step; she regarded herself gravely, and passed a smoothing hand over
the dark hair above her temples.

By a corridor she reached her friends' sitting-room, where Mrs.
Spence sat in the company of two gentlemen. The elder of these was
Edward Spence. His bearded face, studious of cast and
small-featured, spoke a placid, self-commanding character; a
lingering smile, and the pleasant wrinkles about his brow, told of a
mind familiar with many by-ways of fancy and reflection. His
companion, a man of five-and-thirty, had a far more striking
countenance. His complexion was of the kind which used to be called
adust--burnt up with inner fires; his visage was long and somewhat
harshly designed, very apt, it would seem, to the expression of
hitter ironies or stern resentments, but at present bright with
friendly pleasure. He had a heavy moustache, but no beard; his hair
tumbled in disorder. To matters of costume he evidently gave little
thought, for his clothes, though of the kind a gentleman would wear
in travelling, had seen their best days, and the waistcoat even
lacked one of its buttons; his black necktie was knotted into an
indescribable shape, and the ends hung loose.

Him Mrs. Spence at once presented to her cousin as "Mr. Mallard." He
bowed ungracefully; then, with a manner naturally frank but
constrained by obvious shyness, took the hand Miriam held to him.

"We are scarcely strangers, Mr. Mallard," she said in a
self-possessed tone, regarding him with steady eyes.

"Miss Doran has spoken of you frequently on the journey," he
replied, knitting his brows into a scowl as he smiled and returned