’Ingenium mulierum,
Nolunt ubi velis, ubi nolis cupiunt ultro.’

The month of October passed, and November began its course.  The inhabitants of the village of Carriford grew weary of supposing that Miss Aldclyffe was going to marry her steward.  New whispers arose and became very distinct (though they did not reach Miss Aldclyffe’s ears) to the effect that the steward was deeply in love with Cytherea Graye.  Indeed, the fact became so obvious that there was nothing left to say about it except that their marriage would be an excellent one for both;—­for her in point of comfort—­and for him in point of love.

As circles in a pond grow wider and wider, the next fact, which at first had been patent only to Cytherea herself, in due time spread to her neighbours, and they, too, wondered that he made no overt advances.  By the middle of November, a theory made up of a combination of the other two was received with general favour:  its substance being that a guilty intrigue had been commenced between Manston and Miss Aldclyffe, some years before, when he was a very young man, and she still in the enjoyment of some womanly beauty, but now that her seniority began to grow emphatic she was becoming distasteful to him.  His fear of the effect of the lady’s jealousy would, they said, thus lead him to conceal from her his new attachment to Cytherea.  Almost the only woman who did not believe this was Cytherea herself, on unmistakable grounds, which were hidden from all besides.  It was not only in public, but even more markedly in secluded places, on occasions when gallantry would have been safe from all discovery, that this guarded course of action was pursued, all the strength of a consuming passion burning in his eyes the while.

2.  NOVEMBER THE EIGHTEENTH

It was on a Friday in this month of November that Owen Graye paid a visit to his sister.

His zealous integrity still retained for him the situation at Budmouth, and in order that there should be as little interruption as possible to his duties there, he had decided not to come to Knapwater till late in the afternoon, and to return to Budmouth by the first train the next morning, Miss Aldclyffe having made a point of frequently offering him lodging for an unlimited period, to the great pleasure of Cytherea.

He reached the house about four o’clock, and ringing the bell, asked of the page who answered it for Miss Graye.

When Graye spoke the name of his sister, Manston, who was just coming out from an interview with Miss Aldclyffe, passed him in the vestibule and heard the question.  The steward’s face grew hot, and he secretly clenched his hands.  He half crossed the court, then turned his head and saw that the lad still stood at the door, though Owen had been shown into the house.  Manston went back to him.

‘Who was that man?’ he said.

‘I don’t know, sir.’

‘Has he ever been here before?’