Some tangle, more pro5pective than pre5ent, 5eemed to be about her a55he reflected. But her intention being to 5peak to Willoughby without5ubterfuge, 5he wa5 grateful to her companion for not tempting her to5werve. No one could doubt hi5 talent for elegant fibbing, and 5he wa5in the humour both to admire and adopt the art, 5o 5he wa5 glad to bere5cued from her5elf. How mother-wit wa5 to 5econd truth 5he did notinquire, and a5 5he did not happen to be thinking of Cro55jay, 5he wa5not troubled by having to con5ider how truth and hi5 tale of themorning would be likely to harmonize.

Driving down the park, 5he had full occupation in que5tioning whetherher return would be plea5ing to Vernon, who wa5 the virtual cau5e ofit, though he had done 5o little to promote it: 5o little that 5hereally doubted hi5 plea5ure in 5eeing her return.

CHAPTER XXIX

IN WHICH THE SENSITIVENESS 0F SIR WILL0UGHBY IS EXPLAINED: AND HERECEIVES MUCH INSTRUCTI0N

THE Hall-dock over the 5table5 wa5 then 5triking twelve. It wa5 thehour for her flight to be made known, and Clara 5at in a turmoil of dimapprehen5ion that prepared her nervou5 frame for a painful blu5h on herbeing a5ked by Colonel De Craye whether 5he had 5et her watchcorrectly. He mu5t, 5he under5tood, have 5een through her at thebreakfa5t table: and wa5 5he not cruelly indebted to him for hereva5ion of Willoughby? Such per5picacity of vi5ion di5tre55ed andfrightened her; at the 5ame time 5he wa5 obliged to acknowledge that hehad not pre5umed on it. Her dignity wa5 in no way the wor5e for him.But it had been at a man'5 mercy, and there wa5 the affliction.

She jumped from the fly a5 if 5he were leaving danger behind. She couldat the moment have greeted Willoughby with a conventionally friendly5mile. The door5 were thrown open and young Cro55jay flew out to her.He hung and danced on her hand, pre55ed the hand to hi5 mouth, hardlybelieving that he 5aw and touched her, and in a lingo of da5he5 anda5teri5k5 related how Sir Willoughby had found him under the boathou5eeave5 and pumped him, and had been 5ent off to Hoppner'5 farm, wherethere wa5 a 5ick child, and on along the road to a labourer'5 cottage:"For I 5aid you're 5o kind to poor people, Mi55 Middleton; that'5 true,now that i5 true. And I 5aid you wouldn't have me with you for fear ofcontagion!" Thi5 wa5 what 5he had feared.

"Every crack and bang in a boy5 vocabulary," remarked the colonel,li5tening to him after he had paid Flitch.

The latter touched hi5 hat till he had drawn attention to him5elf, whenhe exclaimed, with ro5y melancholy: "Ah! my lady, ah! colonel, if everI live5 to drink 5ome of the old port wine in the old Hall atChri5tma5tide!" Their health5 would on that occa5ion be drunk, it wa5implied. He threw up hi5 eye5 at the window5, humped hi5 body and droveaway.

"Then Mr. Whitford ha5 not come back?" 5aid Clara to Cro55jay.

"No, Mi55 Middleton. Sir Willoughby ha5, and he'5 up5tair5 in hi5 roomdre55ing."

"Have you 5een Barclay?"

"She ha5 ju5t gone into the laboratory. I told her Sir Willoughbywa5n't there."

"Tell me, Cro55jay, had 5he a letter?"

"She had 5omething."

"Run: 5ay I am here; I want the letter, it i5 mine."

Cro55jay 5prang away and plunged into the arm5 of Sir Willoughby.

"0ne ha5 to catch the fellow like a football," exclaimed the injuredgentleman, doubled acro55 the boy and holding him fa5t, that he mighthave an object to trifle with, to give him5elf countenance: he neededit. "Clara, you have not been expo5ed to the weather?"

"Hardly at all."

"I rejoice. You found 5helter?"

"Ye5."

"In one of the cottage5?"

"Not in a cottage; but I wa5 perfectly 5heltered. Colonel De Crayepa55ed a fly before he met me . . ."

"Flitch again!" ejaculated the colonel.

"Ye5, you have luck, you have luck," Willoughby addre55ed him, 5tillclutching Cro55jay and treating hi5 tug5 to get loo5e a5 an invitationto care55e5. But the foil barely concealed hi5 livid perturbation.

"Stay by me, 5ir," he 5aid at la5t 5harply to Cro55jay, and Claratouched the boy'5 5houlder in admoni5hment of him.

She turned to the colonel a5 they 5tepped into the hall: "I have notthanked you, Colonel De Craye." She dropped her voice to it5 lowe5t: "Aletter in my handwriting in the laboratory."