She came straight across to her husband, and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Sit down, my dear,” she said.  “We must talk a little.  Please sit down, sir.”

The three sat down, Percy on one side, and the husband and wife on a straight-backed settle opposite.

The girl began again.

“This must be arranged at once,” she said, “but we must have no tragedy.  Oliver, do you understand?  You must not make a scene.  Leave this to me.”

She spoke with a curious gaiety; and Percy to his astonishment saw that she was quite sincere:  there was not the hint of cynicism.

“Oliver, my dear,” she said again, “don’t mouth like that!  It is all perfectly right.  I am going to manage this.”

Percy saw a venomous look directed at him by the man; the girl saw it too, moving her strong humorous eyes from one to the other.  She put her hand on his knee.

“Oliver, attend!  Don’t look at this gentleman so bitterly.  He has done no harm.”

“No harm!” whispered the other.

“No—­no harm in the world.  What does it matter what that poor dear upstairs thinks?  Now, sir, would you mind telling us why you came here?”

Percy drew another breath.  He had not expected this line.

“I came here to receive Mrs. Brand back into the Church,” he said.

“And you have done so?”

“I have done so.”

“Would you mind telling us your name?  It makes it so much more convenient.”

Percy hesitated.  Then he determined to meet her on her own ground.

“Certainly.  My name is Franklin.”

“Father Franklin?” asked the girl, with just the faintest tinge of mocking emphasis on the first word.

“Yes.  Father Percy Franklin, from Archbishop’s House, Westminster,” said the priest steadily.

“Well, then, Father Percy Franklin; can you tell us why you came here?  I mean, who sent for you?”

“Mrs. Brand sent for me.”

“Yes, but by what means?”

“That I must not say.”

“Oh, very good....  May we know what good comes of being ’received into the Church?’”

“By being received into the Church, the soul is reconciled to God.”

“Oh! (Oliver, be quiet.) And how do you do it, Father Franklin?”

Percy stood up abruptly.

“This is no good, madam,” he said.  “What is the use of these questions?”

The girl looked at him in open-eyed astonishment, still with her hand on her husband’s knee.

“The use, Father Franklin!  Why, we want to know.  There is no church law against your telling us, is there?”

Percy hesitated again.  He did not understand in the least what she was after.  Then he saw that he would give them an advantage if he lost his head at all:  so he sat down again.

“Certainly not.  I will tell you if you wish to know.  I heard Mrs. Brand’s confession, and gave her absolution.”