saw him enter. His face was unusually pale and drawn, and the
slight stoop of age in his otherwise upright figure seemed more
pronounced than usual. He drew up his chair to the table and sat
down,--then ruffling his fine white hair over his brow with one
hand, looked round him with an evidently forced smile.

"Anxious about me, were you, child?" he said, as Innocent took her
place beside him. "Well, well! you need not have given me a
thought! I--I was all right--all right! I made a bit of a bargain
in the town--but the prices were high--and Landon--"

He broke off suddenly and stared in front of him with strange
fixed eyeballs.

Innocent and Priscilla looked at one another in alarm. There was a
moment's tense stillness,--then Innocent said in rather a
trembling voice--

"Yes, Dad? You were saying something about Landon--"

The stony glare faded from his eyes and he looked at her with a
more natural expression.

"Landon? Did I speak of him? Oh yes!--Landon met with some fellows
he knew and decided to spend the evening with them--he asked me
for a night off--and I gave it to him. Yes--I--I gave it to him."

Just then Robin entered.

"Hullo!" he exclaimed, gaily--"At supper? Don't begin without me!