Just then Sir David’s voice was audible in the hall asking where “my lady” was.
“Here,” she called out. “It is all settled,” she said, as her husband appeared. “An important letter miscarried—thus the mistake.”
Then she entered into a voluble explanation which astonished Hugh, but appeared perfectly intelligible to Sir David, who shook his hand quite warmly as he stepped into the brougham after his wife.
Who had done this thing? Who was it who had fathomed not only his secret thoughts, but had dared to publish them to the world?
“I will know some day,” he promised himself.
Then he went home, and wrote to Mrs. Mervyn. The gist of the letter was that he and the house party might arrive any day after the 1st of September.
CHAPTER XV.
EXTRACT FROM THE DIARY OF DR. HUGH PAULL.
The Pinewood, October, 18—.
They say lookers-on see more of the game than the players. I shall write down all that has happened, and review it as a third person might before sending a brief statement to Helven. I do not think myself that when he reads it he will retain any reasonable doubt of the reincarnation of Lilia’s soul.
I know now who instigated that paragraph; but more of that in its proper place.