nervously. 'Will you sit down?'

'Thank you, I will.'

He twisted his hat about, and seemed to prepare with difficulty the
next remark, which at length burst, rather than fell, from his lips.

'I wanted to see Miss Derrick. I suppose she is still living with
you? They told me so.'

A terrible man, thought Emmeline, when roused to anger; his words
must descend like sledge-hammers. And it would not take much to
anger him. For all that, he had by no means a truculent countenance.
He was trying to smile, and his features softened agreeably enough.
The more closely she observed him, the less grew Emmeline's wonder
that Louise felt an interest in the man.

'Miss Derrick is likely to stay with us for some time, I believe.
She has only gone to town, to do some shopping.'

'I see. When I met her last she talked a good deal about you, Mrs.
Mumford, and that's why I thought I would ask to see you. You have a
good deal of influence over her.'

'Do you think so?' returned Emmeline, not displeased. 'I hope I may
use it for her good.'

'So do I. But--well, it comes to this, Mrs. Mumford. She seemed to
hint--though she didn't exactly say so--that you were advising her
to have nothing more to do with me. Of course you don't know me, and