fringe of the same material. The distant parts of the room were in
comparative shadow forming a proper setting for the soft candle-light
in the center. Evidently no one else was expected, and Dorothy, taking
her seat upon one side of the cloth, requested Paul to sit opposite.

"And will not Ah Ben be with us?" inquired Henley, glancing around to
see if the old man were not coming.

"I'm afraid not," replied Dorothy; "he rarely dines at this hour."

If Mr. Henley had been told of the reception awaiting him at Guir
House before leaving New York, he would doubtless have considered it
a hoax. As it was, he was astounded. The odd character of the house
and its inmates had already given him much ground for thought, even
amazement; but to suddenly find himself face to face, _tete-a-tete_
with a bewitching girl, at a gorgeous dinner table, laid for them
only, was a condition of things calculated to turn any ordinary man's
head. Never for an instant had the girl given the slightest intimation
of why he, or rather the original Henley, had been wanted, and every
effort to gain a clew of his business was thwarted--sometimes, it
seemed, intentionally. The table was deftly waited upon by the same
dumb man, who was a man-of-all-work and marvelous capacity, but his
orders were invariably given by signals. Paul wondered if he were
mistaken; could it be another servant with the same affliction? But
that seemed incredible.

Miss Guir's eloquent face, her wonderful hair and eyes, doubtless
interfered with Paul in the full enjoyment of his meal. In fact, he
was bewildered--dazed. He could neither account for the situation or
the growing beauty of the girl. Was it the candle-light that had