him, (but he was far from acknowledging that he regarded her in so cold a light), Miss Dallison, he thought, was no inapt symbol of temptation.

"You know no more about me than you do about religion," was his rejoinder.

"I know so little about either! And when I humbly endeavour to inform myself, I am scowled at for my pains."

“Oh, if you seriously wished for religious instruction!- But of course you don't."

"Why should that be a matter of course? Wasn't there a time when you wished for religious instruction, and had the luck to obtain it? Isn't it possible that there are points of resemblance between my case and yours?—or at least what was once yours? I have no religion that deserves to be called by that name; it begins and ends with my going to church on Sunday mornings, and it certainly doesn't prevent my doing anything that I feel inclined to do. I feel, as I am sure you used to feel, that something more than that is needed to ward off catastrophes."

Was she speaking the truth, or was this only a subtle device to ensnare him? Nigel remained on his guard, though he felt that his guard was being broken down.

"The Catholic Church, which is the only Church, has saved me from ruin," he said; "it is certain that she will do as much for you, if you will let her and if you honestly wish to believe."

Ethel nodded. "Only there are things which it is not at all easy to believe," she remarked pensively.

"Things incomprehensible to human reason, do you mean? But Anglicans hold, or profess to hold, beliefs quite as much so as ours. You will be surprised to find how quickly all your difficulties will vanish from the moment that you make surrender and submission. Why

don't you have a talk with Monsignor Nolan, who is a well-read man and broad-minded into the bargain?"

"I think," answered the embryonic proselyte, smiling, "that a talk with you might be more convincing. I may be wrong, but I can't help fancying that we have a good deal in common, you and I."

It was precisely because he had the same impression that he was afraid of her and shrank from intimacy with her. Yet he had the zeal which characterises converts-or, as his Uncle Robert and his late Uncle Tom would have called them, perverts-and was he to allow an immortal soul to go to perdition by reason of ignoble suspicions and self-distrust? That the soul in question chanced to be enshrined in a mortal body of disquieting comeliness was surely no adequate excuse for neglect. So he ended by responding hesitatingly and rather frigidly :

"I shall be glad if I can be of any service to you, Miss Dallison-provided that you mean what you say."

She assured him that she meant what she said, she hoped that they might meet again ere long, and then, allowing herself to be overtaken by the other pedestrians, she bade him farewell.

"A fortnight or three weeks," was her mental conclusion. "I doubt whether it could be done in less, for he is very farouche; but probably they will ask me to stay as long."

CHAPTER XII

METHODS OF SELF-DEFENCE

UMPHRY TRENCHARD was seated in his

library one morning, dictating letters to his faithful attendant Bailey, who served him in the capacity of amanuensis as well as valet, when he was informed that Mr. Nigel Scarth would like to see him, if he was disengaged.

"I am always disengaged when Mr. Nigel wants me," was the old gentleman's smiling reply; "I shall not want you again, Bailey, until I ring.”

And when, after a minute, his visitor was shown into the spacious, sunny, comfortable room which would have been the drawingroom, had the bachelor owner of Glen Cottage required such an apartment, he said cheerily :

"Well, my dear boy, what now? No more landlord's troubles, I hope? I have managed that poaching business for you, I am glad to say, and nothing further will be said or done about it. Under all the circumstances, it really would not have been wise to persist in prosecuting."

"As you know," answered Nigel, "I never wished to prosecute; I only threatened the man because you seemed to think at first that I ought."

"Quite true-quite true; it did at first look like a case which ought not to be passed over. Perhaps you

went a little further than I should have advised and said rather more than it was quite prudent to say; but never mind! I have smoothed him down. There is nothing else, then?"

"Nothing connected with the estate, that I am aware of."

"Ah! your voice tells me that there is something not connected with the estate. Come and sit down and let us hear all about it."

Nigel seated himself beside this kindly old mentor of his, whose hand was laid affectionately upon his arm and whose sightless countenance was turned interrogatively towards him. He had learned to rely more and more upon old Humphry in his manifold perplexities; yet he did not care at once to admit that he had come to Glen Cottage that morning with a special purpose in view. He said that he found life a somewhat complicated business, that he experienced constant difficulty in reconciling the claims of his religion and his coreligionists with his duties as a county magnate, that he could not help recognising that he was a square peg in a round hole, and so forth. These vague plaints were sympathetically received; he was exhorted to be of good courage and was reminded that if, like the rest of the world, he had some trials to bear, he had also a very fair share of blessings for which to be thankful; but he was not questioned, for his hearer knew that he would end by saying what he wanted to say.

"So all the fine folks have left Lannowe, I hear," Mr. Trenchard remarked, when a pause came in the conversation.

"Yes, thank goodness!" answered Nigel; "there is nobody left in the house now, except Miss Dallison." He added abruptly, "I should like to know what you think of Miss Dallison."

"I think her a very agreeable young lady," said old Humphry blandly.

"Oh, but I am sure you must think more than that about her; you don't stop short at discovering that people are agreeable or disagreeable. Does she, for instance, give you the impression of being sincere?"

"I am afraid there are not many women of whom it can be said that they are always sincere; I should imagine that Miss Dallison was so sometimes. But you must remember that I haven't seen much of her."

"Well, I have been seeing a good deal of her lately." "So I understand."

Nigel stared and frowned. "Who told you that?" he rather fiercely inquired.

"My dear fellow," returned the old gentleman, laughing, "do you suppose that two people can repeatedly stroll away from their friends and companions together without exciting remark? Of course remarks have been made about you and Miss Dallison; but not ill-natured ones. Not, at least, to me."

"The reason of our having been so much together," said Nigel in a calmer tone of voice, "is that she wants to become a Catholic. No; that is putting it too strongly she only tells me that for some reasons she would like to be a Catholic."

"And you don't know whether to believe her or not?" "That's just it; I don't know whether to believe her or not."

"Well," said Mr. Trenchard musingly, after a pause, "if you want my opinion, I should think that you had better not believe her. But this is strictly between ourEven to you, my dear Nigel, I don't at all like saying the sort of thing that I am going to say; only it is right perhaps to put you on your guard."

selves, if you please.