“I’m not ill.  But I’m nearly out of my mind about this business.”

“What is it?  Tell me, has it anything to do with the library?

“Yes.”

“Well; the library’s going to be sold.”

“I know.  That’s what I want to speak to her about.”

“There’s not a bit of good in speaking to her.  There are at this moment,” said Kitty incisively, “two persons in the house who call themselves the men in possession.”

“The brutes—­”

“You may as well sit down.  You can’t turn them out, they’re two to one, and their position is, I believe, legally sound.”

“I must go to her at once—­I knew this would happen—­Miss Palliser, is any one with her?”

“I am with her.  I’m going back to her in a minute; but I want to talk to you first.  Everybody’s looking at us, but that can’t be helped.  Did you say you knew this would happen?”

“Yes—­Miss Palliser, I’m in the most intolerable position with regard to Miss Harden.”

“You knew they were making these arrangements?”

“Oh yes, I knew it all the time I was working for her.  What’s more, I’m supposed to be the agent for the sale.”

“Well—­if it’s got to be sold, why not?”

“Well, you see, my father’s only an ordinary dealer.  I’m about the only person concerned who knows the real value and I know that it’s been undervalued.  Of course, without the smallest dishonesty on Mr. Pilkington’s part.”

“Mr. who?” Kitty had not yet heard of Mr. Pilkington.

“Pilkington.”

“What’s his address?”

He gave it her.

Kitty made a note of the name and address.

“Unfortunately Mr. Pilkington has an absolute right to sell it, and my father has an absolute right to buy it.”

“Well, somebody’s got to buy it, I suppose?”

“Yes, but it seems to me we oughtn’t to do anything till we know whether any of Miss Harden’s people will come forward.”

“She is the last of her people.”

“How about Mr. Jewdwine?  He’s her cousin.”

“On her mother’s side.”

“Still he’s her cousin.  I wrote to him ten days ago; and I haven’t got any answer as yet.”

“What did you say to him?”

“I invited him to step in and buy the library over our heads.”

“And how much would he have had to pay for it?”

“Probably more than one thousand two hundred.”

“Well—­if you think that Mr. Jewdwine is the man to deal so lightly with two hundred pounds, let alone the thousand!  Really, that’s the quaintest thing you’ve done yet.  May I ask if this is the way you generally do business?”

“No, I can’t say that it is.”

“Well, well, you were very safe.”

“Safe?  I don’t want to be safe.  Don’t you see how horrible it is for me?  I’d give anything if he or anyone else would come in now and walk over us.”

“Still, I don’t wonder that you got no answer to your very remarkable proposal.”