ace after this, and Hugh Rossiter entertained
them with a description of his adventures in Colorado, to which Malcolm
listened some-what absently; but once, when Colonel Godfrey had left
them for a moment together, the American broke off his story rather
suddenly.

"Look here, Mr. Herrick," he said quickly, "I want to give you a
straight tip. If the youngster will not listen to reason, and you find
yourself in a fix, just talk to the girl herself."

"To Miss Jacobi?" for he was naturally surprised at this piece of
advice.

"Yes, to the fair Leah herself. Oh, the girl is not so bad, considering
her antecedents and the way she has been educated. Think of her own
flesh and blood selling her to that son of Belial! Old Beelzebub, I
call him. No wonder she got a bit queer. Jacobi knows how to manage
her: she is fond of him, but she is afraid of him too. You will have to
get her alone, remember that."

"Oh, that's the difficulty. Besides, I am not on visiting terms with
the Jacobis."

"My good sir, what does that matter! I am to give you a straight tip,
am I not? Well, then, to the best of my knowledge Miss Jacobi is in
Kensington Gardens soon after ten every morning. She takes the dog for
an airing before her brother is up. Saul is a lazy beast," continued
Hugh Rossiter, "and is seldom down before mid-day. He takes his beauty
sleep when the rest of the world is at work."

Malcolm thanked Mr. Rossiter cordially for this advice, and then the
Colonel came back to them; but as they walked back to the house he
stole more than one glance at the young American. The thin brown face
was both intelligent and sagacious, and there was a keen, searching
look in the brown eyes.

Why was this stranger so anxious to help him, he wondered. Was it mere
good-humour and a wish to please, or had he any private reason of his
own for desiring to break off this engagement? Had Leah Jacobi's
strange beauty ensnared him too? He seemed to know her habits as though
he were a constant visitor in Gresham Gardens. But his cool, impassive
manner gave no clue to his feelings, and at this stage of the
proceedings Malcolm was not to be enlightened. They parted in the
friendliest manner. "Good luck to you, Mr. Herrick," he said cordially;
"don't forget my straight tip."

Mrs. Godfrey walked with Malcolm to the station. She wanted a few last
words, she said, and her mankind had had their innings.

"There is one thing you must do, if Cedric refuses to