town by the next morning's train. Then, having
introduced the ladies to each other, he left them and went to his own
chambers in King's Bench Walk. Arrived there he stooped at the keyhole,
finding some trifle or other there opposing his latch-key. The key-hole
was half-filled with putty. Barndale never lost his temper. 'Some genius
takes this for a joke, I suppose,' he murmured philosophically, and
proceeded by the aid of a pocket corkscrew to clear the keyhole. He had
just succeeded when a hand was laid familiarly upon his shoulder.
He turned and saw a stranger clean-shaven, calm, and in aspect
business-like.

'Mr. Barndale, I think?' said the familiar stranger.

'Yes,' said Barndale, looking down at him in a somewhat stately way, in
resentment of the familiar hand upon his shoulder.

'We'll do our little bit of business inside, sir, if _you_ please.'

Barndale looked at him again inquiringly, opened the door, walked in,
and allowed the stranger to follow. The man entered the room and stood
before Barndale on the hearthrug. He had one hand in the breast of his
coat; and somehow, as Barndale looked at him, he bethought him of the
Greek who had stood with his hand at his breast in the Concordia Garden
glaring at Leland.

'I hope you'll take it quietly,' said the clean-shaven man, 'but it's
got to be done, and will be done whether you take it quietly or not. I'm
an officer, and it's my duty to arrest you.'

There passed rapidly through Barndale's mind the remembrance of a
disputed wine-bill, and the service of some legal document which he had
thrown into the fire without reading.

He connected the clean-shaven stranger with these things, and was
tickled at the idea of being arrested for some such trifle as a hundred
pounds. He was so far tickled that he laughed outright.

'Come,' said Barndale, still smiling, 'this is absurd. I'll give you a
cheque at once. Are you empowered to give a receipt?'

The clean-shaven stranger regarded him with a cool, observant, wary eye.

'It's my duty to arrest you,' he said again quietly, 'and I hope you'll
come quietly and make no fuss about it.'

'My good man,' said Barndale, 'you can't arrest me if I pay the money.'

'Come, come, come, sir,' said the official, with calm superiority in
his tone; 'that's all very well and very pretty, but it's Mr. Leland's
affair that I want you for, sir.'

'Mr. Leland's affair?' said Barndale.

'That little attempted murder the night befor