ons and the like. Suppose the law stepped in to
protect the rogue, as the law does sometimes. And Beatrice had something
else to do, for she had read Berrington's letter, and she had made up
her mind to go to Wandsworth without delay. But first of all she would
walk as far as the old family jewellers in Bond Street and deposit the
stones there. She had every faith in the head of the firm, whom the
family had dealt with for so many years.

No sooner had Beatrice stepped out of the hotel than Mary Sartoris came
back. She proceeded quietly up the stairs to find Adeline alone in the
room of her mistress. The girl blushed as Mary put the question that
rose naturally to her lips.

"I'm very sorry, miss," the girl stammered; "but I forgot all about your
message and the letter. I left the letter on the table, and my mistress
has just gone out."

"Did she get the letter before she went?" Mary asked quickly.

"Well, yes, I suppose so, miss," was the reply, "seeing that the letter
is no longer on the table. I suppose that my mistress has got it. She
must have done so, for the envelope is in the grate."

Sure enough, the envelope with the forged handwriting of Berrington upon
it lay in the grate. Mary was too mortified to speak for the moment,
besides there was no occasion to tell the maid anything.

"I'm sorry you were so careless," she said. "Did your mistress go out
alone?"

"I believe so," the contrite Adeline said. "She had a visitor, an old
clergyman who----"

But Mary was not listening, she was only thinking of Beatrice's danger.
At the same time she had a clear recollection of the old clergyman, for
he had pushed past her into the hotel at the moment when she was
leaving the building for the first time.

She went out into the street which was dark by this time. She would take
a cab to Wandsworth at once and get there before Beatrice came. But
there was no cab in sight, so that Mary had to walk some little way. At
the corner of the road she stopped and hesitated for a moment. Close by
stood the well-dressed couple who had imposed themselves upon Beatrice
under the guise of Countess de la Moray and General Gastang.

Whatever were they doing here, just now, Mary wondered? Just for the
moment it flashed across her mind that they were prying upon her
movements. But another idea occurred to her, as the two were accosted by
the old clergyman that Mary had seen before, and who had been a visitor
to Beatrice Richford suc