ial when he spoke,
impenetrably self-possessed when he was silent. A lurking air of secret
service enveloped the fellow, like an atmosphere of his own, from head
to foot. He looked all round the magnificent room without betraying
either surprise or admiration. He closely investigated every person in
it with one glance of his cunningly watchful eyes. Making his bow to
Lady Janet, he silently showed her, as his introduction, the card that
had summoned him. And then he stood at ease, self-revealed in his own
sinister identity--a police officer in plain clothes.

Nobody spoke to him. Everybody shrank inwardly as if a reptile had
crawled into the room.

He looked backward and forward, perfectly unembarrassed, between Julian
and Horace.

"Is Mr. Julian Gray here?" he asked.

Julian led Grace to a seat. Her eyes were fixed on the man. She
trembled--she whispered, "Who is he?" Julian spoke to the police officer
without answering her.

"Wait there," he said, pointing to a chair in the most distant corner of
the room. "I will speak to you directly."

The man advanced to the chair, marching to the discord of his creaking
boots. He privately valued the carpet at so much a yard as he walked
over it. He privately valued the chair at so much the dozen as he sat
down on it. He was quite at his ease: it was no matter to him whether he
waited and did nothing, or whether he pried into the private character
of every one in the room, as long as he was paid for it.

Even Lady Janet's resolution to act for herself was not proof against
the appearance of the policeman in plain clothes. She left it to her
nephew to take the lead. Julian glanced at Mercy before he stirred
further in the matter. He alone knew that the end rested now not with
him but with her.

She felt his eye on her while her own eyes were looking at the man. She
turned her head--hesitated--and suddenly approached Julian. Like Grace
Roseberry, she was trembling. Like Grace Roseberry, she whispered, "Who
is he?"

Julian told her plainly who he was.

"Why is he here?"

"Can't you guess?"

"No!"

Horace left Lady Janet, and joined Mercy and Julian--impatient of the
private colloquy between them.

"Am I in the way?" he inquired.

Julian drew back a little, understanding Horace perfectly. He looked
round at Grace. Nearly the whole length of the spacious room divided
them from the place in which she was sitting. She had never moved
since he had placed her in a ch