‘But would it be well?’

’One must not be vindictive!  And to drag poor Kalliope to Avoncester would be a dreadful business in her mother’s state.  Besides, Frank Stebbing is young, and it may be fair to give them a chance of hushing it up.  I ought to be satisfied with clearing Alexis.’

’Then I will go to the house.  When shall I be likely to find Mr. Stebbing!’

‘Just after luncheon, I should say.’

‘And shall I take the lawyer?’

’I should say not.  If they hope to keep the thing secret, they will be the more amenable, but you should have the two boys within reach.  Let us ask for them to come up after their dinner to Beechcroft.  No, it must not be to dinner.  Petros must not be sent to the kitchen, and Ada would expire if the other came to us!  Now, do you like to see your house?  Here is Macrae dying to see you.’

The old soldier had changed his quarters too often to be keenly interested in any temporary abode, provided it would hold the requisite amount of children, and had a pleasant sitting-room for his Lily, but he inspected politely and gratefully, and had a warmly affectionate interview with Macrae, who had just arrived with a great convoy of needfuls from Silverfold, and who undertook to bring up and guard the two boys from any further impertinences that might excite Master Grove’s pugnacity.

It was a beautiful day, of the lamb-like entrance weather of March, and on the way home Miss Adeline was met taking advantage of the noontide sunshine to exchange her book at the library, ‘where,’ she said, ’I found Mr. White reading the papers, so I asked him to meet Jasper at luncheon, thinking that may be useful.’

If Sir Jasper would rather have managed matters by himself, he forebore to say so, and he got on very well with Mr. White on subjects of interest, but, to the ladies’ vexation, he waited to be alone before he began, ’I have come down to see what can be done for this poor young man, Mr. White, a connection of yours, I believe.

‘A bad business, Sir Jasper, a bad business.’

’I am sorry to hear you say so.  I have seen a great deal of service with his father, and esteemed him very highly—–­’

’Ay, ay, very likely.  I had a young man’s differences with my cousin, as lads will fall out, but there was the making of a fine fellow in him.  But it was the wife, bringing in that Greek taint, worse even than the Italian, so that there’s no believing a word out of any of their mouths.’

’Well, the schoolmaster has just given me a high character of the younger one, for truthfulness especially.’

’All art, Sir Jasper, all art.  They are deeper than your common English sort, and act it out better.  I’ll just give you an instance or two.  That eldest son has been with me just now, a smart young chap, who swears he has been keeping his mother all this time—–­he has written to me often enough for help to do so.  On the other hand, the little sister tells me, “Mamma always wants money to send to poor Richard.”  Then again, Miss Mohun assures me that the elder one vows that she never encouraged Frank Stebbing for a moment, and to his mother’s certain knowledge she is keeping up the correspondence.’