A sudden pause and a keen glance followed the last softly uttered
word, but Treherne met it with an inscrutable smile and a quiet "Well,
what next?"

"The moment I learned that you did not get the note I was sure she had
it, and, knowing that she must have seen me put it there, in spite of
her apparent innocence, I quietly asked her for it. This surprised her,
this robbed the affair of any mystery, and I finished her perplexity by
sending it to the major the moment she returned it to me, as if it had
been intended for him. She begged pardon, said her brother was
thoughtless, and she watched over him lest he should get into mischief;
professed to think I meant the line for him, and behaved like a charming
simpleton, as she is."

"Quite a tumult about nothing. Poor little Tavie! You doubtlessly
frightened her so that we may safely correspond hereafter."

"You may give me an answer, now and here."

"Very well, meet me on the terrace tomorrow morning; the peacocks will
make the meeting natural enough. I usually loiter away an hour or two
there, in the sunny part of the day."

"But the girl?"

"I'll send her away."

"You speak as if it would be an easy thing to do."

"It will, both easy and pleasant."