These warm, darkly-glowing rooms seemed to be waiting for the return of guests just gone out of them; not one of them but had an air of cheerful company.
For once, as he walked through it, Aldous Raeburn spared the old house an affectionate possessive thought.

Its size and wealth, with all that both implied, had often weighed upon him.

To-night his breath quickened as he passed the range of family portraits leading to the library door.
There was a vacant space here and there--"room for your missus, too, my boy, when you get her!" as his grandfather had once put it.
"Why, you've had a long day, Aldous, all by yourself," said Lord Maxwell, turning sharply round at the sound of the opening door.