"HIS lordship is dangerously ill, Sir. Her ladyship can receiveno visitors."

"Be so good as to take that card to Lady Holchester. It isabsolutely necessary that your mistress should be madeacquainted--in the interests of her younger son--with somethingwhich I can only mention to her ladyship herself."

The two persons speaking were Lord Holchester's head servant andSir Patrick Lundie. At that time barely half an hour had passedsince the close of the proceedings at Portland Place.

The servant still hesitated with the cardin his hand. "I shall forfeit my situation," he said, "if I doit."

"You will most assuredly forfeit your situation if you _don't_ doit," returned Sir Patrick. "I warn you plainly, this is tooserious a matter to be trifled with."

The tone in which those words were spoken had its effect. The manwent up stairs with his message.

Sir Patrick waited in the hall. Even the momentary delay ofentering one of the reception-rooms was more than he could endureat that moment. Anne's happiness was hopelessly sacrificedalready. The preservation of her personal safety--which SirPatrick firmly believed to be in danger--was the one servicewhich it was possible to render to her now. The perilous positionin which she stood toward her husband--as an immovable obstacle,while she lived, between Geoffrey and Mrs. Glenarm--was beyondthe reach of remedy. But it was still possible to prevent herfrom becoming the innocent cause of Geoffrey's pecuniary ruin, bystanding in the way of a reconciliation between father and son.

Resolute to leave no means untried of serving Anne's interests,Sir Patrick had allowed Arnold and Blanche to go to his ownresidence in London, alone, and had not even waited to say afarewell word to any of the persons who had taken part in theinquiry. "Her life may depend on what I can do for her atHolchester House!" With that conviction in him, he had leftPortland Place. With that conviction in him, he had sent hismessage to Lady Holchester, and was now waiting for the reply.

The servant appeared again on the stairs. Sir Patrick went up tomeet him.

"Her ladyship will see you, Sir, for a few minutes."

The door of an upper room was opened; and Sir Patrick foundhimself in the presence of Geoffrey's mother. There was only timeto observe that she possessed the remains of rare personalbeauty, and that she received her visitor with a grace andcourtesy which implied (under the circumstances) a considerateregard for _his_ position at the expense of her own.

"You have something to say to me, Sir Patrick, on the subject ofmy second son. I am in great affliction. If you bring me badnews, I will do my best to bear it. May I trust to your kindnessnot to keep me in suspense?"

"It will help me to make my intrusion as little painful aspossible to your ladyship," replied Sir Patrick, "if I ampermitted to ask a question. Have you heard of any obstacle tothe contemplated marriage of Mr. Geoffrey Delamayn and Mrs.Glenarm?"

Even that distant reference to Anne produced an ominous changefor the worse in Lady Holchester's manner.

"I have heard of the obstacle to which you allude," she said."Mrs. Glenarm is an intimate friend of mine. She has informed methat a person named Silvester, an impudent adventuress--"

"I beg your ladyship's pardon. You are doing a cruel wrong to thenoblest woman I have ever met with."

"I can not undertake, Sir Patrick, to enter into your reasons foradmiring her. Her conduct toward my son has, I repeat, been theconduct of an impudent adventuress."

Those words showed Sir Patrick the utter hopelessness of shakingher prejudice against Anne. He decided on proceeding at once tothe disclosure of the truth.

"I entreat you so say no more," he answered. "Your ladyship isspeaking of your son's wife."

"My son has married Miss Silvester?"

"Yes."

She turned deadly pale. It appeared, for an instant, as if theshock had completely overwhelmed her. But the mother's weaknesswas only momentary The virtuous indignation of the great lady hadtaken its place before Sir Patrick could speak again. She rose toterminate the interview.

"I presume," she said, "that your errand here is as an end."

Sir Patrick rose, on his side, resolute to do the duty which hadbrought him to the house.

"I am compelled to trespass on your ladyship's attention for afew minutes more," he answered. "The circumstances attending themarriage of Mr. Geoffrey Delamayn are of no common importance. Ibeg permission (in the interests of his family) to state, verybriefly, what they are."

In a few clear sentences he narrated what had happened, thatafternoon, in Portland Place. Lady Holchester listened with thesteadiest and coldest attention. So far as outward appearanceswere concerned, no impression was produced upon her.

"Do you expect me," she asked, "to espouse the interests of aperson who has prevented my son from marrying the lady of hischoice, and of mine?"

"Mr. Geoffrey Delamayn, unhappily, has that reason for resentinghis wife's innocent interference with interests of considerable,importance to him," returned Sir Patrick. "I request yourladyship to consider whether it is desirable--in view of yourson's conduct in the future--to allow his wife to stand in thedoubly perilous relation toward him of being also a cause ofestrangement between his father and himself."

He had put it with scrupulous caution. But Lady Holchesterunderstood what he had refrained from saving as well as what hehad actually said. She had hitherto remained standing--she nowsat down again. There was a visible impression produced on her atlast.

"In Lord Holchester's critical state of health," she answered, "Idecline to take the responsibility of telling him what you havejust told me. My own influence has been uniformly exerted in myson's favor--as long as my interference could be productive ofany good result. The time for my interference has passed. LordHolchester has altered his will this morning. I was not present;and I have not yet been informed of what has been done. Even if Iknew--"

"Your ladyship would naturally decline," said Sir Patrick, "tocommunicate the information to a stranger."

"Certainly. At the same time, after what you have said, I do notfeel justified in deciding on this matter entirely by myself. Oneof Lord Holchester's executors is now in the house. There can beno impropriety in your seeing him--if you wish it. You are atliberty to say, from me, that I leave it entirely to hisdiscretion to decide what ought to be done."

"I gladly accept your ladyship's proposal."

Lady Holchester rang the bell at her side.

"Take Sir Patrick Lundie to Mr. Marchwood," she said to theservant.

Sir Patrick started. The name was familiar to him, as the name ofa friend.

"Mr. Marchwood of Hurlbeck?" he asked.

"The same."

With that brief answer, Lady Holchester dismissed her visitor.Following the servant to the other end of the corridor, SirPatrick was conducted into a small room--the ante-chamber to thebedroom in which Lord Holchester lay. The door of communicationwas closed. A gentleman sat writing at a table near the window.He rose, and held out his hand, with a look of surprise, when theservant announced Sir Patrick's name. This was Mr. Marchwood.

After the first explanations had been given, Sir Patrickpatiently reverted to the object of his visit to HolchesterHouse. On the first occasion when he mentioned Anne's name heobserved that Mr. Marchwood became, from that moment, speciallyinterested in what he was saying.

"Do you happen to be acquainted with the lady?" he asked

"I only know her as the cause of a very strange proceeding, thismorning, in that room." He pointed to Lord Holchester's bedroomas he spoke.

"Are you at liberty to mention what the proceeding was?"

"Hardly--even to an old friend like you--unless I felt it amatter of duty, on my part, to state the circumstances. Pray goon with what you were saying to me. You were on the point oftelling me what brought you to this house."

Without a word more of preface, Sir Patrick told him the news ofGeoffrey's marriage to Anne.

"Married!" cried Mr. Marchwood. "Are you sure of what you say?"

"I am one of the witnesses of the marriage."

"Good Heavens! And Lord Holchester's lawyer has left the house!"

"Can I replace him? Have I, by any chance justified you intelling me what happened this morning in the next room?"

"Justified me? You have left me no other alternative. The doctorsare all agreed in dreading apoplexy--his lordship may die at anymoment. In the lawyer's absence, I must take it on myself. Hereare the facts. There is the codicil to LordHolchester's Will which is still unsigned."

"Relating to his second son?"

"Relating to Geoffrey Delamayn, and giving him (when it is onceexecuted) a liberal provision for life."

"What is the object in the way of his executing it?"

"The lady whom you have just mentioned to me."

"Anne Silvester!"

"Anne Silvester--now (as you tell me) Mrs. Geoffrey Delamayn. Ican only explain the thing very imperfectly. There are certainpainful circumstances associated in his lordship's memory withthis lady, or with some member of her family. We can only gatherthat he did something--in the early part of his professionalcareer--which was strictly within the limits of his duty, butwhich apparently led to very sad results. Some days since heunfortunately heard (either through Mrs. Glenarm or through Mrs.Julius Delamayn) of Miss Silvester's appearance at SwanhavenLodge. No remark on the subject escaped him at the time. It wasonly this morning, when the codicil giving the legacy to Geoffreywas waiting to be executed, that his real feeling in the mattercame out. To our astonishment, he refused to sign it. 'Find AnneSilvester' (was the only answer we could get from him); 'andbring her to my bedside. You all say my son is guiltless ofinjuring her. I am lying on my death-bed. I have serious reasonsof my own--I owe it to the memory of the dead--to assure myselfof the truth. If Anne Silvester herself acquits him of havingwronged her, I will provide for Geoffrey. Not otherwise.' We wentthe length of reminding him that he might die before MissSilvester could be found. Our interference had but one result. Hedesired the lawyer to add a second codicil to the Will--which heexecuted on the spot. It directs his executors to inquire intothe relations that have actually existed between Anne Silvesterand his younger son. If we find reason to conclude that Geoffreyhas gravely wronged her, we are directed to pay her alegacy--provided that she is a single woman at the time."

"And her marriage violates the provision!" exclaimed Sir Patrick.

"Yes. The codicil actually executed is now worthless. And theother codicil remains unsigned until the lawyer can produce MissSilvester. He has left the house to apply to Geoffrey at Fulham,as the only means at our disposal of finding the lady. Some hourshave passed--and he has not yet returned."

"It is useless to wait for him," said Sir Patrick. "While thelawyer was on his way to Fulham, Lord Holchester's son was on hisway to Portland Place. This is even more serious than yousuppose. Tell me, what under less pressing circumstances I shouldhave no right to ask. Apart from the unexecuted codicil what isGeoffrey Delamayn's position in the will?"

"He is not even mentioned in it."

"Have you got the will?"

Mr. Marchwood unlocked a drawer, and took it out.

Sir Patrick instantly rose from his chair. "No waiting for thelawyer!" he repeated, vehemently. "This is a matter of life anddeath. Lady Holchester bitterly resents her son's marriage. Shespeaks and feels as a friend of Mrs. Glenarm. Do you think LordHolchester would take the same view if he knew of it?"

"It depends entirely on the circumstances."

"Suppose I informed him--as I inform you in confidence--that hisson _has_ gravely wronged Miss Silvester? And suppose I followedthat up by telling him that his son has made atonement bymarrying her?"

"After the feeling that he has shown in the matter, I believe hewould sign the codicil."

"Then, for God's sake, let me see him!"

"I must speak to the doctor."

"Do it instantly!"

With the will in his hand, Mr. Marchwood advanced to the bedroomdoor. It was opened from within before he could get to it. Thedoctor appeared on the threshold. He held up his hand warninglywhen Mr. Marchwood attempted to speak to him.

"Go to Lady Holchester," he said. "It's all over."

"Dead?"

"Dead."