let's drive on," Annesley begged, anxiously. "My husband knows Mr.
Van Vreck. They have business together. He won't want us."

The taxi was allowed to go on to the next place of interest. Annesley had
flung herself back in the seat, but she was not sure that Knight hadn't
seen her. She knew what powers of observation his quiet almost lazy
manner could hide.

This chance meeting took place on the way to the Grand Central Station,
where they met the Masons, and were joined almost at the last moment by
Knight, just as Annesley had begun to wonder if, after all, he were not
coming.

He was as calm as though there were no haste, and said he had been
delayed in collecting the luggage from the ship. He had a good deal to
say about that luggage; and what with thanks to the Waldos for books and
flowers and chocolates, and their kindness to Annesley, Mrs. Waldo (with
the best intentions) found no chance to mention Paul Van Vreck.

Annesley had not meant to refer to him, though seeing Knight come out of
his shut-up house had given her a shivering sense of mystery; but when
the train had started, Knight came to the door of her stateroom.

"There are one or two things I should like to speak to you about, if you
don't mind," he said, in the kind yet distant manner which had replaced
the old lover-like way when they were alone together.

"Come in," she replied, and added, lowering her voice: "Mr. and Mrs.
Mason are next door."

"They are too much in love to be thinking about us, or listening," he
answered; and Annesley imagined a ring of bitterness in his tone. "I've
come to talk over plans, but before we begin I want to explain something.
Once you made a guess in connection with Paul Van Vreck. Probably you
think that what you saw confirms it. Of course, the Waldos were telling
you whose house it was; and as luck would have it, I came out at that
instant.

"Whether there was anything in your guess or not doesn't matter. You're
too sensible to mention it to any one except me. But I can't have you
torturing yourself with the idea that such dealings as you imagine with
Van Vreck are still going on, if they ever did go on. Because I have
faith in your discretion, and because I owe it to you, I'm going to
explain why I went to Van Vreck's house this afternoon--why I was obliged
to go. I knew he would have got back from Florida. I hear from him
sometimes, and I had to tell him that any business I'd ever done for him
was done for t