"And alone." He laid a certain emphasis on the last word, which might or might not (in the case of a spiritual director of the household) invite a word of explanation.
Lady Loring merely said, "Just what I wanted; thank you once more, Father Benwell"-- and passed into the picture gallery.
Left by himself again in the library, the priest walked slowly to and fro, thinking.

His latent power and resolution began to show themselves darkly in his face.

A skilled observer would now have seen plainly revealed in him the habit of command, and the capacity for insisting on his right to be obeyed.

From head to foot, Father Benwell was one of those valuable soldiers of the Church who acknowledge no defeat, and who improve every victory.
After a while, he returned to the table at which he had been writing when Lady Loring entered the room.

An unfinished letter lay open on the desk.