She refused to budge.

‘No,—­I will tell you all about it here.’  She looked about her,—­ as it struck me queerly.  ’This is just the sort of place in which to unfold a tale like mine.  It looks uncanny.’

‘But—­’

’"But me no buts!” Sydney, don’t torture me,—­let me stop here where I am,—­don’t you see I’m haunted?’

She had seated herself.  Now she stood up, holding her hands out in front of her in a state of extraordinary agitation, her manner as wild as her words.

’Why are you staring at me like that?  Do you think I’m mad?—­I wonder if I’m going mad.—­Sydney, do people suddenly go mad?  You’re a bit of everything, you’re a bit of a doctor too, feel my pulse,—­there it is!—­tell me if I’m ill!’

I felt her pulse,—­it did not need its swift beating to inform me that fever of some sort was in her veins.  I gave her something in a glass.  She held it up to the level of her eyes.

‘What’s this?’

’It’s a decoction of my own.  You might not think it, but my brain sometimes gets into a whirl.  I use it as a sedative.  It will do you good.’

She drained the glass.

’It’s done me good already,—­I believe it has; that’s being something like a doctor.—­Well, Sydney, the storm has almost burst.  Last night papa forbade me to speak to Paul Lessingham—­by way of a prelude.’

‘Exactly.  Mr Lindon—–­’

’Yes, Mr Lindon,—­that’s papa.  I fancy we almost quarrelled.  I know papa said some surprising things,—­but it’s a way he has,—­ he’s apt to say surprising things.  He’s the best father in the world, but—­it’s not in his nature to like a really clever person; your good high dried old Tory never can;—­I’ve always thought that that’s why he’s so fond of you.’

’Thank you, I presume that is the reason, though it had not occurred to me before.’

Since her entry, I had, to the best of my ability, been turning the position over in my mind.  I came to the conclusion that, all things considered, her father had probably as much right to be a sharer of his daughter’s confidence as I had, even from the vantage of the screen,—­and that for him to hear a few home truths proceeding from her lips might serve to clear the air.  From such a clearance the lady would not be likely to come off worst.  I had not the faintest inkling of what was the actual purport of her visit.

She started off, as it seemed to me, at a tangent.

’Did I tell you last night about what took place yesterday morning,—­about the adventure of my finding the man?’

‘Not a word.’

’I believe I meant to,—­I’m half disposed to think he’s brought me trouble.  Isn’t there some superstition about evil befalling whoever shelters a homeless stranger?’

‘We’ll hope not, for humanity’s sake.’