turn away, so that he should not watch the greeting. This he did see, but into Madeline's face he hardly ventured to look. He touched her hand, however, and said a word; and she also murmured something about his injury. 'And now we'll go to dinner,' said the judge. 'Give your arm that is not broken to Lady Staveley.' And so the meeting was over. 'Augustus will be in Alston to-morrow when the court is opened,' said the judge. 'That is to say if he finds it possible to get up so soon; but to-day he had some engagements in town.' The truth however was that the judge had chosen to be alone with Felix after dinner.
The dinner was very pleasant, but the judge talked for the whole party. Madeline hardly spoke at all, nor did Lady Staveley say much. Felix managed to put in a few words occasionally, as it always becomes a good listener to do, but the brunt of the battle lay with the host. One thing Felix observed painfully,—that not a word was spoken about Lady Mason or Orley Farm. When he had been last there the judge had spoken of it openly before the whole party, expressing his opinion that she was a woman much injured; but now neither did he say anything nor did Lady Staveley. He would probably not have observed this had not a feeling crept upon him during the last fortnight, that that thorough conviction which men had felt as to her innocence was giving way. While the ladies were there, however, he did not himself allude to the subject.
When they had left the room and the door had been closed behind them, the judge began the campaign—began it, and as far as he was concerned, ended it in a very few minutes. 'Graham,' said he, 'I am glad to see you.'
'Thank you, judge,' said he.
'Of course you know, and I know, what that amounts to now. My idea is that you acted as an honest man when you were last here. You are not a rich man———'
'Anything but that.'
'And therefore I do not think it would have been well had you endeavoured to gain my daughter's affections without speaking to me,—or to her mother.' Judge Staveley always spoke of his wife as though she were an absolute part of himself. 'She and I have discussed the matter now,—and you are at liberty to address yourself to Madeline if you please.'
'My dear judge———'
'Of course you understand that I am not answering for her?'
'Oh, of course not.'
'That's your look out. You must fight your own battle there. What you are allowed to understand is this,—that her father and mother will give their consent to an engagement, if she finds that she can bring herself to give hers. If you are minded to ask her, you may do so.'
