第6章

"Youareright，"hesaid。"Whenonecomestothinkofit，itisamazing。Howlongtheprophetsofwoehavepreached，andhowcompletelytheirteachingshavebeenignored！Theinvasionbogeyhasbeensolongamongusthatithasbecomenothingbutajest。

EvenI，inaway，amoneoftheunbelievers。"

"Youarenotserious，David！"sheexclaimed。

"Iam，"heaffirmed。"IthinkthatifwecouldreadthatdocumentweshouldseethatthereisnoplantherefortheimmediateinvasionofEngland。IthinkyouwouldfindthattheblowwouldbestrucksimultaneouslyatourColonies。Weshouldeitherhavetosubmitorsendaconsiderablefleetawayfromhomewaters。Then，Ipresume，thequestionofinvasionwouldcomeagain。Allthetime，ofcourse，thegagewouldbeflungdown，treatieswouldbedefied，weshouldbescornedasthoughwewereanationofweaklings。Austriawouldgatherinwhatshewanted，andtherewouldbenoonetointerfere。"

Louisewasverypalebuthereyeswereflashingfire。

"Itisthemostterriblethingwhichhashappenedinhistory，"shesaid，"thisdecadenceofyourcountry。OnceEnglandheldthescalesofjusticefortheworld。Nowsheisnolongerstrongenough，andthereisnonetotakeherplace。David，evenifyouknowwhatthatdocumentcontains，eventhenwillithelpverymuch？"

"Verymuchindeed。Don\'tyouseethatthereisonehopelefttous-onehope-andthatisRussia？TheCzarmustbemadetowithdrawfromthatcompact。Wewanttoknowhisshareinit。Whenweknowthat，therewillbeasecretmissionsenttoRussia。GermanyandAustriaarestrong，buttheyarenotalltheworld。WithRussiabehindandFranceandEnglandwestward，thestruggleisatleastanequalone。Theyhavetofacebothdirections，theyhavetofacetwogreatarmiesworkingfromtheeastandfromthewest。"

Shenodded，andtheysatthereinsilenceforseveralmoments。

Bellamywasthinkingdeeply。

"Yousay，Louise，"heasked，lookingupquickly，"thatyourroomshavebeensearched。Whenwasthis？"

"Onlylastnight，"shereplied。

Bellamydrewalittlesighofrelief。

"Atanyrate，"hesaid，"Streusshasnoideathatthedocumentisnotinourpossession。HeknowsnothingaboutLaverick。Howarewegoingtodealwithhim，Louise，whenhecomesforhisanswer？"

"Youhaveaplan？"sheasked。

"Thereisonlyonethingtobedone，"Bellamydeclared。"IshallsaythatwehavealreadyhandedoverthedocumenttotheEnglishGovernment。Itwillbeabluff，pureandsimple。Hemaybelieveitorhemaynot。"

"Youwillbreakyourcompactthen，"sheremindedhim。

"Ishallcallmyselfjustified，"hecontinued。"Hehasattemptedtorobusofthedocument。Youaresureofwhatyousay-thatyourroomsanddressing-roomhavebeensearched？"

"Absolutelycertain，"shedeclared。

"Thatwillbesufficient，"Bellamydecided。"IfStreusscomestome，Ishallmeethimfrankly。Ishalltellhimthathehastriedtoplaytheburglarandthatitmustbewar。IshalltellhimthatthecompactisinthehandsofthePrimeMinister，andthatheandhisspieshadbetterclearout。"

Shelookedathimquestioningly。

"Ofcourse，youunderstand，"headded，"thereisonethingwecando，andonethingonly。WemustsendamissiontoRussiaandanothertoFrance，andbeforetheGermanfleetcanpassdowntheNorthSeawemustdeclarewar。Itistheonlythinglefttous-aboldfront。

Withoutthatpacketwehavenocasusbelli。Withit，wecanstrike，andstrikehard。Istillbelievethatifwedeclarewarwithinsevendays，weshallsaveourselves。"

StreussandKahnlooked，too，acrossthepanoramaofLondon，acrossthedingyAdelphiGardens，theturbidThames，thesmoke-hungworldbeyond。TheyweretogetherinStreuss\'ssitting-roomontheseventhfloorofoneofthegreatStrandhotels。

"Ourenterpriseisafailure！"Kahnexclaimedgloomily。"Wecannotdoubtitanylonger。Ithink，Streuss，thatthebestcourseyouandIcouldadoptwouldbetorealizeitandtogetback。Wedonogoodhere。Weonlyrunneedlessrisks。"

Thefaceoftheothermanwasdarkwithanger。Histone，whenhespoke，shookwithpassion。

"Youdon\'tknowwhatyousay，Kahn！"hecriedhoarsely。"Itellyouthatwemustsucceed。Ifthatdocumentreachesthehandsofanyoneinauthorityhere，itwouldbetheworstdisasterwhichhasfallenuponourcountrysinceyouorIwereborn。Youdon\'tunderstand，Kahn！Youkeepyoureyesclosed！"

"Whatmencandowehavedone，"theotheranswered。"VonBehrlingplayedusfalse。Hehasdiedatraitor\'sdeath，butitisverycertainthathepartedwithhisdocumentbeforehereceivedthattwentythousandpounds。"

"Onceandforall，Idonotbelieveit！"Streussdeclared。"Atmid-day，IcansweartoitthatthecontentsofthatenvelopewereunknowntotheMinistersoftheKinghere。NowifVonBehrlinghadpartedwiththatdocumentlastMondaynight，don\'tyousupposethateverythingwouldbeknownbynow？Hedidnotpartwithit。

BellamyandMademoiselleliewhentheysaythattheypossessit。

ThatdocumentremainsinthepossessionofVonBehrling\'smurderer，anditisforustofindhim。"

Kahnsighed。

"Itisoutsideoursphere-that。Whatcanwedoagainstthepoliceofthiscountryworkingintheirownland？"

Streussstruckthetablebeforewhichtheywerestanding。Theveinsinhistempleswerelikewhipcord。

"Adolf，"hemuttered，"youtalklikeafool！Can\'tyouseewhatitmeans？Ifthatdocumentreachesitsdestination，whatdoyousupposewillhappen？"

"Theywillknowourplans，ofcourse，"Kahnanswered。"Theywillhavetimetomakepreparation。"

Streusslaughedbitterly。

"Worsethanthat！"heexclaimed。"Theyarenotallfools，theseEnglishstatesmen，thoughonewouldthinksotoreadtheirspeeches。

Can\'tyouseewhattheresultwouldbeifthatdocumentreachesDowningStreet？Waratamoment\'snotice，warsixmonthstoosoon！

Don\'tyouknowthateveryshipbuildingyardinGermanyisworkingnightandday？Don\'tyouknowthateverynerveisbeingstrained，thatthemusclesofthecountryarehammeringtherivetsintoournewbattleships？Thereisbutonechanceforthiscountry，andifherstatesmenreadthatdocumenttheywillknowwhatitis。ItisopentothemtodestroytheGermannavyutterly，torenderthemselvessecureagainstattack。"

"Theywouldneverhavethecourage，"Kahndeclared。"Theymightmakeashowofdefendingthemselvesiftheywereattacked，buttotaketheinitiative-no！Idonotbelieveit。"

"Thereisonemanwhohaswitenoughtodoit，"Streusssaid。"HemaynotbeintheCabinet，buthecommandsit。Kahn，wakeup，man！

YouandItogetherhaveneverknownwhatfailuremeans。Itellyouthatthatdocumentisstilltobeboughtorfoughtfor，andwemustfindit。ThismorningMademoiselledroveintothecityandcalledattheofficesofastockbrokerwithinadozenyardsofCrookedFriars\'Alley。Shewastherealongtime。Thestockbrokerhimselfcameoutwithherintothestreet，tookhertoseetheentry，stoodwithherthereandreturned。Whatwasherinterestinhim，Kahn？

HisnameisLaverick。Fourdaysagohewasonthebrinkofruin。

Totheamazementofeveryone，hemetallhisengagements。WhydidMademoisellegotothecitytoseehim？HewasathisofficelatethatTuesdaynight。Hehadapartnerwhohasdisappeared。"

Kahnlookedathiscompanionwithadmiration。

"Youhavefoundallthisout！"heexclaimed。

"Andmore，"Streussdeclared。"Fortwenty-fourhours，thismanLaverickhasnotmovedwithoutmyspiesathisheels。"

"Whynotapproachhimboldly？"Kahnsuggested。"Ifhehasthedocument，letusoutbidMademoiselleLouise，anddoitquickly。"

Streussshookhishead。

"Youdon\'tknowtheman。HeisanEnglishman，andifhehadanyideawhatthatdocumentcontained，ourchancesofbuyingitwouldbesmallindeed。ThisiswhatIthinkwillhappen。Mademoisellewilltrytoobtainit，andtryinvain。ThenBellamywilltellhimthetruth，andhewillpartwithitwillingly。Inthemeantime，I

believethatitisinhispossession。

"Theevidenceisslenderenough，"objectedKahn。

"Whatifitis！"Streussexclaimed。"Ifitisonlyahundredtoonechance，wehavetotakeit。Ihavenofancyfordisgrace，Adolf，andIknowverywellwhatwillhappenifwegobackempty-handed。"

Thetelephonebellrang。Streusstookoffthereceiverandheldittohisear。Thewordswhichhespokewerefew，butwhenhelaidtheinstrumentdowntherewasacertainamountofsatisfactioninhisface。

"Atanyrate，"heannounced，"thismanLaverickdidnotpartwiththedocumentto-day。MademoiselleLouiseandBellamyhavebeensittingintheParkforanhour。Whentheyseparated，shedrovehomeanddroppedhimathisclub。Uptillnow，then，theyhavenotthedocument。WeshallseewhatMr。Laverickdoeswhenheleavesbusinessthisevening；ifhegoesstraighthome，eitherthedocumenthasneverbeeninhispossession，orelseitisinthesafeinhisoffice；ifhegoestoMademoiselleIdiale\'s-"

"Well？"Kahnaskedeagerly。

"IfhegoestoMademoiselleIdiale\'s，"Streussrepeatedslowly，"thereisstillachanceforus！"

CHAPTERXXIII

LAVERICKATTHEOPERA

Laverick，inpresentinghiscardattheboxofficeatCoventGardenthatevening，didsowithouttheslightestmisconceptionofthereasonswhichhadpromptedMademoiselleIdialetobeghimtobecomeherguest。Itwassheercuriositywhichpromptedhimtopursuethisadventure。Hewasperfectlyconvincedthatpersonallyhehadnointerestforher。Insomewayorotherhehadbecomeconnectedinhermindwiththemurderwhichhadtakenplacewithinafewyardsofhisoffice，andinsomeotherequallymysteriousmannerthatmurderhadbecomeasubjectofinteresttoher。Eitherthat，orthiswasoneofthewhimsofaspoiledandpleasure-surfeitedwoman。

Hefoundanexcellentboxreservedforhim，andameasureofcourtesyfromtheattendantsnotoftenvouchsafedtoanordinaryvisitor。TheoperawasSamsonandDelilah，andevenbeforeherwonderfulvoicethrilledthehouse，itseemedtoLaverickthatnopersonmorelovelythanthewomanhehadcometoseehadevermoveduponanystage。Itappearedimpossiblethatmovementsogracefulandpassionateshouldremainsoabsolutelyeffortless。Thereseemedtobesomestrangepowerinsidethewoman。Surelyherwillguidedherfeet！Thenecessityforphysicaleffortneveronceappeared。Notwithstandingtheslightprejudicewhichhehadfeltagainsther，itwasimpossibletokeephisadmirationaltogetherincheck。Thefascinationofherwonderfulpresence，andthenhergloriousvoice，movedhimwiththerestoftheaudience。Heclappedastheothersdidattheendofthefirstact，andheleanedforwardjustaseagerlytocatchaglimpseofherwhenshereappearedandstoodtherewiththatmarveloussmileuponherlips，acceptingwithfaint，deprecatinggratitudethehomageofthepackedhouse。

Justbeforethecurtainroseuponthesecondact，therewasaknockathisboxdoor。Oneoftheattendantsusheredinashortmanofsomewhatremarkablepersonality。Hewasbarelyfivefeetinheight，andanextremelyfatneckandacorpulentbodygavehimalmosttheappearanceofahunchback。Hehadblack，beadyeyes，ablackmoustachefiercelyturnedup，andsallowskin。HiswhitegloveshadcuriousstitchingsonthebacknotcommoninEngland，andhissilkhat，exceedinglyglossy，hadwiderbrimsthanareusuallyassociatedwithBondStreet。

Laverickhalfrose，butthelittlemanspreadoutonehandandcommencedtospeak。Hisaccentwasforeign，but，ifnotanEnglishman，heatanyratespokethelanguagewithconfidence。

"Mydearsir，"hebegan，"Ioweyoumanyapologies。ItwasMademoiselleIdiale\'swishthatIshouldmakeyouracquaintance。

MynameisLassen。IhavethefortunetobeMademoiselle\'sbusinessmanager。

"Iamverygladtomeetyou，Mr。Lassen，"saidLaverick。"Willyousitdown？"

Mr。Lassenthereuponhunghishatuponapeg，removedhisovercoat，straightenedhiswhitetiewiththeaidofalooking-glass，brushedbackhisglossyblackhairwiththepalmsofhishands，andtooktheseatoppositeLaverick。Hisfirstquestionwasinevitable。

"Whatdoyouthinkoftheopera，sir？"

"ItislikeMademoiselleIdialeherself，"Laverickanswered。"Itisabovecriticism。"

"Sheis，"Mr。Lassensaidfirmly，"theloveliestwomaninEuropeandhervoiceisthemostwonderful。Itisagreatcombination，this。Imyselfhavemanagedformanystars，IhavebroughttoEnglandmostofthosewhosenamesareknownduringthelasttenyears；buttherehasneverbeenanotherLouiseIdiale，-neverwillbe。"

Icanbelieveit，"Laverickadmitted。

Shehaswonderfulqualities，too，"continuedMr。Lassen。"Youracquaintancewithher，Ibelieve，sir，isoftheshortest。"

"Thatisso，"Laverickanswered，alittlecoldly。Hewasnotparticularlytakenwithhisvisitor。

"Mademoisellehasspokentomeofyou，"thelatterproceeded。

"ShedesiredthatIshouldpaymyrespectsduringtheperformance。"

"Itisverykindofyou，"Laverickanswered。"Asamatteroffact，itisexceedinglykind，also，ofMademoiselleIdialetoinsistuponmycominghereto-night。Shedidmethehonor，asyoumayknow，ofpayingmeavisitinthecitythismorning。"

"Soshedidtellme，"Mr。Lassendeclared。"Mademoiselleisagreatwomanofbusiness。Mostofherinvestmentsshecontrolsherself。Shehaswhims，however，anditneverdoestocontradicther。Shehasalso，curiouslyenough，apreferenceforthemenofaffairs。"

LaverickhadreachedthatstagewhenhefeltindisposedtodiscussMademoiselleanylongerwithastranger，eventhoughthatstrangershouldbehermanager。Henoddedandtookuphisprogramme。Ashedidso，thecurtainrangupuponthenextact。Laverickturneddeliberatelytowardsthestage。Thelittlemanhadpaidhisrespects，asheputit。Laverickfeltdisinclinedforfurtherconversationwithhim。Yet，thoughhisheadwasturned，heknewverywellthathiscompanion\'seyeswerefixeduponhim。Hehadanuncomfortablesensethathewasanobjectofmorethanordinaryinteresttothisvisitor，thathehadcomeforsomespecificobjectwhichasyethehadnotdeclared。

"YouwillliketogoroundandseeMademoiselle，"thelatterremarked，sometimeafterwards。

Laverickshookhishead。

"Ishallfindanotheropportunity，Ihope，tocongratulateher。"

"But，mydearsir，sheexpectstoseeyou，"Mr。Lassenprotested。

"Youarehereatherinvitation。Itisusual，Icanassureyou。"

"MademoiselleIdialewillperhapsexcuseme，"Lavericksaid。"I

haveanengagementimmediatelyaftertheperformanceisover。"

HiscompanionmutteredsomethingwhichLaverickcouldnotcatch，andmadesomeexcusetoleavetheboxafewminuteslater。Whenhereturned，hecarriedalittle，notewhichhepresentedtoLaverickwithanairoftriumph。

"ItisasIsaid！"heexclaimed。"Mademoiselleexpectsyou。"

Laverickreadthefewlineswhichshehadwritten。

Iwishtoseeyouaftertheperformance。Ifyoucannotcomeroundorescortmeyourself，willyoucomelatertotherestaurantofLuigi，where，asalways，Ishallsup。Donotfail。

LouiseIdiale。

Laverickplacedthenoteinhiswaistcoatpocketwithoutimmediateremark。Lateronheturnedtohiscompanion。

"WillyoutellMademoiselleIdiale，"hesaid，"thatIwilldomyselfthehonorofcomingtoheratLuigi\'srestaurant。IhaveanengagementaftertheperformancewhichImustkeep。"

"Youwillcertainlycome？"Lassenaskedanxiously。

"Withoutadoubt，"Laverickpromised。

Mr。Lassentookuphishat……

"IwillgoandtellMademoiselle。Forsomereasonorothersheseemedparticularlydesirousofseeingyouthisevening。Shehasherwhims，andthosewhohavemosttodowithher，likemyself，finditwelltokeepthemgratified。IfIdonotseeyouagain，sir，permitmetowishyougoodevening。"

Hedisappearedwithseveralbowsofhispudgylittleperson，andLaverickwasleftwithanotherpuzzletosolve。Hewasnotintheleastconceited，andhedidnotforamomentmisinterpretthiswoman\'sinterestinhim。Herinvitation，heknewverywell，wasonewhichhalfLondonwouldhavecoveted。Yetitmeantnothingpersonal，hewassureofthat。Itsimplymeantthatforsomemysteriousreason，thesamereasonwhichhadpromptedhertovisithiminthecityhewasofinteresttoher。

AtafewminutesbeforeelevenLavericklefttheplaceanddrovetothestage-dooroftheUniversalTheatre。Zoecameoutamongthefirstandpauseduponthethreshold，lookingupanddownthestreeteagerly。Whensherecognizedhim，hersmilewasheavenly。

"Oh，howniceofyou！"sheexclaimed，steppingatonceintohistaxicab。"Youdon\'tknowhowdifferentitfeelstohopethatthereissomeonewaitingforyouandthentofindyourhopecometrue。

To-nightIwasnotsure。Youhadsaidnothingaboutit，andyetI

couldnothelpbelievingthatyouwouldbehere。"

"Iwashoping，"hesaid，"thatwemighthaveanothersuppertogether。

Unfortunately，Ihaveanengagement。"

"Anengagement？"sherepeated，herfacefalling。

Lavericklovedthetruthandheseldomhesitatedtotellit。

"Itisratheranoddthing，"hedeclared。"YourememberthatwomanatLuigi\'slastnight-MademoiselleIdiale？"

"Ofcourse。"

"Shecametomyofficeto-dayandgavemesixthousandpoundstoinvestforher。Shemademetakeheroutandshowherwherethemurderwascommitted，andaskedagreatmanyquestionsaboutit。

ThensheinsistedthatIshouldgoandhearhersingthisevening，andIfindthatIwasexpectedtotakeherontosupperafterwards。

Iexcusedmyselfforalittlewhile，butIhavepromisedtogotoLuigi\'s，whereshewillbe。"

Thegirlwassilentforamoment。

"Wherearewegoingnow，then？"sheasked。

"Whereveryoulike。Icantakeyouhomefirst，orIcanleaveyouanywhere。"

Shelookedathimwithapiteouslittlesmile。

"Thelasttwonightsyouhavespoiledme，"shesaid。"IhavesomanyevilthoughtsandIamafraidtogohome。"

"Iamsorry。IfIcouldthinkofanythingoranywhere-"

"No，youmusttakemehome，please，"saidshe。"Itwasselfishofme。OnlyMademoiselleIdialeissuchawonderfulperson。Doyouthinkthatshewillwantyoueverynight？"

"Ofcoursenot，"helaughed。"Come，Iwillmakeanengagementwithyou。Wewillhavesuppertogetherto-morrowevening。"

Shebrightenedupatonce。

"Iwonder，"sheaskedtimidly，afewminutesafterwards，"haveyouheardanythingfromArthur？HepromisedtosendatelegramfromQueenstown。"

Laverickshookhishead。Hesaidnothingaboutthemarconigramhehadsent，ortheanswerwhichhehadreceivedinforminghimthattherewasnosuchpersononboard。Itseemedscarcelyworthwhiletoworryher。

"Ihaveheardnothing，"hereplied。"Ofcourse，hemustbehalf-waytoAmericabynow。"

"Therehavebeennomoreinquiriesabouthim？"sheasked。

"Nomorethantheusualonesfromhisfriends，andafewcreditors。

ThelatterIampayingastheycome。Butthereisonethingyououghttodowithme。Ithinkweoughttogotohisroomsandlockuphispapersandletters。Heneverevenwentback，youknow，afterthatnight。"

Shenoddedthoughtfully。

"Whenwouldyouliketodothis？"

"IamsobusyjustnowthatIamafraidIcansparenotimeuntilMondayafternoon。Wouldyougowithmethen？"

"Ofcourse……Mytimeismyown。Wehavenomatinee，andIhavenothingtodoexceptintheevening。"

Theyhadreachedherhome。Itlookedverydarkandveryuninviting。

Sheshiveredasshetookherlatchkeyfromthebagwhichshewascarrying。

"Comeinwithme，please，whileIlightthegas，"shebegged。"Itlookssodreary，doesn\'tit？"

"Yououghttohavesomeonewithyou，"hedeclared，"especiallyinapartlikethis。"

"Oh，Iamnotreallyafraid，"sheanswered。"Iamonlylonely。"

Hestoodinthepassagewhileshefeltforaboxofmatchesandlitthegasjet。Intheparlortherewasabowlofmilkstandingwaitingforher，andsomebread。

"Thankyousomuch，"shesaid。"NowIamgoingtomakeupthefireandreadforashorttime。Ihopethatyouwillenjoyyoursupper-well，moderately，"sheadded，withalittlelaugh。

"Icanpromiseyou，"heanswered，"thatIshallenjoyitnomorethanlastnight\'sorto-morrownight\'s。"

Shesighed。

"Poorlittleme！"sheexclaimed。"ItisnotfairtohavetocompetewithMademoiselleIdiale。Goodnight！"

Somethinghesawinhereyesmovedhimstrangelyasheturnedaway。

"Wouldyoulikeme，"heaskedhesitatingly，"supposingIgetawayearly-wouldyoulikemetocomeinandsaygoodnighttoyoulateron？"

Herfacewassuddenlyflushedwithjoy。

"Oh，do！"shebegged。"Do！"

Heturnedawaywithasmile。

"Verywell，"hesaid。"Don\'tshutupjustyetandIwilltry。"

"Ishallstayhereuntilthreeo\'clock，"shedeclared，-"untilfour，even。Youmustcome。Remember，youmustcome。See。"

Sheheldouttohimherkey。

"Icanknockatthedoor，"heprotested。"Youwouldhearme。"

"ButImightfallasleep，"sheanswered。"Iamafraid。Ifyouhavethekey，Iamsurethatyouwillcome。"

Heputitinhiswaistcoatpocketwithalaugh。

"Verywell，"hesaid，"ifitisonlyforfiveminutes，Iwillcome。"

CHAPTERXXIV

ASUPPERPARTYATLUIGI\'S

LaverickwalkedintoLuigi\'sRestaurantataboutaquartertotwelve，andfoundtheplacecrowdedwithmanylittlesupper-partiesontheirwaytoafancydressball。Thedemandfortableswasfarinexcessofthesupply，buthehadscarcelyshownhimselfbeforetheheadmaitred\'hotelcamehurryingup。

"MademoiselleIdialeiswaitingforyou，sir，"heannouncedatonce。

"Willyoubesogoodastocomethisway？"

Laverickfollowedhim。Shewassittingatthesametableaslastnight，butshewasalone，anditwaslaid，henoticedwithsurprise，onlyfortwo。

"Youhavetreatedme，"shesaid，assheheldoutherfingers，"toanewsensation。Ihavewaitedforyoualonehereforaquarterofanhour-I！Suchathinghasneverhappenedtomebefore。"

"Youdometoomuchhonor，"Laverickdeclared，seatinghimselfandtakingupthecarte。

"Then，too，"shecontinued，"Isupalonewithyou。ThatiswhatI

seldomdowithanyman。NotthatIcarefortheappearance，"sheadded，withacontemptuouswaveofthehand。"Nothingtroublesmeless。Itissimplythatonemanaloneweariesme。Almostalwayshewillmakelove，andthatIdonotlike。You，Mr。Laverick，Iamnotafraidof。Idonotthinkthatyouwillmakelovetome。"

"AnyintentionsImayhavehad，"Laverickremarked，withasigh，"I

forthwithbanish。Youaskahardtaskofyourcavaliers，though，Mademoiselle。"

Shesmiledandlookedathimfromunderhereyelids。

"Notofyou，Ifancy，Mr。Laverick，"shesaid。"Idonotthinkthatyouareoneofthosewhomakelovetoeverywomanbecausesheisgood-lookingorfamous。"

"Totellyouthetruth，"Laverickadmitted，"Ifindithardtomakelovetoanyone。Ioftenfeelthemostprofoundadmirationforindividualmembersofyoursex，buttoexpressone\'sselfisdifficult-sometimesitisevenembarrassing。Forsupper？"

"Itisordered，"shedeclared。"Youaremyguest。"

"Impossible！"Laverickassertedfirmly。"IhavebeenyourguestattheOpera。Youatleastowemethehonorofbeingmineforsupper。"

Shefrownedalittle。Shewasobviouslyunusedtobeingcontradicted。

"Isupwithyou，then，anothernight，"sheinsisted。"No，"shecontinued，"Ifyouaregoingtolooklikethat，Itakeitback。I

supwithyouto-night。Thisisanillomenforourfutureacquaintance。Ihavegivenintoyoualready-I，whogiveintonoman。Givemesomechampagne，please。"

Lavericktookthebottlefromtheice-pailbyhisside，butthesommelierdartedforwardandservedthem。

"Idrinktoourbetterunderstandingofoneanother，Mr。Laverick，"

shesaid，raisingherglass，"and，ifyouwouldlikeadoubletoast，Idrinkalsototheearlygratificationofthecuriositywhichisconsumingyou。"

"Thecuriosity？"

"Yes！YouarewonderingallthetimewhyitisthatIchoselastnighttosendandhaveyoupresentedtome，whyIcametoyourofficeinthecityto-daywiththeexcuseofinvestingmoneywithyou，whyIinvitedyoutotheOperato-night，whyIcommandedyoutosupperhereandamsuppingwithyoualone。Nowconfessthetruth；youarefullofcuriosity，isitnotso？"

"Frankly，Iam。"

Shesmiledgood-humoredly。

"Iknewitquitewell。Youarenotconceited。Youdonotbelieve，assomanymenwould，thatIhavefalleninlovewithyou。Youthinkthattheremustbesomeobject，andyouaskyourselfallthetime，\'Whatisit？\'inyourheart，Mr。Laverick，Iwonderwhetheryouhaveanyidea。"

Hervoicehadfallenalmosttoawhisper。Shelookedathimwithasuggestionofstealthinessfromunderhereyelids，alookwhichonlyneededtheslightestsofteningofherfacetohavemadeitsomethingalmostirresistible。

"Icanassureyou，"Lavericksaidfirmly，"thatIhavenoidea。"

"Doyourememberalmostmyfirstquestiontoyou？"sheasked。

"Itwasaboutthemurder。Youseemedinterestedinthefactthatmyofficewaswithinafewyardsofthepassagewhereitoccurred。"

"Quiteright，"sheadmitted。"Iseethatyourmemoryisverygood。

There，then，Mr。Laverick，youhavethesecretofmydesiretomeetyou。"

Laverickdrankhiswineslowly。Thewomanknew！Impossible！Hereyeswerewatchinghisface，butheheldhimselfbravely。Whatcouldsheknow？Howcouldsheguess？

"Frankly，"hesaid，"Idonotunderstand。Yourinterestinmearisesfromthefactthatmyofficesarenearthesceneofthatmurder。Well，tobeginwith，whatconcernhaveyouinthat？"

"Themurderedman，"shedeclaredthoughtfully，"wasanacquaintanceofmine。"

"Anacquaintanceofyours！"Laverickexclaimed。"Why，hehasnotbeenidentified。Nooneknowswhohewas。"

Sheraisedhereyebrowsveryslightly。

"Mr。Laverick，"shemurmured，"thenewspapersdonottellyoueverything。Irepeatthatthemurderedmanwasanacquaintanceofmine。OnlythreedaysagoItraveledpartofthewayfromViennawithhim。"

Laverickwasintenselyinterested。

"Youcould，perhaps，throwsomelight，then，uponhisdeath？"

"PerhapsIcould，"sheanswered。"Icantellyouonething，atanyrate，Mr。Laverick，ifitisnewstoyou。Atthetimewhenhewasmurdered，hewascarryingaverylargesumofmoneywithhim。ThisisafactwhichhasnotbeenspokenofinthePress。"

OnceagainLaverickwasthankfulforthosenervesofhis。Hesatquitestill。Hisfaceexhibitednothingmorethantheblankamazementwhichhecertainlyfelt。

"Thisismarvelous，"hesaid。"Haveyoutoldthepolice？"

"Ihavenot，"sheanswered。"Iwish，ifIcan，toavoidtellingthepolice。"

"Butthemoney？Towhomdiditbelong？"

"Nottothemurderedman。"

"Toanyonewhomyouknowof？"heinquired。

"Iwonder，"shesaid，afteramomentofhesitation，"whetherIamtellingyoutoomuch。"

"Youaretellingmeagooddeal，"headmittedfrankly。

"Iwonderhowfar，"sheasked，"youwillbeinclinedtoreciprocate？"

"Ireciprocate！"heexclaimed。"ButwhatcanIdo？WhatdoIknowofthesethings？"

Shestretchedoutherhandlazily，anddrewtowardsherawonderfulgoldpursesetwithemeralds。Carefullyopeningit，shedrewfromtheinteriorasmallflatpocketbook，alsoofgold，withagreatuncutemeraldsetintoitscentre。This，too，sheopened，anddrewoutseveralsheetsofforeignnote-paperpinnedtogetheratthetop。

Thesesheglancedthroughuntilshecametothethirdorfourth。

ThenshebentitdownandpasseditacrossthetabletoLaverick。

"Youmayreadthat，"shesaid。"ItispartofareportwhichIhavehadinmypossessionsinceWednesdaymorning。"

Laverickdrewthesheettowardshimandread，inthin，angularcharacters，verydistinctandplain:

Sometenminutesaftertheassault，apolicemanpasseddownthestreetbutdidnotglancetowardthepassage。Thenextpersontoappearwasagentlemanwholeftsomeofficesonthesamesideasthepassage，andwalkeddownevidentlyonhishomewardway。Heglancedupthepassageandsawthebodylyingthere。Hedisappearedforamomentandstruckamatch。

Aminuteafterwardsheemergedfromthepassage，lookedupanddownthestreet，andfindingitemptyreturnedtotheofficefromwhichhehadissued，lethimselfinwithhislatchkey，andclosedthedoorbehindhim。Hewasthereforabouttenminutes。Whenhereappeared，hewalkedquicklydownthestreetandforobviousreasonsIwasunabletofollowhim。

Theaddressoftheofficeswhichheleftandre-enteredwasMessrs。Laverick&Morrison，Stockbrokers。

"Thatinterestsyou，Mr。Laverick？"sheaskedsoftly。

Hehandeditbacktoher。

"Itinterestsmeverymuch，"heanswered。"Whowasthisunseenpersonwhowrotefromtheclouds？"

"Imaynottellyouallmysecrets，Mr。Laverick，"shedeclared。

"Whathaveyoudonewiththattwentythousandpounds？"

Laverickhelpedhimselftochampagne。Helistenedforamomenttothemusic，andlookedintothewonderfuleyeswhichshonefromthatbeautifulfaceafewfeetaway。Herlipswereslightlyparted，herforeheadwrinkled。Therewasnothingoftheaccuserinhercountenance；agentleironywasitsmostpoignantexpression。

"Isthisafairytale，MademoiselleIdiale？"

Sheshruggedhershoulders。

"Itmightseemso，"sheanswered。"SometimesIthinkthatallthetimewelivetwolives，-thelifeofwhichtheworldseestheoutside，andthelifeinsideofwhichnoonesaveourselvesknowsanythingatall。Look，forinstance，atallthesepeople-thesechorusgirlsandyoungmenabouttown-theolderones，too-allhungryforpleasure，alldrinkingatthecupoflifeasthoughtheyhadindeedbutto-dayandto-morrowinwhichtoliveandenjoy。

Havetheynoshadows，too，nosecrets？Theyseemsoharmless，yetifthegreatwhitetruthshonedown，mightonenotfindamurdererthere，adyingmanwhoknewhisterriblesecret，yonderaCroesusonthevergeofbankruptcy，astrongmanplayingwithdishonor？Butthosearethethingsoftheotherworldwhichwedonotsee。Themenlookatusto-nightandtheyenvyyoubecauseyouarewithme。

ThewomenenvymemorebecauseIhaveemeraldsuponmyneckandshouldersforwhichtheywouldgivetheirsouls，andafamethroughoutEuropewhichwouldturntheirfoolishheadsinaveryfewminutes。Buttheydonotknow。Therearetheshadowsacrossmypath，andIthinkthattherearetheshadowsacrossyours。Whatdoyousay，Mr。Laverick？"

Helookedather，curiouslymoved。Nowatlasthebegantobelievethatitwastruewhattheysaidofher，thatshewasindeedamarvelouswoman。Shehadafamewhichwouldhavecontentedninehundredandninety-ninewomenoutofathousand。Shehadbeauty，and，morewonderfulstill，thegrace，thefascinationwhichareirresistible。Shehadbuttoliftafingerandtherewerefewwhowouldnotkneeltodoherbidding。Andyet，behinditalltherewereotherthingsinherlife。Hadshesoughtthem，orhadtheycometoher？

"Youareoneofthosewisepeople，Mr。Laverick，"shesaid，"whorealizethedangerofwords。Youbelieveinsilence。Well，silenceisoftengood。Youdonotchoosetoadmitanything。"

"Whatisthereformetoadmit？DoyouwanttoknowwhetherIamthemanwholeftthoseoffices，whodisappearedintothepassage，whoreappearedagain-"

"Withapocket-bookcontainingtwentythousandpounds，"shemurmuredacrosstheflowers。

"Atleasttellmethis？"hedemanded。"Wasthemoneyyours？"

"Iamnotlikeyou，"shereplied。"IhavetalkedagreatdealandIhavereachedthelimitofthethingswhichImaytellyou。"

"Butwherearewe？"heasked。"Areyouseriouslyaccusingmeofhavingrobbedthismurderedman？"

"Bethankful，"shedeclared，"thatIamnotaccusingyouofhavingmurderedhim。"

"Butseriously，"heinsisted，"amIonmydefencehaveItoaccountformymovementsthatnightasagainstthewrittenwordofyourmysteriousinformant？Isityouwhoarechargingmewithbeingathief？IsittoyouIamtoaccountformyactions，todefendmyselfortopleadguilty？"

Sheshookherhead。

"No，"sheanswered。"Ihavesaidalmostmylastwordtoyouuponthissubject。AllthatIhavetoaskofyouisthis。Ifthatpocket-bookisinyourpossession，emptyitfirstofitscontents，thengooveritcarefullywithyourfingersandseeifthereisnotasecretpocket。Ifyoudiscoverthat，Ithinkthatyouwillfindinitasealeddocument。Ifyoufindthatdocument，youmustbringittome。"

Thelightswentdown。Thevoiceofthewaitermurmuredsomethinginhisears。

"Itisafterhours，"MademoiselleIdialesaid，"butLuigidoesnotwishtodisturbus。Still，perhapswehadbettergo。"

Theypasseddowntheroom。ToLaverickitwasall-likeadream-

thelaughingcrowd，theflushedmenandbright-eyedwomen，theloweredlights，theairofvoluptuousnesswhichsomehowseemedtohaveenfoldedtheplace。Inthehallhermaidcameup。Asmallmotor-brougham，withtwoservantsonthebox，wasstandingatthedoorway。Mademoiselleturnedsuddenlyandgavehimherhand。

"Oursupper-party，Ithink，Mr。Laverick，"shesaid，"hasbeenquiteasuccess。Weshallbeforelong，Ihope，meetagain。"

Hehandedherintothecarriage。Hermaidwalkedwiththem。Thefootmanstooderectbyhisside。Therewerenofurtherwordstobespoken。Alittlecrowdinthedoorwayenviedhimashestoodbareheadeduponthepavement。

CHAPTERXXV

JIMSHEPHERD\'SSCARE

Itwas，initsway，apatheticsightuponwhichLaverickgazedwhenhestoleintothatshabbylittlesitting-room。Zoehadfallenasleepinasmall，uncomfortableeasy-chairwithitsbacktothewindow。Hersupperofbreadandmilkwashalffinished，herhatlayuponthetable。Abookwasuponherlapasthoughshehadstartedtoreadonlytofinditslipthroughherfingers。Hestoodwithhiselbowuponthemantelpiece，lookingdownather。Hereyelashes，longandsilky，weremorebeautifulthanevernowthathereyeswereclosed。Hercomplexion，palethoughshewas，seemedmorethecreamypallorofsomesouthernracethanthewhitenessofill-health。Thebodiceofherdresswasopenafewinchesattheneck，showingthefaintwhitesmoothnessofherflawlessskin。

Notevenhershabbyshoescouldconcealtheperfectshapeofherfeetandankles。Oncemoreherememberedhisfirstsimile，hisfirstthoughtofher。Sheseemed，indeed，likesomedaintystatuette，uncouthlyclad，whohadstrayedfromaworldofherownuponroughdaysandfoundherselfill-equippedindeedforthestruggle。HisheartgrewhotwithangeragainstMorrisonashestoodandwatchedher。Supposingshehadbeendifferent！Itwouldhavebeenhisfault，leavingheralonetobattleherwaythroughthemostdifficultofalllives。Brute！

Hehadmutteredthewordhalfaloudandshesuddenlyopenedhereyes。Atfirstsheseemedbewildered。Thenshesmiledandsatup。

"Ihavebeenasleep！"sheexclaimed。

"Amostunnecessarystatement，"heanswered，smiling。"Ihavebeenstandinglookingatyouforfiveminutesatleast。"

"HowfortunatethatIgaveyouthekey！"shedeclared。"Idon\'tsupposeIshouldeverhaveheardyou。Nowpleasestandthereinthelightandletmelookatyou。"

"Why？"

"IwanttolookatamanwhohashadsupperwithMademoiselleIdiale。"

Heshruggedhisshoulders。

"AmIsupposedtobeawandereroutofParadise，then？"

Shelookedathimdoubtfully。

"Theytellstrangestoriesabouther，"shesaid；"butoh，sheissobeautiful！IfIwereaman，Ishouldfallinlovewithherifsheevenlookedmyway。"

"ThenIamglad，"heanswered，"thatIamlessimpressionable。"

"Andyouarenotinlovewithher？"sheaskedeagerly。

"WhyshouldIbe？"helaughed。"Sheislikeawonderfulpicture，amarvelousstatue，ifyouwill。Everythingaboutherisfaultless。

Butonelooksatthesethingscalmlyenough，youknow。Itislifewhichstirslife。"

"Doyouthinkthatthereisnolifeinherveins，then？"Zoeasked。

"Ifthereis，"heanswered，"IdonotthinkthatIamthemantostirit。"

Shedrewalittlesighofcontent。

"Yousee，"shesaid，"youaremyfirstadmirer，andIhaven\'ttheleastdesiretoletyougo。"

"Incredible！"hedeclared。

"Butitistrue，"sheansweredearnestly。"Youwouldnothavemetalktotheseboyswhocomeandhangonatthestage-door。ThementowhomIhavebeenintroducedbytheothergirlshavebeenveryfew，andtheyhavenotbeenverynice，andtheyhavenotcaredformeandIhavenotcaredforthem。Ithink，"shesaid，disconsolately，"Iamtoosmall。Everyoneto-dayseemstolikebigwomen。CoraSinclair，whoisjustbehindmeinthechorus，getsbouquetseverynight，andsimplychooseswithwhomsheshouldgoouttosupper。"

Lavericklookedgrave。

"Youarenotenvyingher？"heasked。

"Notintheleast，aslongasItooamtakenoutsometimes。"

Lavericksmiledandsatonthearmofherchair。

"MissZoe，"hesaid，"Ihavecomebecauseyoutoldmeto，justtoprove，yousee，thatIamnotinthetoilsofMademoiselleIdiale。

Butdoyouknowthatitishalfpastone？Imustnotstayhereanylonger。"

Shesighedoncemore。

"Youareright，"sheadmitted，"butitissolonely。IhaveneverbeenherewithoutMayandhermother。Ihaveneversleptaloneinthehousebeforetheothernight。IfIhadknownthattheyweregoingaway，Ishouldneverhavedaredtocomehere。"

"Itistoobad，"hedeclared。"Couldn\'tyougetoneoftheothergirlstostaywithyou？"

Sheshookherhead。

"ThereareoneortwowhomIwouldliketohave，"shesaid，"buttheyarealllivingeitherathomeorwithrelatives。TheothersI

amafraidabout。Theyseemtoliketositupsolateand-"

"Youarequiteright，"heinterruptedhastily，-"quiteright。Youarebetteralone。Butyououghttohaveaservant。"

Shelaughed。

"Ontwopoundsfifteenaweek？"sheasked。"YoumustrememberthatIcouldnotevenlivehere，onlyIhavepracticallynorenttopay。"

Hefidgetedforamoment。

"MissZoe，"hesaid，"IamperfectlyseriouswhenItellyouthatI

havemoneywhichshouldgotoyourbrother。Whywillyounotletmealteryourarrangementsjustalittle？Icannotbeartothinkofyouhereallalone。"

"Itisverykindofyou，"sheanswereddoubtfully；"butplease，no。

Somehow，IthinkthatitwouldspoileverythingifIacceptedthatsortofhelpfromyou。IfyouhaveanymoneyofArthur\'s，keepitforatimeandIthinkwhenyouwritehim-Idonotwanttoseemgrasping-butIthinkifhehasanytospareyoumightsuggestthathedoesgivemejustalittle。Ihaveneverhadanythingfromhimatall。Perhapshedoesnotquiteunderstandhowharditisforme。

"Iwilldothat，ofcourse，"Laverickanswered，"butIwishyouwouldletmeatleastpayoveralittleofwhatIconsiderduetoyou。Iwilltaketheresponsibilityforit。Itwillcomefromhimandnotfromme。"

Sheremainedunconvinced。

"Iwouldratherwait，"shesaid。"Ifyoureallywanttogivemesomething，Iwillletyou-outofmybrother\'smoney，ofcourse，Imean，"sheadded。"Ihaven\'tanythingsavedatall，orIwouldn\'thavethat。Butonedayyoushalltakemeoutandbuymeadressandhat。YoucantellArthurdirectlyyouwritetohim。Idon\'tmindthat，forsometimesIdofeelashamed-Ididtheothernighttohaveyousitwithmethere，andtofeelthatIwasdressedsoverydifferentlyfromallofthem。"

Helaughedreassuringly。

"Idon\'tthinkmennoticethosethings。Tomeyouseemedjustasyoushouldseem。IonlyknowthatIwasgladenoughtobetherewithyou。"

"Wereyou？"-ratherwistfully。

"OfcourseIwas。NowIamgoing，butbeforeIgo，don\'tforgetMondayafternoon。We\'llhavelunchandthengotoyourbrother\'srooms。"

Sheglancedattheclock。

"Isitreallysolate？"sheasked。

"Itis。Don\'tyounoticehowquietitisoutside？"

Theystoodhandinhandforamoment。Astrangesilenceseemedtohavefallenuponthestreets。LaverickwassuddenlyconsciousofsomethingwhichhehadneverfeltwhenMademoiselleIdialehadsmileduponhim-aquickeningofthepulses，asenseofgatheringexcitementwhichalmosttookhisbreathaway。Hiseyeswerefixeduponhers，andheseemedtoseethereflectionofthatsamewaveoffeelinginherownexpressiveface。Herlipstrembled，hereyesweredeeperandsofterthanever。Theyseemedtobeaskinghimaquestion，askingandaskingtilleveryfibreofhisbodywasconcentratedinthedesperateeffortwith，whichhekeptheratarm\'slength。

"Isitsoverylate？"shewhispered，comingjustalittlecloser，sothatshewasindeedalmostwithintheshelterofhisarms。

Heclutchedherhandsalmostroughlyandraisedthemtohislips。

"Muchtoolateformetostayhere，child，"hesaid，andhisvoiceeventohimselfsoundedhardandunnatural。

"Runalongtobed。To-morrownight-to-morrownight，then，Iwillfetchyou。Good-bye！"

Helethimselfout。Hedidnotevenlookbehindtothespotwherehehadlefther。Heclosedthefrontdoorandwalkedwithswift，almostsavagefootstepsdownthequietStreet，acrosstheSquare，andintoNewOxfordStreet。Hereheseemedtobreathemorefreely。

Hecalledahansomanddrovetohisrooms。

Thehall-porterhadlefthispostinthefronthall，andtherewasnoonetoinformLaverickthatavisitorwasawaitinghim。Whenheenteredhissitting-room，however，hegavealittlestartofsurprise。

Mr。JamesShepherdwasreclininginhiseasy-chairwithhishandsuponhisknees-Mr。JamesShepherdwithhisfacemorepastyeventhanusual，hiseyesatriflegreener，hiswholedemeanoroneofunconcealedandunaffectedterror。

"Hullo！"Laverickexclaimed。"Whatthedickens-whatdoyouwanthere，Shepherd？"

"Uponmyword，sir，I\'mnotsurethatIknow，"themanreplied，"butI\'mscared。I\'vebroughtyoubackthecertificatesofthemshares。Iwantyoutokeepthemforme。I\'mterrifiedlesttheycomeandsearchmyroom。Iam，Itellyoufair。I\'mterrifiedtoorderapintofbeerformyself。They\'rewatchingmeallthetime。"

"Whoare？"Laverickdemanded。

"Lordknowswho；"Shepherdanswered，"butthere\'stwoofthematit。

Itoldyouaboutthemasaskedquestions，andIthoughttherewe\'ddoneandfinishedwithit。Notabitofit！Therewasanotheronetherethisafternoon，saidhewasajournalist，makingsketchesofthepassageandaskingmenoendofquestions。Hewasn\'tnojournalist，I\'llsweartothat。Iaskedhimabouthispaper。

\'Half-a-dozen，\'hedeclared。\'They\'reallgladtohavewhatIsendthem。\'Journalist！Lordknowswhotheotherchapwasandwhathewasaskingquestionsfor，butthisonewasa\'tec，straight。JoeForman，hewasinto-daylookingaftermyplace，forI\'dgivenamonth\'snotice，andhesaystome，"Youseethatbigchap？\'-meaninghimashadbeenaskingmethequestions-andIsays"Yes！\'andhesays，\'That\'sa\'tee。I\'veseedhiminapolicecourt，givingevidence。\'Iwentallofashiversothatyoucouldhaveknockedmedown。"

"Come，come！"saidLaverick。"There\'snoneedforyoutobefeelinglikethisaboutit。Allthatyou\'vedoneisnottohaverememberedthosetwocustomerswhowereinyourrestaurantlateonenight。

There\'snothingcriminalinthat。"

"There\'ssomethingcriminalinhavingtwohundredandfiftypounds\'

worthofsharesinone\'spocket-somethingsuspicious，anyway，"

Shepherddeclared，plumpingthemdownonthetable。"Iain\'tgivingyoutheseback，mind，butyoumustkeep\'emforme。IwishI\'dnevergivennotice。IthinkI\'llaskthebosstokeepmeon。"

"Whydoyousupposethatthismanisparticularlyinterestedinyou？"

Laverickinquired。

"Ain\'tItoldyou？"Shepherdexclaimed，sittingup。"Why，he\'sbeentomyplacedownin\'Ammersmith，askingquestionsaboutme。

Mylandladyswearshedidn\'tgointomyroom，butwhocantellwhetherhedidornot？Thosesortofchapscangetinanywhere。

ThenIwentoutforabitofanairingaftertheoneo\'clockrushwasoverto-day，andI\'mdangedifhewasn\'tatmy\'eels。IseedhimcomingroundbyLiverpoolStreetjustasIwentinabartogetadropofsomething。"

Laverickfrowned。

"IfthereisanythinginthisStory，Shepherd，"hesaid，"ifyouarereallybeingfollowed，whatathunderingfoolyouweretocomehere！AlltheworldknowsthatArthurMorrisonwasmypartner。"

"Icouldn\'thelpit，sir，"themandeclared。"Icouldn\'t，indeed。

Iwassoscared，IfeltImustspeakaboutittosomeone。Andthenthereweretheseshares。TherewasnowhereIcouldkeep\'emsafe。"

"Lookhere，"Laverickwenton，"you\'realarmingyourselfaboutnothing。Inanycase，thereisonlyonethingforyoutodo。Pullyourselftogetherandputaboldfaceuponit。I\'llkeepthesecertificatesforyou，andwhenyouwantsomemoneyyoucancometomeforit。Gobacktoyourplace，andifyourmasteriswillingtokeepyouonperhapsitwouldbeagoodthingtostaythereforanothermonthorso。Butdon\'tletanyoneseethatyou\'refrightened。Remember，there\'snothingthatyoucangetintotroublefor。Noone\'sobligedtoanswersuchquestionsasyou\'vebeenasked，exceptinacourtandunderoath。Sticktoyourstory，andifyoutakemyadvice，"Laverickadded，glancingathisvisitor\'sshakingfingers，"youwillkeepawayfromthedrink。"

"It\'slittleenoughI\'vehad，sir，"Shepherdassuredhim。"Adropnowandthenjusttokeepupone\'sspirits-nothingthatamountstoanything。"

"Makeitaslittleaspossible，"Lavericksaid。"Remember，I\'mbackofyou，I\'llseethatyougetintonotrouble。Anddon\'tcomehereagain。Cometomyoffice，ifyoulike-there\'snothinginthat-

butdon\'tcomehere，youunderstand？"

Shepherdtookuphishat。

"Iunderstand，sir。I\'msorrytohavetroubledyou，butthesightofthatmanfollowingmeaboutfairlygavemetheshivers。"

"Comeintotheofficeasoftenasyoulike，inreason，Lavericksaid，showinghimout，"butnothereagain。Keepyoureyesopen，andletmeknowifyouthinkyou\'vebeenfollowedhere。"

"There\'snomorenewsinthepapers，sir？Nothingturnedup？"

"Nothing，"repliedLaverick。"Ifthepolicehavefoundoutanythingatall，theywillkeepituntilaftertheinquest。"

"Andyou\'veheard。nothing，sir，"Shepherdasked，speakinginahoarsewhisper，"ofMr。Morrison？"

"Nothing，"Laverickanswered。"Mr。Morrisonisabroad。"

Themanwipedhisforeheadwithhishand。

"Ofcourse！"hemuttered。"Agoodjob，too，forhim！"

CHAPTERXXVI

THEDOCUMENTDISCOVERED

Onthefollowingmorning，Lavericksurprisedhisofficecleanerandoneerrand-boybyappearingataboutaquartertonine。HefoundawomanbusybrushingouthisroomandamanCleaningthewindows。

Theystaredathiminamazement。Hisarrivalatsuchanhourwasabsolutelyunprecedented。

"Youcanleavetheofficejustasitis，ifyouplease，"hetoldthem。"Ihaveafewthingstoattendtoatonce。"

Hewasaccordinglyleftalone。Hehadreckoneduponthisasbeingtheoneperiodduringthedaywhenhecouldrelyuponnotbeingdisturbed。Nevertheless，helockedthedoorsoastobesecureagainstanypossibleintruder。Thenhewenttohissafe，unlockedit，anddrewfromitssecretdrawerthewornbrown-leatherpocket-book。

Firstofallhetookoutthenotesandlaidthemuponthetable。

Thenhefeltthepocket-bookalloverandhisheartgavealittleleap。ItwastruewhatMademoiselleIdialehadtoldhim。Ononesidetherewasdistinctlyarustlingasofpaper。Heopenedthecasequiteflatandpassedhisfingerscarefullyoverthelining。

Verysoonhefoundtheopening-itwassimplyamatterofdrawingdownthestiffsilkliningfromunderneaththeoverlappingedge。

Thrustinginhisfingers，hedrewoutalongforeignenvelope，securelysealed。Scarcelystoppingtoglanceatit，herearrangedthepocket-book，replacedthenotes，andlockeditupagain。Thenheunboltedhisdoorandsatdownathisdesk，withthedocumentwhichhehaddiscovered，onthepadinfrontofhim。

Therewasnotmuchtobemadeofit。Therewasnoaddress，buttheblacksealattheendboretheimpressionofaforeigncoatofarms，andamottowhichtohimwasindecipherable。Heheldituptothelight，buttheoutsidesheethadnotbeenwrittenon，andhegainednoideaastoitscontents。Heleanedbackinhischairforamoment，andlookedatit。SothiswasthedocumentwhichwouldprobablyrevealthesecretofthemurderinCrookedFriars\'Alley！

ThiswasthedocumentwhichMademoiselleIdialeconsideredofsomuchmoreimportancethanthefortunerepresentedbythatpacketofbank-notes！Whatdiditallmean？Wasthisman，whohadeitherexpiatedacrimeorbeenthevictimofaterriblevengeance，-washeapolitician，adealerintradesecrets，amemberofasecretsociety，aninformer？Orwasheoneoftheundergroundcriminalsoftheworld，oneofthosewhocrawlbeneaththesurfaceofknownthings-acreatureofthedarkplaces？Perhapsduringthosefewminutes，whenhisbrainwascoolandactive，withthegreatcityawakeningallaroundhim，Laverickrealizedmorecompletelythaneverbeforeexactlyhowhestood。Withoutdoubthewaswalkingonthebrinkofaprecipice。Fourdaysagotherehadbeennothingforhimbutruin。Themeansofsalvationhadsuddenlypresentedthemselvesinthisstartlinganddramaticmanner，andwithouthesitationhehadembracedthem。Whatdiditallamountto？Howfarwasheguilty，andofwhat？Washeathief？Thelawwouldprobablycallhimso。Thelawmighthaveevenmoretosay。Itwouldsaythatbykeepinghismouthclosedastohisadventureonthatnighthehadrangedhimselfonthesideofthecriminals，-hewasguiltynotonlyoftechnicaltheft，butofacriminalknowledgeofthisterriblecrime。Eventshadfollowedupononeanothersorapidlyduringtheselastfewdaysthathehadlittleenoughtimeforreflection，littletimetorealizeexactlyhowhestood。Thelong-expectedboomin"Unions，"thecomingofZoe，thestrangeadvancesmadetohimbyMademoiselleIdiale，herincomprehensibleconnectionwiththistragedyacrosswhichhehadstumbled，andherapparentknowledgeofhisshareinit，-thesethingsweresufficient，indeed，togivehimfoodforthought。Laverickwasnotbynatureapessimist。Otherthingsbeingequal，hewouldhavemade，withoutdoubt，amagnificentsoldier，forhehadcourageofarareandhighorder。Itneveroccurredtohimtositandbrooduponhisowndanger。

Heratherwelcomedtheopportunityofoccupyinghismindwithotherthoughts。Yetinthosefewminutes，whilehewaitedforthebusinessofthe:daytocommence，helookedhisexactpositioninthefaceandherealizedmorethoroughlyhowgraveitreallywas。Howwashetofindawayout-tosethimselfrightwiththelaw？Whatcouldhedowiththosenotes？Theywerethereuntouched。Hehadonlymadeuseoftheminanindirectway。Theywerethereintact，ashehadpickedthemupuponthatfatefulnight。Wasthereanypossiblechancebymeansofwhichhemightdiscovertheownerandrestoretheminsuchawaythathisnamemightneverbementioned？

Hiseyesrepeatedlysoughtthatenvelopewhichlaybeforehim。

Insideitmustliethesecretofthewholetragedy。Shouldheriskeverythingandbreaktheseal，orshouldheriskperhapsasmuchandtellthewholetruthtoMademoiselleIdiale？Itwasastrangedilemmaforamantofindhimselfin。

Then，ashesatthere，thebusinessofthedaycommenced。Apileofletterswasbroughtin，thetelephonesintheouterofficebegantoring。Hethrustthesealedenvelopeintothebreast-pocketofhiscoatandbuttoneditup。There，forthepresent，itmustremain。

Heowedittohimselftodevoteeveryenergyhepossessedtomakethemostofthisgreattideofbusiness。Withsetfaceheclosedthedoorsupontheunrealworld，andtookholdoftheleverswhichweretoguidehispassagethroughtheoneinwhichhewasanactualfigure。

Hervisitwasnotaltogetherunexpected，andyet，whentheytoldhimthatMademoiselleIdialewasoutside，hehesitated。

"Itistheladywhowasheretheotherday，"hisheadclerkremindedhim。"Wemadearemarkablygoodchoiceofstocksforher。Theymustbeshowingnearlysixteenhundredpoundsprofit。Perhapsshewantstorealize。"

"Inanycase，youhadbettershowherin，"saidLaverick。

Shecame，bringingwithher，notwithstandingherblackclothesandheavyveil，theatmosphereofastrangeworldintohissomewhatseverelyfurnishedoffice。Herskirtsswepthiscarpetwithamusicalswirl。Shecarriedwithherafaint，indefinableperfumeofviolets，-aperfumealtogetherpeculiar，dedicatedtoherbyafamouschemistintheRueRoyale，andsuppliedtonootherpersonuponearth。Whoelsewasthere，indeed，whocouldhavewalkedthosefewyardsasshewalked？

Herosetohisfeetandpointedtoachair。

"Youhavecometoaskaboutyourshares？"heaskedpolitely。"Sofar，wehavenothingbutgoodnewsforyou。"

Sherecognizedthathespoketoherinthepresenceofhisclerk，andshewavedherhand。

"Womenwhowillcomethemselvestolookaftertheirpoorinvestmentsareanuisance，Isuppose，"shesaid。"ButindeedIwillnotkeepyoulong。AfewminutesareallthatIshallaskofyou。Iambeginningtofindcityaffairssointeresting。"