Father Benwell pointed with a smile to the books scattered about him.

"With permission, I will follow your lordship," he said.
"Who was my lord looking for ?" That was the question in Father Benwell's mind, while he put some of the books away on the shelves, and collected the scattered papers on the table, relating to his correspondence with Rome.

It had become a habit of his life to be suspicious of any circumstances occurring within his range of observation, for which he was unable to account.

He might have felt some stronger emotion on this occasion, if he had known that the conspiracy in the library to convert Romayne was matched by the conspiracy in the picture gallery to marry him.
Lady Loring's narrative of the conversation which had taken place between Stella and herself had encouraged her husband to try his proposed experiment without delay.

"I shall send a letter at once to Romayne's hotel," he said.
"Inviting him to come here to-day ?" her ladyship inquired.
"Yes.