Lord Rickmansworth did not think it worth while to repudiate the odium theologicum imputed to him.  Probably he knew he was in reality above the suspicion of caring for such things.

“Shall you tell Claudia?” Ayre asked Eugene, as they went upstairs.

“Yes; I shall show her his letter.  I think I ought, don’t you?”

“Perhaps; will you show it me?”

“Yes; in fact he asks me to give you the news, as he is too occupied to write to you.  The note is quite short, and, I think, studiously reserved.”

He gave it to Ayre, who read it silently.  It ran: 

     “DEAR EUGENE: 

“A line to wish Lady Claudia and yourself all happiness and joy.  Do not let your joy be shadowed by over-kind thoughts of me.  I am my own man again.  You will see soon by the papers that I have taken the important step of being received into the Catholic Church.  I need not trouble you with an argument.  I think I have done well, and hope to find there work for my hands to do.  Pray give this news to Ayre, and with it my most warm and friendly remembrances.  I would write but for my stress of work.  He was a friend to me in my need.  They are sending me to Rome for a time; after that I hope I shall come to England, and renew my friendships.  Good-by, old fellow, till then.  I long for {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH PERISPOMENI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK KORONIS~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH PSILI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER PHI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER STIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH DASIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH YPOGEGRAMMENI~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH VARIA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH DASIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER STIGMA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH PSILI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH PERISPOMENI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER STIGMA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH PSILI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH DASIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}.

     “Yours always,

     “C.S.K.”

“That doesn’t tell one much, does it?”

“No,” said Ayre; “but we shall learn more if we watch him.”

Claudia came up, and they gave her the note to read.

She read it, asking to have the Greek translated to her.  Then she said to Ayre: 

“What does it mean?”

“Why do you ask me?”

“Because you are most likely to know.”

“Mind, I may be wrong; I may do him injustice, but I think—­”