erything to be quite real--and
a little too well satisfied with her place, even on what we paid
her. But of course is she has been supplementing her salary with
private-detective work for you--"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I suppose you were foolish enough to give her one of your private
numbers," she said a trifle acidly. "Which will mean that you will be
paying her a modest blackmail all the rest of your life, and you'll
probably have to provide for her in your will. Oh, I know Elizabeth!
She'll be perfectly secret--if she's paid for it--she'll never make you
willing to risk the scandal by asking for more than just enough. But
if this is the way you carry on all your confidential investigations,
Sargent--well, it's fortunate you have large means--"

"She doesn't know who I am."

"Oh Sargent, Sargent! When all she has to do is to subscribe to 'Town
and Country.' Or call up the number you gave her, some time, and ask
where it is."

"There are the strictest orders about nobody but myself ever answering
the telephones in my private office."

"And servants are always perfectly obedient--and there are no stupid
ones--and accidents never happen. Sargent, really--"

"That doesn't matter. I didn't come here to talk about Elizabeth."
"Really? I should think you might have. I could have given you all
the information you required a good deal less expensively--and now, I
suppose, I'll have to think up some way of getting rid of Elizabeth as
well. I can't pay her off with one of my new dresses this time--"

"_Who is he?_"

"Suppose we start talking about it from the beginning, Sargent--?"

"_Where_ is he?"

"In the dining-room, I imagine. It wouldn't be very well bred of anyone,
would it, to come out and be introduced in the middle of this very loud,
very vulgar quarrel that you are making with me--"

"I'm going to see."

"No, Sargent."

"Let me pass, Rose!"

"I will not. Sargent, I will not let you make an absolute fool of
yourself before my friends before you give me a chance to explain--"

"I will, I tell you! I will! _Let me go!_"

They were struggling undignifiedly in the center of the room, her firm
strong hands tight over his wrists as he pawed at her, trying to wrench
himself away. Mr. Piper was a gentleman no longer--nor a business
man--nor a figure of nation-wide importance--he was only a small furious
figure with a face as grey and distorted as a fighting ape's who was
clutching at the woman in