“He did ask you?” said Lady Ball.

“Of course I asked her,” urged Mr Maguire. “There can be no denying that on either side.”

He did not now quite know what to do. He certainly did not wish to impoverish the Church by marrying Miss Mackenzie without any fortune. But might it not all be a trick? That she had been rich he knew, and how could she have become poor so quickly?

“He did ask me, and I told him that I must take a fortnight to consider of it.”

“You did not refuse him, then?” said Lady Ball.

“Not then, but I have done so since by letter. Twice I have written to him, telling him that I had nothing of my own, and that there could be nothing between us.”

“I got her letters,” said Mr Maguire, turning round to Lady Ball. “I certainly got her letters. But such letters as those, if they are written under dictation—”

He was rather anxious that Lady Bell should quarrel with him. In the programme which he had made for himself when he came to the house, a quarrel to the knife with the Ball family was a part of his tactics. His programme, no doubt, was disturbed by the course which events had taken, but still a quarrel with Lady Ball might be the best for him. If she were to quarrel with him, it would give him some evidence that this story about the loss of the money was untrue. But Lady Ball would not quarrel with him. She sat still and said nothing. “Nobody dictated them,” said Margaret. “But now you are here, I will tell you the facts. The money which I thought was mine, in truth belongs to my cousin, Mr John Ball, and I—”

So far she spoke loudly, With her face raised, and her eyes fixed upon him. Then as she concluded, she dropped her voice and eyes together. “And I am now engaged to him as his wife.”

“Oh, indeed!” said Mr Maguire.

“That statement must be taken for what it is worth,” said Lady Ball, rising from her seat. “Of what Miss Mackenzie says now, I know nothing. I sincerely hope that she may find that she is mistaken.”

“And now, Margaret,” said Mr Maguire, “may I ask to see you for one minute alone?”

“Certainly not,” said she. “If you have anything more to say I will hear it in my aunt’s presence.” She waited a few moments, but as he did not speak, she took herself back to the door and made her escape to her own room.

How Mr Maguire took himself out of the house we need not stop to inquire. There must, I should think, have been some difficulty in the manœuvre. It was considerably past three when Sir John was taken out for his drive, and while he was in the carriage his wife told him what had occurred.