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a table in a corner of the restaurant, a suspicious-looking glass in front of him and a most dismal expression on his face. Just as I reached him I saw Mr. Clarke coming in at the other end, but I paid no attention to him.

"Mr. Armitage, I want you to come with me at once, on business which is to you almost a matter of life and death."

He looked at me as if amazed, which was not odd. I fancy I seemed pretty excited, and my acquaintance with him was of the slightest. But I gave him no chance to talk. Almost before he knew it, I was sailing down the room with him at my side. We encountered Mr. Clarke, who tried to stop us.

"Armitage, there's something which I've got to say to you."

I gave him no chance either.

"Then you'll have to have something. Mr. Armitage has business which won't permit of an instant's delay."

And I bore that young man right past him. I daresay they both of them thought I was mad. I was conscious that Mr. Clarke was looking after us as if he would like to bite me, but did not dare; he did not even dare to try to speak to Mr. Armitage again. I believe Mr. Armitage did ask some questions, but he got no answers; I took him at such a pace to my hotel that he had not time to ask many. I had arranged with Mrs. Curtis that she should carry off the girl to her private sitting-room. As I opened the door, with the young gentleman in tow, she came out, and she slipped into my hand what I knew to be a wad of notes. Then I showed Mr. Armitage into the room, and when he saw the girl and the girl saw him their faces were a study.

Off I went, without any preamble, as hard as I could to the point.

"I have no time to waste in explanations—at least, not now; I merely want you to understand that owing to circumstances over which I have practically no control I know all about you—and that's all. I believe, Mr. Armitage, that you have some regard for this young lady, whose name I don't happen to know, except that it's Margery. Is it correct that you have a regard for her?"

The bewildered look with which that young man regarded me, as if he wondered if something had happened to the foundations of the world!

"I have only the pleasure of knowing you very slightly, Miss Lee; I'm afraid I don't understand——"

I stopped the flow of his eloquence with a wave of my hand.

"We shall be able to talk about all that later. In the meanwhile, may I ask you to inform me if you have a regard for this young lady? You'll find it worth your while to say just 'Yes' or 'No.' I know you are supposed to be engaged to Miss Drawbridge, but that doesn't matter. Will you please answer my question?"

"I don't know what use you intend to make of the information, but I have no objection, since you appear to know already, to telling you that Miss Stainer is dearer to me than anything else in the world."

"I knew it, but I preferred to get the fact from you. Without thrusting myself too much upon your confidence, may I ask, Miss Stainer—I should prefer to call you Margery, but as it seems your name is Stainer——"

"Please call me Margery," she murmured—just murmured; I could see the words better than I could hear them.

"May I ask, Margery, if you have in the least degree any feeling of the same kind for Mr. Armitage?"

She did not answer—she looked at me. I don't know what she saw on my face, but she seemed to see something which induced her to draw close and take my right hand in both of hers, and—that was all; but I understood; as I immediately made clear.

"That being the case, it is evidently desirable that you should be married at the earliest possible moment"—you should have seen their faces—"and a friend has placed funds at my disposal which will enable you to do so. Please don't speak, not yet. Mr. Armitage, you've been doing something disgraceful; I'm ashamed of you. How much do you owe that man Clarke?"

That bewildered look on his face increasing; he seemed all eyes.

"How do you know I owe him anything? Has he been telling you?"

"He has not; and I'm the only one who is to ask questions. You can ask all you like later on, but at present please content yourself with answering mine. How much money do you owe that objectionable Clarke person?"

"It was eight hundred, but now he makes it out to be a thousand."

I did not ask what hold the man had over him, not out loud; but I daresay the question was formulated in my brain. I cannot explain how it was, but I seemed to see the answer In his eyes, or somewhere: "He's got a forged acceptance." And it gave me such cold shivers down my back that I went hurrying on.