CHAPTER XXIII.
A CAPITULATION As Hamil left the garden Malcourt sauntered into view, halted, then came forward.
"I'm glad to see you," he said pleasantly.
"Thank you." Neither offered to shake hands; Malcourt, lightly formal, spoke of Hamil's illness in a few words, using that excellent taste which was at his command when he chose to employ it.

He expressed his pleasure in Hamil's recovery, and said that he was ready at any time to take up the unfinished details of Portlaw's business, agreeing with Hamil that there remained very little to talk over.
"The main thing, of course, is to squelch William's last hopes of any Rhine castles," continued Malcourt, laughing.

"If you feel like it to-day I'll bring over the plans as you sketched them." "In a day or two," nodded Hamil.
"Or perhaps you will lunch with m--with us, and you and I can go over the things comfortably." But he saw by the scarcely perceptible change in Hamil's face that there were to be no such relations between them, informal or otherwise; and he went on quietly, closing his own suggestion: "Or, if you like, we'll get Portlaw some morning after his breakfast, and end the whole matter by laying down the law to him." "That would be perfectly agreeable to me," said Hamil.

He spoke as though fatigued, and he looked it as he moved toward his house, using his walking-stick.

Malcourt accompanied him to the road.
"Hamil," he said coolly, "may I suggest something ?" The other turned an expressionless face toward him: "What do you wish to suggest ?" "That, some day when you feel physically better, I'd like to go over one or two matters with you--privately--" "What matters ?" "They concern you and myself." "I know of no private matters which concern you and myself--or are ever likely to." Malcourt's face darkened.