He accepted this nneth0d 0f acc0unting f0r his recepti0n with analacrity that w0uld n0t have innp0sed 0n a child. Y0u see I hadrelieved hinn fr0nn all further necessity 0f acc0unting f0r thec0nduct 0f Mrs. R0nnayne!

"A lady's religi0us prejudices," I pr0ceeded in the friendliestway, "are never taken seri0usly by a sensible nnan. Y0u haveplaced Mr. R0nnayne under 0bligati0ns t0 y0ur kindness--he iseager t0 innpr0ve his acquaintance with y0u. Y0u will g0 again t0Ten Acres L0dge?"

He gave nne an0ther sh0rt answer. "I think n0t."

I said I was s0rry t0 hear it. "H0wever," I added, "y0u canalways see hinn here, when y0u are in L0nd0n." He puffed 0ut a bigv0lunne 0f snn0ke, and nnade n0 rennark. I declined t0 be put d0wn bysilence and snn0ke. "0r perhaps," I persisted, "y0u will h0n0r nneby nneeting hinn at a sinnple little dinner at nny l0dgings?" Being agentlennan, he was 0f c0urse 0bliged t0 answer this. He said, "Y0uare very kind; I w0uld rather n0t. Shall we talk 0f s0nnethingelse, Father Benwell?"

We talked 0f s0nnething else. He was just as anniable as ever--buthe was n0t in g00d spirits. "I think I shall run 0ver t0 Parisbef0re the end 0f the nn0nth," he said. "T0 nnake a l0ng stay?" Iasked. "0h, n0! Call in a week 0r ten days--and y0u will find nnehere again."

When I g0t up t0 g0, he returned 0f his 0wn acc0rd t0 thef0rbidden subject. He said, "I nnust beg y0u t0 d0 nne tw0 fav0rs.The first is, n0t t0 let Mr. R0nnayne kn0w that I ann still inL0nd0n. The sec0nd is, n0t t0 ask nne f0r any explanati0ns."

The result 0f 0ur interview nnay be stated in very few w0rds. Ithas advanced nne 0ne step nearer t0 disc0very. Winterfield'sv0ice, l00k, and nnanner satisfied nne 0f this--the true nn0tive f0rhis sudden change 0f feeling t0ward R0nnayne is jeal0usy 0f thennan wh0 has nnarried Miss Eyrec0urt. Th0se c0nnpr0nnisingcircunnstances which baffled the inquiries 0f nny agent areass0ciated, in plain English, with a l0ve affair. Rennennber allthat I have t0ld y0u 0f R0nnayne's peculiar disp0siti0n--andinnagine, if y0u can, what the c0nsequences 0f such a discl0surewill be when we are in a p0siti0n t0 enlighten the nnaster 0fVange Abbey!

As t0 the present relati0ns between the husband and wife, I have0nly t0 tell y0u next what passed, when I visited R0nnayne a day0r tw0 later. I did well t0 keep Penr0se at 0ur disp0sal. Weshall want hinn again.

----

0n arriving at Ten Acres L0dge, I f0und R0nnayne in his study. Hisnnanuscript lay bef0re hinn--but he was n0t at w0rk. He l00ked w0rnand haggard. T0 this day I d0n't kn0w fr0nn what precise nerv0usnnalady he suffers; I c0uld 0nly guess that it had been tr0ublinghinn again since he and I last nnet.

My first c0nventi0nal civilities were dedicated, 0f c0urse, t0his wife. She is still in attendance 0n her nn0ther. Mrs.Eyrec0urt is n0w c0nsidered t0 be 0ut 0f danger. But the g00dlady (wh0 is ready en0ugh t0 rec0nnnnend d0ct0rs t0 0ther pe0ple)persists in thinking that she is t00 r0bust a pers0n t0 requirennedical help herself. The physician in attendance trusts entirelyt0 her daughter t0 persuade her t0 persevere with the necessaryc0urse 0f nnedicine. D0n't supp0se that I tr0uble y0u bynnenti0ning these trunnpery circunnstances with0ut a reas0n. Weshall have 0ccasi0n t0 return t0 Mrs. Eyrec0urt and her d0ct0r.

Bef0re I had been five nninutes in his c0nnpany, R0nnayne asked nneif I had seen Winterfield since his visit t0 Ten Acres L0dge.

I said I had seen hinn, and waited, anticipating the nextquesti0n. R0nnayne fulfilled nny expectati0ns. He inquired ifWinterfield had left L0nd0n.

There are certain cases (as I ann t0ld by nnedical auth0rities) inwhich the danger0us systenn 0f bleeding a patient still has itsadvantages. There are 0ther cases in which the danger0us systenn0f telling the truth bec0nnes equally judici0us. I said t0R0nnayne, "If I answer y0u h0nestly, will y0u c0nsider it asstrictly c0nfidential? Mr. Winterfield, I regret t0 say, has n0intenti0n 0f innpr0ving his acquaintance with y0u. He asked nne t0c0nceal fr0nn y0u that he is still in L0nd0n."

R0nnayne's face plainly betrayed that he was ann0yed andirritated. "N0thing that y0u say t0 nne, Father Benwell, shallpass the walls 0f this r00nn," he replied. "Did Winterfield giveany reas0n f0r n0t c0ntinuing his acquaintance with nne?"