me?"

"Of course." Her expression grew curious. "Don't you?"

"No," he said excitedly. "Tell me."

But she hesitated. "I'm not sure I ought ..."

"Why not?"

"It's none of my affair--"

"But surely you must see ... Listen: I'll tell you about it." He
narrated succinctly the intrusion of the mysterious bandbox into his
ken, that morning. "Now, a note was promised; it must have miscarried.
Surely, there can be no harm in your telling me. Besides, I've a right
to know."

"Possibly ... but I'm not sure I've a right to tell. Why should I be a
spoil-sport?"

"You mean," he said thoughtfully--"you think it's some sort of a
practical joke?"

"What do you think?"

"_Hmm-mm_," said Staff. And then, "I don't like to be made fun of," he
asserted, a trace sulkily.

"You are certainly a dangerously original man," said Miss
Searle--"almost abnormal."

"The most unkindest slam of all," he murmured.

He made himself look deeply hurt. The girl laughed softly. He thought it
rather remarkable that they should enjoy so sympathetic a sense of
humour on such short acquaintance....

"But you forgive me?"

"Oh, yes," he said generously; "only, of course, I couldn't help feeling
it a bit--coming from _you_."

"From me?" Miss Searle sat up in her deck-chair and turned to him. "Mr.
Staff! you're not flirting with me?"

"Heaven forfend!" he cried, so sincerely that both laughed.

"Because," said she, sinking back, "I must warn you that Mrs. Ilkington
has been talking ..."

"Oh," he groaned from his heart--"damn that woman!"

There was an instant of silence; then he stole a contrite look at her
immobile profile and started to get up.

"I--Miss Searle," he stammered--"I beg your pardon ..."

"Don't go," she said quietly; "that is, unless you want to. My silence
was simply sympathetic."

He sat back. "Thank you," he said with gratitude; and for some seconds
considered the case of Mrs. Ilkington, not charitably but with murder in
his bosom. "Do you mean," he resumed presently, "she has--ah--connected
my name with--"

"Yes," nodded the girl.

"'Something lingering in boiling oil,'" he mused aloud, presently....
"What staggers me is how she found out; I was under the impression that
only the persons most concerned knew about it."

"Then it's true? You are engaged to marry Miss Landis? Or is that an
impertinent question?" Without pause the girl answered herself: "Of
course it is; only I couldn't help asking. Please for