trustee to a marriage settlement, and so on. But I've
lately supposed, Mrs. Otway, that Alick has made a
kind of -- well, what shall I say? -- a kind of sister of
you. He seems so fond of your girl, too; he always
_has_ liked young people."

"Yes, that's very true," said Mrs. Otway eagerly.
"Major Guthrie has always been most kind to Rose."
And then she smiled happily, and added, as if to herself,
"Most people are."

Somehow this irritated the old lady. "I don't want
to pry into anybody's secrets," she said -- "least of all,
my son's. But I _should_ like to be so far frank with
you as to ask you if Alick has ever talked to you of the
Trepells?"

"The Trepells?" repeated Mrs. Otway slowly. "No,
I don't think so. But wait a moment -- are they the
people with whom he sometimes goes and stays in
Sussex?"

"Yes; he stayed with them just after Christmas.
Then he _has_ talked to you of them?"

"I don't think he's ever exactly talked of them," answered
Mrs. Otway. She was trying to remember
what it was that Major Guthrie had said. Wasn't it
something implying that he was going there to please
his mother -- that he would far rather stay at home?
But she naturally did not put into words this vague
recollection of what he had said about these -- yes, these
Trepells. "It's an odd name, and yet it seems familiar
to me," she said hesitatingly.

"It's familiar to you because they are the owners of
the celebrated 'Trepell's Polish,'" said the old lady
rather sharply. "But they're exceedingly nice people.
And it's my impression that Alick is thinking very seri-

[[159]]

p158 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p159w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p160

v?