ington reviewed the
situation. At any rate he could see no way out of the mess for the
present. He smoked his cigarette and ate his supper, and that being
done, a feeling of fatigue stole over him. Looking at his watch, he saw
that it was past one o'clock in the morning, a very late hour for him.

"I'll go to bed," Berrington told himself. "Perhaps I shall be able to
see a way out in the morning. On the whole my diplomacy does not seem to
have been a success. It would have been much better if I had not hinted
that I had taken somebody else into my confidence."

Despite his danger Berrington slept soundly. Bright sunshine was pouring
into the room through the little porthole in the iron shutter as he came
to himself. By his side was a cold breakfast, with a spirit lamp for the
purpose of making coffee. Berrington had hardly finished and applied a
match to a cigarette before he was startled by the scream of a whistle.
Looking around to see whence the sound came, his eyes fell upon a
speaking tube. His heart gave a great leap as it occurred to the
prisoner that perhaps Mary Sartoris was calling him. He crossed over and
pulled out the whistle at his end and answered promptly.

"Glad to hear that you have had a good night's rest," came the dry voice
of Sartoris. "The bed is comfortable, the sheets well aired, and I can
vouch for the quality of the cigars. By the way, as I have seen nothing
of your confederate I am confirmed in my previous judgment that you were
trying to bluff me. Is not that so?"

Berrington said nothing, silence giving consent. On the whole it
occurred to him it would be far better to let Sartoris conclude that he
was alone in the business.

"Very good," the dry voice went on; "you are like the curly-headed boy
in the song who never--or hardly ever--told a lie. Now there is one
little thing that I am going to ask you to do. And if you refuse I shall
be under the painful necessity of causing you a great deal of physical
suffering. On the table by the side of your bed you will find writing
paper, pen and ink. You will be so good as to write a letter to Miss
Beatrice Darryll or to Mrs. Richford--whatever you prefer to style
her--asking her to call upon you at the address which is stamped on the
head of the paper. You are to tell Miss Darryll that she is not to say
anything to anybody about the visit--that she is to come at ten o'clock
to-night or later. Tell her also that she is to bring the little bunch