entered she gave him one swift glance and then looked away.

"Do you wish to see me, Mrs. Eustace?" he asked in a cold, formal voice.

She did not reply at once, but sat with her head bowed and her hands
loosely clasped in her lap.

"If you will say what you wish to as quickly as you can, I shall be
obliged," he said. "Brennan is in the office, and I have some matters to
arrange with him."

Her head was raised slowly, steadily, until her face was turned full
towards him.

"Will you please arrange them first?" she replied. "I want to say
something which may take some time, and I--I would not inconvenience the
bank."

"I would rather hear what you have to say first, Mrs. Eustace."

She shook her head.

"It is not a matter I can sum up in a few brief sentences," she replied.
"If you cannot arrange things with Brennan and then come to me here,
pray forget I mentioned anything about it."

He moved uneasily as she averted her face and sat back in her chair.

"I will see what I can do," he said shortly, and left the room.

When he returned to the office he found Brennan talking to Bessie, who
had brought him some supper and a couple of blankets with which to make
a bed on the floor. Brennan nodded towards them as Bessie disappeared.

"You know the idea of my being here at all, don't you?" he asked.

"To tell you the truth, I don't," Harding replied.

"The Sub-Inspector fancies someone may try to get back to learn what he
can about our doings. You know who will most likely be asked, and so you
see what it means when, as soon as I am here, and before I say a word
about staying, these things are brought in. As if there is likely to be
any sleep for me with the chance of the Sub-Inspector riding up any hour
and catching me off duty. But it shows what's in the wind, doesn't it?"

"Mrs. Eustace has asked me to discuss something with her," Harding said
quietly. "She knows you are here to-night."

"Oh, yes, Mr. Harding. She knows that, I've no doubt, but how did she or
the girl know I was to be on duty here all the night? Don't you see?
Supposing the Sub-Inspector is right, and a certain person we know wants
to hear all that had happened since he went away, is he likely to come
while I am here? It is not difficult to put a lighted lamp in a window,
or to leave a blind pulled up or drawn down, is it? Anything of the kind
is enough to give him a warning that the coast is clear or that there is
danger ahead."

"Oh, bu