dab
an illustrative patch of brown on either cheek. Then folding his arms
after the manner of the villain in British melodrama, he hissed forth
the words which had rung ceaselessly in Lessing's ears for the last
six weeks:

"Tr-r-r-aitor! The doom which you have postponed shall fall upon your
own head. At the hour when you least--"

Lessing seized his arm in a grip of steel.

"Silence! Terence, what does this mean? Do you dare to tell me that
it was _you_ who has made my life a torture all these--"

But Terence was not to be daunted. He twitched his arm away, and
defended himself with his usual energy.

"What's that--_torture_? What do _you_ mean by talking of torture?
Weren't you forever grousing about the dullness of life, and bemoaning
yourself because you couldn't have a taste of excitement? Weren't you
forever gassing about the thrill of danger, and boasting of your
adventurer's blood? Ought to be jolly thankful to me for giving you a
taste of the real gen-u-ine article! I dare you to say I didn't do it
uncommonly well, too. Very friendly action, I call it. You needed
someone to bring you to your senses. Mooning along, spoiling your own
life, and er--er--Hang it all--she _is_ my sister!" concluded Terence
with a touch of righteous indignation.

Lessing sat staring, a picture of stupefaction. The words were
understandable enough; he heard them with his ears, but his brain
refused to take in the meaning.

"_You_! It was you? _You_ came into that restaurant, sat at my
table--spilled that salt?"

"I did. I'd had one or two shots before that, but they didn't come
off, but the salt was a fair catch. You'd spun us that yarn more than
once--forgot that, didn't you? So I tried it, and you caught on like
an eel. The rest was as easy as falling off a log. Where else should
you go but Scotland Yard? I went on in advance, watched you out, and
trotted along in the rear, waiting for a suitable moment to give you
another thrill. Then I went home to bed! Got home a little quicker
than you did that night, sonny, I fancy! What?"

The rush of anger and humiliation which came at the remembrance of
that two hours of laborious dodging and turning did more to revive
Lessing than any amount of reassurement. He set his teeth, and
continued the cross-examination.

"And that night in the Square."

"Hang it, yes! That was m