“I don’t know,” said she, “that you will find me here when you come back.  The fact of it is I don’t know nothin’.  But one thing’s certain, if she’s here I ain’t, and if she’s too high and mighty to take toll in her honeymoon, the captain’ll have to do it himself, or let ’em pass through free.”

Mrs. Easterfield was on the lawn when Lancaster arrived, and in answer to the involuntary glance with which Dick’s eyes swept the surrounding space, even while he was shaking hands with her, she said:  “No, she is not here.  She has gone boating, and so you must come and tell me everything, and then we can decide what is best to tell her.”

For an instant Dick’s soul demurred.  If he told Olive anything he would tell her all he knew, and exactly what had happened.  But he would not lose faith in this noble woman who was going to help him with Olive if she could.  So they sat down, side by side, and he told her everything he knew about Captain Asher and Miss Port.

“It does look very much as if he were going to marry the woman,” said Mrs. Easterfield.  Then she sat silent and looked upon the ground, a frown upon her face.

Dick was also silent, and his countenance was clouded.  “Poor Olive,” he thought, “it is hard that this new trouble should come upon her just at this time.”

But Mrs. Easterfield said in her heart:  “Poor fellow, how little you know what has come upon you!  The woman who has turned her uncle from Olive has turned Olive from you.”

“Well,” said the lady at length, “do you think it is worth while to say anything to her about it?  She has already surmised the state of affairs, and, so far as I can see, you have nothing of importance to tell her.”

“Perhaps not,” said Dick, “but as she sent me on a mission I want to make known to her the result of it so far as there has been any result.  It will be very unpleasant, of course—­it will be even painful—­but I wish to do it all the same.”

“That is to say,” said Mrs. Easterfield with a smile that was not very cheerful, “you want to be with her, to look at her and to speak to her, no matter how much it may pain her or you to do it.”

“That’s it,” answered Dick.

Mrs. Easterfield sat and reflected.  She very much liked this young man, and, considering herself as his friend, were there not some things she ought to tell him?  She concluded that there were such things.

“Mr. Lancaster,” she said, “have you noticed that there are other young men in love with Miss Asher?”

“I know there is one,” said Dick, “for he told me so himself.”

“That was Claude Locker?” said she with interest.

“And he promised,” continued Dick, “that if he failed he would do all he could to help me.  I can not say that this is really for love of me, for his avowed object is to prevent Mr. Du Brant from getting her.  We assumed that he was her lover, although I do not know that there is any real ground for it.”