As she did so, she heard voices close to her, at the little gate.  They were those of her uncle and Frank Gresham.

‘God bless you, Frank!’ said the doctor, as he passed out of the grounds.  ’You will excuse a lecture, won’t you, from so old a friend?—­though you are a man now, and discreet of course, by Act of Parliament.’

‘Indeed I will, doctor,’ said Frank.  ’I will excuse a longer lecture than that from you.’

‘At any rate it won’t be to-night,’ said the doctor, as he disappeared.  ’And if you see Mary, tell her that I am obliged to go; and that I will send Janet down to fetch her.’

Now Janet was the doctor’s ancient maid-servant.

Mary could not move on, without being perceived; she therefore stood still till she heard the click of the door, and then began walking rapidly back to the house by the path which had brought her thither.  The moment, however, that she did so, she found that she was followed; and in a very few moments Frank was alongside of her.

‘Oh, Mary!’ said he, calling to her, but not loudly, before he quite overtook her, ’how odd that I should come across you just when I have a message for you! and why are you all alone?’

Mary’s first impulse was to reiterate her command to him to call her no more by her Christian name; but her second impulse told her that such an injunction at the present moment would not be prudent on her part.  The traces of her tears were still there; and she well knew that a very little, the slightest show of tenderness on his part, the slightest effort on her own to appear indifferent, would bring down more than one other such intruder.  It would, moreover, be better for her to drop all outward sign that she remembered what had taken place.  So long, then, as he and she were at Greshamsbury together, he should call her Mary if he pleased.  He would soon be gone; and while he remained, she would keep out of his way.

’Your uncle has been obliged to go away to see an old woman at Silverbridge.’

’At Silverbridge! why, he won’t be back all night.  Why could not the old woman send for Dr Century?’

‘I suppose she thought two old women could not get on well together.’

Mary could not help smiling.  She did not like her uncle going off so late on such a journey; but it was always felt a triumph when he was invited into the strongholds of the enemies.

’And Janet is to come over for you.  However, I told him it was quite unnecessary to disturb another old woman, for that I should see you home.’

‘Oh, no, Mr Gresham; indeed you’ll not do that.’

‘Indeed, and indeed, I shall.’

’What! on this great day, when every lady is looking for you, and talking of you.  I suppose you want to set the countess against me for ever.  Think, too, how angry Lady Arabella will be if you are absent on such and errand as this.’

’To hear you talk, Mary, one would think that you were going to Silverbridge yourself.’