var soon appeared. His mother had managed to inform him that the
substituted driver was responsible for the complete collapse of
Marigny's project, and he was puffing with annoyance, though well
aware that he must not display it.

"Well," said he, strutting up to Medenham and blowing a cloud of
cigarette smoke from his thick lips, "well, what is it, my man?"

For answer, Medenham disconnected a lamp and held it close to his own
face.

"Do you recognize me?" he asked.

Devar, in blank astonishment, affected to screw in his eyeglass more
firmly.

"No," he said, "nor am I particularly anxious to make your
acquaintance. You have behaved wather badly, I understand, but that is
of no consequence now, as Simmonds has bwought his car he-aw----"

"Look again, Devar. We last met in Calcutta, where you swindled me out
of fifty pounds. Unfortunately I did not hear of your presence in
South Africa until you were cashiered at Cape Town, or I might have
saved the authorities some trouble."

The man wilted under those stern eyes.

"Good gad! Medenham!" he stammered.

Medenham replaced the lamp in its socket.

"I am glad you are not trying any pretense," he said. "Otherwise I
would be forced to take action, with the most lamentable consequences
for you, Devar. Now, I will hold my hand, provided you obey me
implicitly. Send for your overcoat, go straight to the Central
Station, and travel to London by the next train. You can scribble some
excuse to your mother, but, if I have any cause even to suspect that
you have told her who I am, I shall not hesitate to put the police on
your track. You must vanish, and be dumb--for three months at least.
If you are hard up, I will give you some money--sufficient for a
fortnight's needs--and you can write to me for further supplies at my
London address. Even a rascal like you must be permitted to live, I
suppose, so I risk breaking the law myself by screening you from
justice. Those are my terms. Do you accept them?"

The red face had grown yellow, and the steel-gray eyes that were a
heritage of the Devar family glistened with terror, but the man
endeavored to obtain mercy.

"Dash it all, Medenham," he groaned, "don't be too hard on me. I'm
goin' stwaight now--'pon me honor. This chap, Marigny----"

"You fool! I offer you liberty and money, yet you try brazenly to get
me to fall in with your wretched designs against Miss Vanrenen! Which
is it to be--a police cell or the railway stati