nt."

Matthews gesticulated with his arm round the room.

"All these people, excepting the officer there, are waiting to
see him, Miss, and he's got a dinner engagement at eight..."

"It is urgent, Mr. Matthews, I tell you. If you won't take my
name in, I shall go in myself!"

"Miss Mackwayte, I daren't interrupt him now. Do you know who's
with him...?"

Strangwise crossed the room to where Barbara was standing.

"I can guess what brings you here, Miss Mackwayte," he said
gently. "I hope you will allow me to express my condolences...?"

The girl shrank back, almost imperceptibly, yet Strangwise, whose
eyes were fixed on her pale face, noticed the spontaneous recoil.
The sunshine seemed to fade out of his debonair countenance, and
for a moment Barbara Mackwayte saw Maurice Strangwise as very few
people had ever seen him, stern and cold and hard, without a
vestige of his constant smile. But the shadow lifted as quickly
as it had fallen. His face had resumed its habitually engaging
expression as he murmured:

"Believe me, I am truly sorry for you!"

"Thank you, thank you!" Barbara said hastily and brushed past
him. She walked straight across the room to the door of the
Chief's room, turned the handle and walked in.

The room was in darkness save for an electric reading lamp on the
desk which threw a beam of light on the faces of two men thrust
close together in eager conversation. One was the Chief, the
other a face that Barbara knew well from the illustrated papers.

At the sound of the door opening, the Chief sprang to his feet.

"Oh, it's Miss Mackwayte," he said, and added something in a low
voice to the other man who had risen to his feet. "My dear," he
continued aloud to Barbara, "I will see you immediately; we must
not be disturbed now. Matthews should have told you."

"Chief," cried Barbara, her hands clasped convulsively together,
"you must hear me now. What I have to say cannot wait. Oh, you
must hear me!"

The Chief looked as embarrassed as a man usually looks when he is
appealed to in a busy moment by an extremely attractive girl.

"Miss Mackwayte," he said firmly but with great courtesy, "you
must wait outside. I know how unnerved you are by all that you
have gone through, but I am engaged just now. I shall be free
presently."

"It is about my father, Chief," Barbara said in a trembling
voice, "I have found out what they came to get!"

"Ah!" said the Chief and the other man simultaneousl