These instructions were interesting, but not altogether indispensable; Alice Maud had by this time a very pretty notion of how to conduct herself in the presence of menials.  The trying moment was on entering the house; it was very hard indeed not to utter her astonishment and delight at the dimensions of the hall and the handsome staircase.  This point safely passed, she resigned herself to splendour, and was conducted to her room in a sort of romantic vision.  The Manor satisfied her idea of the ancestral mansion so frequently described or alluded to in the fiction of her earlier years.  If her mind had just now reverted to Mr. Keene, which of course it did not, she would have smiled very royally indeed.

When she entered the drawing-room, clad in that best gown which her brother had needlessly requested her to bring, and saw that Richard was standing on the hearth-rug quite alone, she could no longer contain herself, but bounded towards him like a young fawn, and threw her arms on his neck.

‘Oh, Dick,’ she whispered, ’what a thing it is to be rich!  How ever did we live so long in the old way!  If I had to go back to it now I should die of misery.’

‘Let’s have a look at you,’ he returned, holding her at arm’s length.  ’Yes, I think that’ll about do.  Now mind you don’t let them see that you’re excited about it.  Sit down here and pretend to be a bit tired.  They may come and say lunch is ready any moment.’

’Dick, I never felt so good in my life!  I should like to go about the streets and give sovereigns to everybody I met.’

Richard laughed loudly.

’Well, well, there’s better ways than that.  I’ve been giving a good many sovereigns for a long time now.  I’m only sorry you weren’t here when we opened the Hall.’

‘But you haven’t told me why you sent for me now.’

’All right, we’ve got to have a long talk presently.  It isn’t all as jolly as you think, but I can’t help that’

‘Why, what can be wrong, Dick?’

‘Never mind; it’ll all come out in time.’

Alice came back upon certain reflections which had occupied her earlier in the morning; they kept her busy through luncheon.  Whilst she ate, Richard observed her closely; on the whole he could not perceive a great difference between her manners and Adela’s.  Difference there was, but in details to which Mutimer was not very sensitive.  He kept up talk about the works for the most part, and described certain difficulties concerning rights of way which had of late arisen in the vicinity of the industrial settlement.

‘I think you shall come and sit with me in the library,’ he said as they rose from table.  And he gave orders that coffee should be served to them in that room.

The library did not as yet quite justify its name.  There was only one bookcase, and not more than fifty volumes stood on its shelves.  But a large writing-table was well covered with papers.  There were no pictures on the walls, a lack which was noticeable throughout the house.  The effect was a certain severity; there was no air of home in the spacious chambers; the walls seemed to frown upon their master, the hearths were cold to him as to an intruding alien.  Perhaps Alice felt something of this; on entering the library she shivered a little, and went to warm her hands at the fire.