“Every body?”

Blanche looked carefully round the room, and noticed Geoffrey in the opposite corner; fast asleep by this time in his arm-chair.

“Uncle! you don’t mean—?”

“There is the man.”

“Mr. Delamayn—!”

“Mr. Delamayn knows every thing.”

Blanche held mechanically by her uncle’s arm, and looked at the sleeping man as if her eyes could never see enough of him.

“You saw me in the library in private consultation with Mr. Delamayn,” resumed Sir Patrick.  “I have to acknowledge, my dear, that you were quite right in thinking this a suspicious circumstance, And I am now to justify myself for having purposely kept you in the dark up to the present time.”

With those introductory words, he briefly reverted to the earlier occurrences of the day, and then added, by way of commentary, a statement of the conclusions which events had suggested to his own mind.

The events, it may be remembered, were three in number.  First, Geoffrey’s private conference with Sir Patrick on the subject of Irregular Marriages in Scotland.  Secondly, Anne Silvester’s appearance at Windygates.  Thirdly, Anne’s flight.

The conclusions which had thereupon suggested themselves to Sir Patrick’s mind were six in number.

First, that a connection of some sort might possibly exist between Geoffrey’s acknowledged difficulty about his friend, and Miss Silvester’s presumed difficulty about herself.  Secondly, that Geoffrey had really put to Sir Patrick—­not his own case—­but the case of a friend.  Thirdly, that Geoffrey had some interest (of no harmless kind) in establishing the fact of his friend’s marriage.  Fourthly, that Anne’s anxiety (as described by Blanche) to hear the names of the gentlemen who were staying at Windygates, pointed, in all probability, to Geoffrey.  Fifthly, that this last inference disturbed the second conclusion, and reopened the doubt whether Geoffrey had not been stating his own case, after all, under pretense of stating the case of a friend.  Sixthly, that the one way of obtaining any enlightenment on this point, and on all the other points involved in mystery, was to go to Craig Fernie, and consult Mrs. Inchbare’s experience during the period of Anne’s residence at the inn.  Sir Patrick’s apology for keeping all this a secret from his niece followed.  He had shrunk from agitating her on the subject until he could be sure of proving his conclusions to be true.  The proof had been obtained; and he was now, therefore, ready to open his mind to Blanche without reserve.

“So much, my dear,” proceeded Sir Patrick, “for those necessary explanations which are also the necessary nuisances of human intercourse.  You now know as much as I did when I arrived at Craig Fernie—­and you are, therefore, in a position to appreciate the value of my discoveries at the inn.  Do you understand every thing, so far?”

“Perfectly!”