In order to while away the time, he rowed gently down to Richmond and back, and on his return found Lady Merivale awaiting him on the steps that led to the Court.  She was exquisitely gowned, as usual, and in her favourite colour, pale blue, which suited her delicate colouring to perfection.  She greeted him brightly and unrestrainedly.  Evidently she had put all thoughts of Lady Constance from her mind, and, like Adrien himself, was determined to have the memory of at least one happy day.

“How is Lady Rose?” asked Leroy, when he had assisted his fair companion into the boat.

She smiled at him.  As a matter of fact, she had barely spent five minutes with that invalid lady.

“Oh, just the same as usual,” she replied.  “It is quite safe; I told her I was going further up the river to visit some friends; so we’ll enjoy our day—­such a beautiful one, too.  I am so happy!  It was good of you to come, Adrien.”

Leroy’s face lightened at her words, for he had expected sulks, tears, and remonstrances, and here were only smiles and thanks.  He did not appreciate Lady Merivale’s ability.  Had she been a general, never a battle would have been lost through wrong tactics.  She knew Adrien too well to attempt to hold his allegiance by force; hers were silken strings with which to chain him to her side.  She recognised well enough that any abuse or jealousy of Lady Constance Tremaine would only send him further from her.

Responding to these tactics, Leroy took up the sculls, and with the long swinging strokes which had gone so far towards helping the crew of his college to win their contests, sent the little boat quickly up the river.

Few men of his temperament and training could yet boast of such proficiency as this man seemed to possess.  Rowing, skating, dancing, riding, and just lately motoring; at all he excelled, yet no living being had ever heard him pride himself on what he could do.

About an hour after Adrien had started, Jasper Vermont ascended the staircase to his chambers, to be informed by Norgate that his master was out for the day, and all arrangements were to be cancelled.

“Oh!” said Jasper quietly, inwardly irritated that his dupe should be absent, even for a day, without telling him of his intention and plans.  “Oh!  Where has he gone?  He did mention it last night, but I have forgotten.”  He put his hand to his forehead as if trying to recall it to his mind.

But Norgate was too sharp to be caught by this time-honoured manoeuvre.  He knew very well that the whole outing had been too hurriedly decided upon for Jasper to have been told on the preceding night; and he had no intention of allowing his master, to whom he was sincerely attached, to be worried by Mr. Vermont.

“I don’t know, sir,” he replied stolidly.  “He did not leave word.”

As the letter had been brought round quite openly by one of the Merivale servants, needless to say, he could have given Jasper a very fair idea of where he had gone; but he preferred to keep his own counsel.