Chapter 34 - Page 2

with a wildly-beating heart, moved to the door. As she did so she glanced
at the card, and was astonished to find that it was not Arthur Eden's.
The name on it was "Mr. Tytherleigh," and beneath, in the left-hand
corner, "Messrs. Travers, Enwright, and Travers, Solicitors, Lincoln's
Inn Fields."

Who was Mr. Tytherleigh? And what had she, a poor friendless girl, to do
with a firm of lawyers? Then it occurred to her that it was Arthur Eden
after all who wished to see her, and that he had sent her up this false
card only to inveigle her into an interview. Her ideas about the code of
a gentleman were somewhat misty. It is true that Eden had taken advantage
of her friendless position, and had lied to her, and worn a mask, and
deliberately planned to make her his mistress; but he would no more have
taken another man's name in order to see her than he would have picked a
pocket or sent a libellous post-card. Being ignorant of these fine
distinctions, she went down to the little sitting-room on the ground
floor greatly fearing. Her visitor was standing at the window on the
opposite side of the room, and turned round as she entered; a natty-
looking man, middle-aged, with brown moustache, shrewd blue eyes, and a
genial expression.

"Miss Affleck?" he said, bowing and coming a few steps forward.

"Yes, that is my name," she returned, greatly relieved at finding a
stranger.

"You look pale--not quite well, I fear. Will you sit down?" he said. Then
he added with a smile, "I hope my visit has not alarmed you, Miss
Affleck? It is a very simple and harmless matter I have come to you
about. We--the firm of Travers and Co.--have been for a long time trying
to trace a person named Affleck, and hearing accidentally that a young
lady of that name lodged here, I called to make a few inquiries." While
speaking he had taken a newspaper--the _Standard_--from his pocket,
and pointing out an advertisement in the second column of the first page,
asked her to read it.

She read as follows:

Margaret Affleck (maiden name). Messrs. Travers, Enwright, and Travers,
Solicitors, Lincoln's Inn Fields, wish to communicate with this person,
who was in service in London about sixteen years ago, and is supposed to
have married about that time. A reward will be given for any information
relating to her.

"That was my mother's name," said Fan.

"Then may I ask you, why did you not reply to this advertisement, which,
you see, is upwards of three years old, and was inserted repeatedly in
several papers?"

"I never saw it--I did not read the newspapers. But my mother has been
dead a long time. I should not have