esire I will let you know. I can find my own way to the door."

"Wait till Berrington returns," Sartoris urged. "He will not be long. He
is not in the house yet, but he will be sorry he has missed you."

Beatrice stood before the glass putting her hat on straight. She could
see over her shoulder in the direction of the door, and there in the
gloom with his finger to his lips stood Berrington. There was just a
suggestion of surprise in his eyes, surprise and annoyance, but the look
which he passed the girl was a command to keep herself well in hand. The
mere fact that help was so near gave her a new courage. She smiled as
she turned to Sartoris.

"Well, I am afraid that I must be going," she said. "Please tell the
Colonel when he comes in that I am sorry to have missed him. He will
understand that."

There was the faint click of a key in the front door, and two people
came noisily into the room. They were a young and handsome man and an
equally young and handsome woman, well dressed, smartly groomed, and
well bred. And yet, though they were strangers to Beatrice, they were at
the same time curiously familiar. The girl was trying to recall where
she had seen them both before.

"We are rather late," the man said with a wink at Sartoris. "Business
detained us. Yes, we are also rather hungry, having had no dinner to
speak of. Hullo, I say, look here. Do you mean to say that you are fool
enough to keep our photographs in our very last disguise?"

Something like an oath broke from Sartoris as he glanced at Beatrice.
The girl could not control herself for the moment; she could not hide
from Sartoris and the others that she knew now that she was in the
presence of Countess de la Moray and General Gastang in their proper
person.

"Those are not your photographs at all," Sartoris croaked. "As a matter
of fact I only got them from Paris to-day. If you will----"

The speaker paused as Beatrice was stepping towards the door. All of
them realised that she knew everything. Sartoris made a sign and the man
Reggie stood between Beatrice and the door.

CHAPTER XXXI

Somebody was knocking quietly at the door, and Sartoris had made no
effort to move. That was the situation in which we left Sartoris and
Berrington before Beatrice came. Nobody could have failed to notice that
he was greatly disturbed and agitated. With a feeling that he was going
to learn something, Berrington turned as if to leave the room.

"I am going