The next two days passed by without anything special to mark them, and
then the cousin was to go. During the period of his visit he did not
see Colonel Askerton, nor did he again see Mrs Askerton. He went to the
cottage once, with the special object of returning the colonel's call;
but the master was out, and he was not specially invited in to see the
mistress. He said nothing more to Clara about her friends, but he
thought of the matter more than once, as he was going about the place,
and became aware that he would like to ascertain whether there was a
mystery, and if so, what was its nature. He knew that he did not like
Mrs Askerton, and he felt also that Mrs Askerton did not like him. This
was, as he thought, unfortunate; for might it not be the case, that in
the one matter which was to him of so much importance, Mrs Askerton
might have considerable influence over Clara?

During these days nothing special was said between him and Clara. The
last evening passed over without anything to brighten it or to make it
memorable. Mr Amedroz, in his passive, but gently querulous way, was
sorry that Belton was going to leave him, as his cousin had been the
creation of some new excitement for him, but he said nothing on the
subject; and when the time for going to bed had come, he bade his guest
farewell with some languid allusion to the pleasure which he would have
in seeing him again at Christmas. Belton was to start very early in the
morning before six, and of course he was prepared to take leave also of
Clara. But she told him very gently, so gently that her father did not
hear it, that she would be up to give him a cup of coffee before he
went.

'Oh no,' he said.

'But I shall. I won't have you go without seeing you out of the door.'