"I have been so very busy of late--and
I expected you back in London every day."

"You have only written to me once since I left Wroxeter," she said,
pouting.  "It is really too bad of you."

"I can only plead heavy work and the grave responsibilities of office,"
he answered.  "I've been literally driven to death.  You've no doubt
seen the papers."

"Yes, I have seen them," she answered.  "And my candid opinion is,
Dudley, that the Government has not come out particularly well in regard
to the question of Crete.  I'm quite with you as to your declaration in
the House last night, that we are not nearly strong enough in the
Mediterranean."

Jackson entered again, and, as their conversation was of necessity
prevented from taking on an intimate tone, they kept to a discussion of
matters upon which Dudley had been speaking in the House during the past
week.  She had always been his candid critic, and often pointed out to
him his slips and shortcomings, just as she had criticised him in their
youthful days and stirred within him the ambition to enter public life.

If she knew of the secret compact that he had made with Muriel Mortimer
what would she say?  He dreaded to contemplate the exposure of the
truth.

"Have you heard anything of the Meldrums?" he inquired, as the thought
flashed into his mind that from her very probably he might be able to
learn their whereabouts.

"Oh! they're abroad," she replied.  "They left us very suddenly at the
castle, for what reason I've not yet been able to make out.  Do you
know, I've a horrible suspicion that Lady Meldrum was offended, or
something, but what it was I really have no idea.  She was scarcely
civil when we parted."

"That's very strange," he said, pricking up his ears and looking at her
in astonishment.  "Who was the culprit?  One of the guests, I suppose."

"I suppose so," his hostess answered.  "But at any rate, whatever the
cause, she was gravely offended.  The excuse to leave was a palpably
false one, for there chanced to be no letters for her that morning."

"Where 