opening the door gently. Then they went down to dinner, and
during the meal nothing was said about Mr Lopez. But they were
not very merry together, and poor Emily felt sure her own affairs
had been discussed in a troublesome manner.



CHAPTER 5

'NO ONE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT HIM.'

Neither at dinner on that evening at Manchester Square, nor after
dinner, as long as Mrs Roby remained in the house, was a word
said about Lopez by Mr Wharton. He remained longer than usual
with his bottle of port wine in the dining-room, and when he went
upstairs, he sat himself down and fell asleep, almost without a
sign. He did not ask for a song, nor did Emily offer to sing.
But as soon as Mrs Roby was gone,--and Mrs Roby went home, round
the corner, somewhat earlier than usual,--then Mr Wharton woke up
instantly and made inquiry of his daughter.

There had, however, been a few words spoken on the subject
between Mrs Roby and her niece, which had served to prepare Emily
for what was coming. 'Lopez has been to your father,' said Mrs
Roby, in a voice not specially encouraging for such an occasion.
Then she paused a moment, but her niece said nothing, and she
continued, 'Yes,--and your father has been blaming me,--as if I
had done anything! If he did not mean you to choose for
yourself, why didn't he keep a closer look-out?'