pon the table, and taking a piece of paper scribbled a
receipt.

"Better post that on to Rayne at once," he suggested. "My wife will be
here in a moment. We'll have lunch later on."

All that had already happened had so astonished me that I was only
slightly surprised at finding a few moments later that the lady I had
seen at Overstow Hall, and again a couple of hours before in the
vestibule of the hotel, was Duperre's wife. He must, I think, have
told her that we had met before, for she seemed in no way astonished
at Mr. Rayne's chauffeur being presented to her.

I found her a pleasant woman, well-read, well-educated and widely
travelled. She was, too, an excellent conversationalist. And yet, all
the time we were talking, I could not help thinking of Lola, and
wondering why Duperre's wife should be in such evidence at Overstow
Hall, indeed, apparently in authority there, also why Lola seemed to
be so afraid of her.

Half an hour later I posted the receipt to Rayne, and later we all
three lunched together in the restaurant. We took our coffee upstairs
in the private room, when Duperre said, _a propos_ of nothing,
suddenly looking across at his wife:

"Hargreave may be of great use to us, Hylda." Then, addressing me
again, he said, lowering his voice and glancing at the door:

"In becoming associated with 'The Golden Face,' Hargreave, you are
more fortunate than you may think. He's a man who can, and who will,
if he likes, help you enormously in all sorts of ways--you will find
that you are more to him than a mere chauffeur. In fact, we can both
help you, that is, if you fall in with our plans. Our only stipulation
will be that you do what we tell you--_without asking any questions_.
You understand--eh?"

"I suppose," I said, smiling, "that by 'The Golden Face' you mean Mr.
Rayne?"

"Yes. He's called 'Golden Face' by his intimates. I forgot you didn't
know. He got the nick-name through going to the Bal des Quatre Arts,
here in Paris, wearing a half-mask made of beaten gold."

By that time I had become convinced that both Rayne and Duperre were
men with whom I should have to deal with the utmost circumspection.

The only person I had met since I had engaged myself to Rayne in whom
I could, I felt, place implicit confidence, was Lola.

When we had finished our coffee, Duperre excused himself, saying that
he had some letters to write, and suggested that his wife should
accompany me for a taxi drive in the Bois