it was hardly the morning she would have chosen for such a jaunt. a change was impending in the weather. fickle april seemed to be of opinion that the world thereabouts had already had too fair a taste of summer, and that the time had come for quite a different sort of thing. heavy banks of cloud scudded across the sky, blown by a cold north-easterly wind, which at times almost amounted to a gale. but nora was heedless of the weather; her mood was in tune with the wind, wild and vagrant. the chilly breezes blew her hair this way and that, she cared nothing. now and then a splash of rain was dashed on her uncovered head; she paid no heed. she walked rapidly, delighting in the sensation of striding swiftly through the open air, careless of all else. how far she walked, or how long, she did not know; she kept no count; one could walk some distance without quitting the grounds of cloverlea; but even she awoke to the fact, at last, that she had better seek shelter, or else go home. the rain threatened to fall in earnest; without hat or jacket, or protection of any sort, she would soon be soaked to the skin.

she stood up under the shelter of a tree; as much to enable her to take her bearings as for anything else; and had just realized that the road ran on the other side of the hedge which was close at hand, when a trap came bowling along it, whose driver, seeing her peeping out from behind her tree, brought his horse to a sudden standstill. it was dr. banyard.

"why, miss nora," he exclaimed, "you're early abroad. and have you joined the anti-hat brigade that you venture so far afield without one on, and in such weather? i'll give you a lift, i'll get you home now before the rain; and if i don't sam and i between us will find something which will keep you dry. there's a gate a little further on; if you hurry i'll be there to meet you."

she shook her head; and stood closer to the tree.

"you're very good; but i'd sooner walk if you don't mind."

"walk! but it's going to pour! and you haven't even so much as an umbrella!"

"it's not going to be so much, only a shower; i can see blue sky there."

the doctor looked in the direction to which she pointed, and, seeing the peeping blue, perceived that, probably, after all, it was only going to be an april whimper.

"you're a refractory young person; if you catch a cold don't look for sympathy from me; and, i say, i want to speak to you. in fact, i've been wanting to speak to you since saturday; but of course the parish chooses the wrong moment to get itself ill, i haven't had a moment to call on you. i've been up practically all night, and when i do get home i expect i'll be dragged out again directly; i know them! but you will have heard from nash."

"i have heard-nothing from mr. nash since i saw you last."

"no? how's that? i told him to communicate with you in case i couldn't, and he said he would."

again she shook her head. leaning over the side of the trap he eyed her with his shrewd grey eyes.

"in that case, here, sam, take the reins, and drive a little way down the road; i'll call you when i want you; i have something which i wish to say to miss lindsay, in the rain." as a matter of fact when he alighted, and the trap had gone on, the shower had already nearly died away; she stood close up to the hedge on one side and he on the other. "i am sorry to be the first bearer of the bad news, i had hoped nash would have broken the ice. i was present on saturday at the meeting of guldenheim and his friends." he did not tell her at what inconvenience he had been present, and of how, in consequence, all his work had got into confusion. "i said all we had arranged that i should say; but i am sorry to have to inform you that the only terms on which they would consent not to throw your father's estate into bankruptcy were that everything should be realized at once."

she smiled, a rather wintry smile, but still it was a smile.

"thank you; it is very kind of you to take so much trouble; but would you mind telling me exactly what that means."

"i'm afraid it means that guldenheim and his friends, or their representative, may arrive at cloverlea to-day. they seem to be hot against your father with a heat i confess i don't understand, and declare they won't wait a moment longer for their money than they can help."

"they need not; i am quite ready to go."

her pale face grew perhaps a little paler, and her lips were closed a little tighter; but the girl still smiled. he seemed to be more moved than she was.

"if you take my advice, my dear young lady, you'll at once get together as much as you possibly can, and have the things removed from the premises before they come; you can have them sent over to us if you like. anyhow you're entitled to personal belongings; and in a case like yours the law takes a liberal view of what that term covers."

"i think i've packed up everything already, practically."

"i hope you've treated the situation broadly, and have not been unduly generous to persons who you may be quite sure will show no generosity to you." she nodded; she did not care to tell him, in so many words, that what she chose to regard as her personal belongings were all contained in one small trunk. "and of course you'll come over to us till you have had time to look round; things may turn out much better than at present they promise; you never can tell. the wife is taking it for granted that you're coming, you can take that from me; but, if you think it's necessary, so soon as i get home she'll come and fetch you."

perhaps it was because that was the first offer of real assistance she had received that her voice was tremulous.

"thank you; you--you know i thank you and mrs. banyard; but--i can't come, i've made other arrangements."

he eyed her suspiciously; his tone was brusque.

"what arrangements have you made?"

"just for a while they're private."

"are you going to be married? it would be the best thing you could possibly do, to get married out of hand; i hear your young man's back again, and i've no doubt he's willing; robert spencer's not a fool."

her voice sank nearly to a whisper.

"i'm not going to be married."

"then what are you going to do?"

"if you don't mind, doctor, i prefer to keep my own counsel for a while."

he broke into alliterative violence.

"you're contemplating some feebly foolish female knight-errantry. i know you! but it won't be allowed; directly i get home i'll send my wife to talk to you; she'll do it better than i can. your best friends are here; it's they who have your best interests at heart; and you're going to consider their feelings whether you like it or not; you're not going to be allowed to ride over them roughshod, young lady. sam, bring that pony." he discharged a parting shaft at her as he climbed into the trap. "you understand, my wife will come and talk to you as soon as she gets her hat on; or whatever it is she does put on when she goes out visiting. and i hope you'll have the grace to listen to what she says."

nora re-entered the house through the open study-window. as she passed through the room she saw that the butler had taken her hint; the missing articles had been replaced. as she was sitting at her lonely early breakfast--for it seemed that elaine harding had not yet sufficiently recovered to put in an appearance at so matutinal a meal--she commented on the fact to morgan.

"i am glad to see that the study is again as it always has been. i wish everything, throughout the house, to remain exactly as it was when my father was alive; nothing is to be touched. let the servants understand that this is my wish."

morgan slightly inclined his head, as if to express both perfect comprehension and his readiness to carry out her directions. then, when, feeling that she preferred to be alone, she told him that he need not wait, he returned straight to the study, gathered together the articles which he had only recently replaced, and walked off with them to a hiding-place of which he flattered himself he alone knew the secret.

"she's had her way," he told himself, as he was stowing them in what he hoped was a place of safety. "always let a woman have her way, if you can, especially if she's young and good to look at; now it's my turn. she's not likely to go back to the study for a bit; it's worth chancing, anyhow, these things mean quite a heap of money; from what i hear others are likely to get here before she does, and they can look after themselves. at a time like we're going to have every one has to look after himself. if the things are missed, why they can be produced, and everything explained; if they're not missed, and i don't see how they're going to be, if there's a little management, there's no reason why i shouldn't have them, instead of that pack of thieves. i have got some artistic taste; it's born in me; i doubt if they've got any."

he grinned, as he wrapped the satsuma vase carefully in a large white silk handkerchief.

having finished breakfast nora went up to her own sitting-room; but had not been there very long before a servant first knocked shakily, then entered hastily.

"if you please, miss, there's a lot of men downstairs; they didn't ask for you, and i don't know what they want, but they've got such a free and easy way about them that i thought i'd better let you know that they were there; morgan let them in; they came in a wagonette."

nora went down without a word. in the hall there was quite a little crowd of men; ten or twelve of them there seemed; among them some sufficiently rough-looking customers. none of them had troubled to remove their hats; but at sight of nora one of them, a big fat man, beautifully dressed, with a red face, a large nose, and curly shining black hair, removing his hat, advanced to meet her.

"are you miss lindsay?"

he spoke with a curious nasal utterance.

"i am."

"i'm guldenheim, you know all about me; and these are my friends, who are in the same boat with me, you've heard about them; and these are our chaps. i suppose you know we've agreed not to make a fuss on condition that you give us possession of everything, to cut up between us so that we can get a bit of our own back again, what there is of it to cut up."

"i do know."

"well, we've come into possession." as he looked at the girl and saw, dimly, what manner of girl she was, he seemed to think that he owed her some sort of apology, which he offered in a fashion of his own. "i dare say it seems hard to you, our coming in like this, but you must know that your father had our money, and my friends' money, and we can't afford to lose it, it isn't to be expected that we should; you must understand that."

"i quite understand," said nora.

"then that's all right," said mr. guldenheim.

about that time some one was rapping at miss harding's bedroom door, on the other side of which miss harding was completing her toilette.

"who's there?" she asked.

"it's me, morgan; here, come closer to the door, i want to speak to you."

she went so close to the door that even a whisper of his would have been audible.

"what is it?"

"the bailiffs are in down-stairs, the whole show's burst up. you'd better pack up--you know what, as soon as you can; and everything else you've got as well; and anything you see lying about worth packing; at a time like this anything's any one's. only get a move on you; they may be up here directly, there's a lot of them, and there's no telling how they're going to do things, those sort of people can make themselves very nasty if they like; you don't want to have them superintending your packing; don't you let them in, if you can help it, till you've got your boxes locked. i thought i'd just give you a tip, so that you might look lively."

miss harding acted on mr. morgan's "tip," beginning, so soon as he had gone, to pack everything she had got, and doing it with feverish haste; but had not proceeded far when something came rattling against the window-panes, something which sounded as if it were a handful of gravel. she drew aside the curtain and looked out. mr. nash was below, he waved his hand; apparently it was he who had saluted the window. hurriedly throwing a dressing-jacket over her bare shoulders, she raised the sash sufficiently to enable her to put her head out, apparently oblivious of the fact that her black hair was streaming loose; she had been engaged in "doing" it when morgan had knocked at the door.

"herbert! did you throw those stones at my window? what do you want?"

the reply from below was hardly an answer to her question.

"i say! now you are worth looking at! now you're what i call something like a picture!"

her cheeks were flushed with excitement; there was a light in her eyes; the streaming locks certainly were not unbecoming; nor did the blush with which she received his words detract from the general effect.

"herbert, you naughty boy, you don't mean to say you nearly broke my window simply to make me put my head out, and i'm in this state!"

"well, not exactly; though it would have been worth breaking a window for. i chucked that gravel up at your window because i've something to say to you which has got to be said now, if it's to be said at all; only don't shout."

"am i shouting?"

"i thought i'd just give you the hint in case you felt as if you'd like to. somehow, do you know, the more i look at you the more i seem to want to; if i could only get at you."

"it's lucky you can't; what do you want to say? do you know i'm freezing?"

"you remember what we were talking about yesterday?"

"am i likely to have forgotten?"

"i've been thinking things over, and i've come to the conclusion that if you're game i am."

"game? game for what? what do you mean?"

mr. nash glanced round, as if to ascertain if any one was in sight, then dropped his voice.

"to marry."

"herbert!"

her heart seemed to leap into her mouth, as if the word, coming from his lips, touched a spring and made it bound.

"you said you'd like the marriage to be at once; what do you say to our being married to-morrow?"

"herbert!"

at the moment she could only trust herself to repeat his name, she was in such a curious state of tremblement.

"do you know that guldenheim and his crowd are in the house?"

"i've just heard."

"a nice lot they are; you can't stop in the house with them; you'll have to clear."

"i told you i should."

"you'd better pack everything you've got and i'll send a trap for you; they may object to your taking anything out of the stable; it's quite possible that they've laid hands on the lot. anyhow i'll send something for you; how long'll you be?"

"half-an-hour."

"not more?"

"i can't tell you to the exact moment how long i'll be; don't be absurd. you send the trap in half-an-hour, and i'll be as quick as ever i can. where's it going to take me?"

"to the station; i'll meet you there."

"why at the station?"

"you poor little thing! we're going off together; it's going to be a regular elopement."

"herbert! how are we going to get married?"

"how soon can you get some of your aunt's money?"

"i've got enough by me to go on with."

"how much do you call enough?"

"oh, about ninety pounds."

"you sly little thing! who'd have thought you were stuffed with money like this? it's not so long ago since i pointed out a big hole in your glove, and you said you had to wear old gloves, because you couldn't afford to buy yourself a pair of new ones."

"i dare say; that was a hint to you."

"was it? then it was thrown away, because if i possessed the price of a pair of gloves it was as much as i did have; though in the sweet by and by i'm going to be a millionaire."

"you haven't said how we're going to get married."

"i'm going to get the licence the other end, and we're going to be married to-morrow."

"are you sure we can get married to-morrow?"

"of course i'm sure."

"in church?"

"in church; in st. paul's cathedral if you like; though to arrange that might take a little longer."

"i don't want to be married in st. paul's cathedral; i want to be married quietly."

"that's what i want; so there we are agreed; hooray!" this cry of jubilation was uttered in a sepulchral whisper. "now you quite understand? trap's coming in half-an-hour; you're to be ready; you're going to meet me at the station; we're going to elope; we're going together to get the licence; and to-morrow we're going to be married together; is that perfectly clear?"

"don't be silly! are you glad?"

"what for?"

"that we're going to be married; you know!"

"of course i'm glad; how do you want me to show it? would you like me to stand on my head and dance?"

"no; i only want to know you're glad."

"you wait; you shall have all the knowledge you feel you stand in need of."

"herbert!"