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My lady paused. The words died away upon her lips. She had exhausted herself by the strange energy with which she had spoken. She had been transformed from a frivolous, childish beauty into a woman, strong to argue her own cause and plead her own defense.

“Pull down this house?” cried the baronet. “George Talboys murdered at Audley Court! Did Robert say this, Lucy?”

“He said something of that kind—something that frightened me very much.”

“Then he must be mad,” said Sir Michael, gravely. “I’m bewildered by what you tell me. Did he really say this, Lucy, or did you misunderstand him?”

“I—I—don’t think I did,” faltered my lady. “You saw how frightened I was when I first came in. I should not have been so much agitated if he hadn’t said something horrible.”

Lady Audley had availed herself of the very strongest arguments by which she could help her cause.

“To be sure, my darling, to be sure,” answered the baronet. “What could have put such a horrible fancy into the unhappy boy’s head. This Mr. Talboys—a perfect stranger to all of us—murdered at Audley Court! I’ll go to Mount Stanning to-night, and see Robert. I have known him ever since he was a baby, and I cannot be deceived in him. If there is really anything wrong, he will not be able to conceal it from me.”

My lady shrugged her shoulders.

“That is rather an open question,” she said. “It is generally a stranger who is the first to observe any psychological peculiarity.”

The big words sounded strange from my lady’s rosy lips; but her newly-adopted wisdom had a certain quaint prettiness about it, which charmed and bewildered her husband.

“But you must not go to Mount Stanning, my dear darling,” she said, tenderly. “Remember that you are under strict orders to stay in doors until the weather is milder, and the sun shines upon this cruel ice-bound country.”

Sir Michael Audley sank back in his capacious chair with a sigh of resignation.

“That’s true, Lucy,” he said; “we must obey Mr. Dawson. I suppose Robert will come to see me to-morrow.”

“Yes, dear. I think he said he would.”

“Then we must wait till to-morrow, my darling. I can’t believe that there really is anything wrong with the poor boy—I can’t believe it, Lucy.”

“Then how do you account for this extraordinary delusion about this Mr. Talboys?” asked my lady.

Sir Michael shook his head.

“I don’t know, Lucy—I don’t know,” he answered. “It is always so difficult to believe that any one of the calamities that continually befall our fellow-men will ever happen to us. I can’t believe that my nephew’s mind is impaired—I can’t believe it. I—I’ll get him to stop here, Lucy, and I’ll watch him closely. I tell you, my love, if there is anything wrong I am sure to find it out. I can’t be mistaken in a young man who has always been the same to me as my own son. But, my darling, why were you so frightened by Robert’s wild talk? It could not affect you.”

My lady sighed piteously.

“You must think me very strong-minded, Sir Michael,” she said, with rather an injured air, “if you imagine I can hear of these sort of things indifferently. I know I shall never be able to see Mr. Audley again.”

“And you shall not, my dear—you shall not.”

“You said just now you would have him here,” murmured Lady Audley.

“But I will not, my darling girl, if his presence annoys you. Good Heaven! Lucy, can you imagine for a moment that I have any higher wish than to promote your happiness? I will consult some London physician about Robert, and let him discover if there is really anything the matter with my poor brother’s only son. You shall not be annoyed, Lucy.”

“You must think me very unkind, dear,” said my lady, “and I know I ought not to be annoyed by the poor fellow; but he really seems to have taken some absurd notion into his head about me.”