THE Irish lord came in — with his medical friend sulkily in attendance on him. He looked at Fanny, and asked where her mistress was.

“My lady is in her room, sir.”

Hearing this, he turned sharply to Mountjoy. On the point of speaking, he seemed to think better of it, and went to his wife’s room. The maid followed. “Get rid of him now,” she whispered to Hugh, glancing at the doctor. Mr. Vimpany was in no very approachable humour — standing at the window, with his hands in his empty pockets, gloomily looking out. But Hugh was not disposed to neglect the opportunity; he ventured to say: “You don’t seem to be in such good spirits as usual.”

The doctor gruffly expressed his opinion that Mr. Mountjoy would not be particularly cheerful, in his place. My lord had taken him to the office, on the distinct understanding that he was to earn a little pocket-money by becoming one of the contributors to the newspaper. And how had it ended? The editor had declared that his list of writers was full, and begged leave to suggest that Mr. Vimpany should wait for the next vacancy. A most impertinent proposal! Had Lord Harry — a proprietor, remember — exerted his authority? Not he! His lordship had dropped the doctor “like a hot potato,” and had meanly submitted to his own servant. What did Mr. Mountjoy think of such conduct as that?

Hugh answered the question, with his own end in view. Paving the way for Mr. Vimpany’s departure from the cottage at Passy, he made a polite offer of his services.

“Can’t I help you out of your difficulty?” he said.

“You!” cried the doctor. “Have you forgotten how you received me, sir, when I asked for a loan at your hotel in London?”

Hugh admitted that he might have spoken hastily. “You took me by surprise,” he said, “and (perhaps I was mistaken, on my side) I thought you were, to say the least of it, not particularly civil. You did certainly use threatening language when you left me. No man likes to be treated in that way.”

Mr. Vimpany’s big bold eyes stared at Mountjoy in a state of bewilderment. “Are you trying to make a fool of me?” he asked.

“I am incapable, Mr. Vimpany, of an act of rudeness towards anybody.”

“If you come to that,” the doctor stoutly declared, “I am incapable too. It’s plain to me that we have been misunderstanding each other. Wait a bit; I want to go back for a moment to that threatening language which you complained of just now. I was sorry for what I had said as soon as your door was shut on me. On my way downstairs I did think of turning back and making a friendly apology before I gave you up. Suppose I had done that?” Mr. Vimpany asked, wondering internally whether Mountjoy was foolish enough to believe him.

Hugh advanced a little nearer to the design that he had in view.

“You might have found me more kindly disposed towards you,” he said, “than you had anticipated.”

This encouraging reply cost him an effort. He had stooped to the unworthy practice of perverting what he had said and done on a former occasion, to serve a present interest. Remind himself as he might of the end which, in the interests of Iris, did really appear to justify the means, he still sank to a place in his own estimation which he was honestly ashamed to occupy.

Under other circumstances his hesitation, slight as it was, might have excited suspicion. A............