ne was the girl who had been closeted the night before with
Carl Sartoris!

CHAPTER XXI

To go back for a space to Berrington. Heedless of his promise, he had
burst headlong into the dining-room whence the cry came. He had
forgotten altogether about Field. The fact half crossed his mind that
nobody knew of the presence of the inspector in the house, so that
anyway the latter's personal safety was not jeopardized.

It had been a foolish thing to do, as Berrington realised almost as soon
as his mind cleared. He had been somewhat badly mauled in the
preliminaries, and now it seemed to him that he was a prisoner in the
hands of these people. The only consolation that was left to him was the
fact that Field would come to his rescue in good time.

But Berrington was by no means done for yet. To begin with, there was
not the slightest trace of fear in his heart. He had been in too many
tight places before to have any emotion of that kind. He fell back
against the wall, panting for breath; he looked around him again for
some avenue of escape, but he could see none.

It was a curious scene, altogether, the elegantly furnished room, the
litter of glasses and china and crystal in one corner, the mysterious
outlined figure on the table. The glare of electric lights shone on the
faces of the men there, on the impudent features of the woman who had
posed as the Countess de la Moray, and on the pale, supplicating face
of Mary Sartoris. For a little time nobody said anything.

It was Mary Sartoris who was the first to speak. She crossed over to her
brother and held out her hand with a gesture of passionate supplication.

"It is all a mistake," she cried. "Colonel Berrington is under a
misapprehension. He imagines that something wrong is taking place here;
he has acted on the spur of the moment. He did not come to the house to
see anybody but me."

Sartoris grinned in evil fashion. Just for the moment he looked half
convinced.

"He comes in strange fashion," he said. "All the same, I have not the
least doubt of the value of Colonel Berrington's friendship so far as
you are concerned. But that is not the point. Did you admit your friend
Colonel Berrington to the house?"

For the fraction of a second a bold lie trembled on Mary's lips. But she
could not utter it. She looked down in confusion, and her face trembled.
Sartoris grinned in the same wicked fashion. A black rage was rising in
his heart.

"Good girl," he sne