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Lewis said yes, with an absurd sense of the humour of the question The lady talked as if home had been merely an interlude, instead of the crisis of his life

"And what did you do? And whoossip"

"I have been ho I stood for Parlia! Where is your home in Scotland, Mr Haystoun? You told otten You know I have no end of Scotch relatives"

"It's in rather a remote part, a place called Etterick, in Glenavelin"

"Glenavelin, Glenavelin," the lady repeated "That's where the Manorwaters live, isn't it?"

"My uncle," said Lewis

"I had a letter fro there in the summer I wonder if you ever met her A Miss Wishart Alice Wishart?"

Lewis strove to keep any extraordinary interest out of his eyes This voice from another world bad broken rudely in upon his new composure

"I knew her," he said, and his tone was of such studied carelessness that Mrs Logan looked up at him curiously

"I hope you liked her, for her mother was a relation of my husband, and when I have been horeat friend of rown pretty Gilbert and I used to bet about it on different sides I said she would be very beautiful some day"

"She is very beautiful," said Lewis in a level voice, and George, feeling the thin ice, came to his friend's rescue He could at least talk naturally of Miss Wishart

"The Wisharts took the place, you know, Mrs Logan, soa lot of theood sportswo, and capital company I wonder she never told us about you She kneere co out here, for I told her, and she was very interested"

"Yes, it's odd, for I suppose she had read Mr Haystoun's book, whereyou in my next letter And now tell un to burn in away Those last days in Glenavelin had risen again before the eye of his ht that Alice was not yet wholly out of his life, that the neorld was not utterly severed froan became invested with an extraordinary interest He pulled hiether to answer her question