Mr. Tredgold hesitated and looked serious. Mr. Chalk, somewhat dazed by
the events of the evening, blinked at him solemnly. Mr. Stobell withdrew
his head from the window and spoke.

"TWENTY-POUNDS!" he growled.

"Twenty pounds," repeated Miss Vickers, "or four hundred shillings, if
you like it better. If you wait a moment I'll make it pennies."

She leaned back in her chair and, screwing her eyes tight, began the
calculation. "Twelve noughts are nought," she said, in a gabbling
whisper; "twelve noughts are nought, twelve fours are forty--"

"All right," said Mr. Tredgold, who had been regarding this performance
with astonished disapproval. "You shall have the twenty pounds, but
there is no necessity for us to sign any paper."

"No, there's no necessity," said Miss Vickers, opening her small, sharp
eyes again, "only, if you don't do it, I'll find somebody that will."

Mr. Tredgold argued with her, but in vain; Mr. Chalk, taking up the
argument and expanding it, fared no better; and Mr. Stobell, opening his
mouth to contribute his mite, was quelled before he could get a word out.

"Them's my terms," said Miss Vickers; "take'em or leave'em, just as you
please. I give you five minutes by the clock to make up your minds; Mr.
Stobell can have six, because thinking takes him longer. And if you
agree to do what's right--and I'm letting you off easy--Mr. Tredgold is
to keep the map and never to let it go out of his sight for a single
instant."

She put her head round the side of the chair to make a note of the time,
and then, sitting upright with her arms folded, awaited their decision.
Before the time was up the terms were accepted, and Mr. Tredgold, drawing
his chair to the table, prepared to draw up the required agreement.

[Illustration: "Mr. Tredgold prepared to draw up the required
agreement."]

He composed several, but none which seemed to give general satisfaction.
At the seventh attempt, however, he produced an agreement which, alluding
in vague terms to a treasure quest in the Southern Seas on the strength
of a map provided by Miss Vickers, promised one-fifth of the sum
recovered to that lady, and was considered to meet the exigencies of the
case. Miss Vickers herself, without being enthusiastic, said that she
supposed it would have to do.

Another copy was avoided, but only with great difficulty, owing to her
criticism of Mr. Stobell's signature. It took the united and verbose
efforts of Messrs