A little more than four months had passed, since the return of Iris to

her father's house.

Among other events which occurred, during the earlier part of that

interval, the course adopted by Hugh Mountjoy, when Miss Henley's

suspicions of the Irish lord were first communicated to him, claims a

foremost place.

It was impossible that the devoted friend of Iris could look at her,

when they met again on their way to the station, without perceiving the

signs of serious agitation. Only waiting until they were alone in the

railway-carriage, she opened her heart unreservedly to the man in whose

clear intellect and true sympathy she could repose implicit trust. He

listened to what she could repeat of Lord Harry's language with but

little appearance of surprise. Iris had only reminded him of one, among

the disclosures which had escaped Mr. Vimpany at the inn. Under the

irresistible influence of good wine, the doctor had revealed the Irish

lord's motive for remaining in his own country, after the assassination

of Arthur Mountjoy. Hugh met the only difficulty in his way, without

shrinking from it. He resolved to clear his mind of its natural

prejudice against the rival who had been preferred to him, before he

assumed the responsibility of guiding Iris by his advice.

When he had in some degree recovered confidence in his own unbiased

judgment, he entered on the question of Lord Harry's purpose in leaving

England.

Without attempting to dispute the conclusion at which Iris had arrived,

he did his best to alleviate her distress. In his opinion, he was

careful to tell her, a discovery of the destination to which Lord Harry

proposed to betake himself, might be achieved. The Irish lord's

allusion to a new adventure, which would occupy him in searching for

diamonds or gold, might indicate a contemplated pursuit of the

assassin, as well as a plausible excuse to satisfy Iris. It was at

least possible that the murderer might have been warned of his danger

if he remained in England, and that he might have contemplated

directing his flight to a distant country, which would not only offer a

safe refuge, but also hold out (in its mineral treasures) a hope of

gain. Assuming that these circumstances had really happened, it was in

Lord Harry's character to make sure of his revenge, by embarking in the

steamship by which the assassin of Arthur Mountjoy was a passenger.

Wild as this guess at the truth undoubtedly was, it had one merit: it

might easily be put to the test.

Hugh had bought the day's newspaper at the station. He proposed to

consult the shipping advertisements relating, in the first place, to

communication with the diamond-mines and the goldfields of South

Africa.




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