terrible.

"I must apologise for this second intrusion, Mr. Ledsam," he said
cuttingly. "I think you will admit that the circumstances warrant it. Am
I to understand that you lied to me this morning?"

"You are to understand nothing of the sort," Francis answered. "I told
you everything I knew at that time of your daughter's movements."

"Indeed!" Sir Timothy murmured. "This little banquet, then, was
unpremeditated?"

"Entirely," Francis replied. "Here is the exact truth, so far as I am
concerned. I met your daughter little more than an hour ago, coming out
of a steamship office, where she had booked a passage to Buenos Ayres
to get away from me. I was fortunate enough to induce her to change
her mind. She has consented instead to remain in England as my wife. We
were, as you see, celebrating the occasion."

Sir Timothy laid his hat upon the sideboard and slowly removed his
gloves.

"I trust," he said, "that this pint bottle does not represent your
cellar. I will drink a glass of wine with you, and with your permission
make myself a pate sandwich. I was just sitting down to luncheon when I
received the information which brought me here."

Francis produced another bottle of wine from the sideboard and filled
his visitor's glass.

"You will drink, I hope, to our happiness," he said.

"I shall do nothing of the sort," Sir Timothy declared, helping himself
with care to the pate. "I have no superstitions about breaking bread
with an enemy, or I should not have asked you to visit me at The
Sanctuary, Mr. Ledsam. I object to your marriage with my daughter, and I
shall take what steps I can to prevent it."

"Why?"

Sir Timothy did not at once reply. He seemed to be enjoying his
sandwich; he also appreciated the flavour of his wine.

"Your question," he said, "strikes me as being a little ingenuous. You
are at the present moment suspecting me of crimes beyond number. You
encourage Scotland Yard detectives to make asses of themselves in my
stream. Your myrmidons scramble on to the top of my walls and try to
bribe my servants to disclose the mysteries of my household. You have
accepted to the fullest extent my volunteered statement that I am a
patron of crime. You are, in short--forgive me if I help myself to a
little more of this pate--engaged in a strenuous attempt to bring me to
justice."

"None of these things affects your daughter," Francis pointed out.

"Pardon me," Sir Timothy objected. "You are a great a