ediately. She was a little penitent at her lack of
hospitality, but Jack had annoyed her and the more convincing he had
become, the greater had been the irritation he had caused. One question
he had to ask but he hesitated.

"About that will----" he began, but her look of weariness stopped him.

It was a very annoyed young man that drove back to the Hotel de Paris.
He had hardly gone before Lydia regretted her brusqueness. She liked
Jack Glover more than she was prepared to admit, and though he had only
been in Cap Martin for two days she felt a little sense of desolation at
his going. Very resolutely she refused even to consider his
extraordinary views about Jean. And yet----

Jean left her alone and watched her strolling aimlessly about the
garden, guessing the little storm which had developed in her breast.
Lydia went to bed early that night, another significant sign Jean noted,
and was not sorry, because she wanted to have her father to herself.

Mr. Briggerland listened moodily whilst Jean related all that she had
learnt, for she had been in the _salon_ at the National for a good
quarter of an hour before Jack had discovered her.

"I thought he would want her to make a will," she said, "and, of course,
although she has rejected the idea now, it will grow on her. I think we
have the best part of a week."

"I suppose you have everything cut and dried as usual," growled Mr.
Briggerland. "What is your plan?"

"I have three," said Jean thoughtfully, "and two are particularly
appealing to me because they do not involve the employment of any third
person."

"Had you one which brought in somebody else?" asked Briggerland in
surprise. "I thought a clever girl like you----"

"Don't waste your sarcasm on me," said Jean quietly. "The third person
whom I considered was Marcus Stepney," and she told him the gist of her
conversation with the gambler. Mr. Briggerland was not impressed.

"A thief like Marcus will get out of paying," he said, "and if he can
stall you long enough to get the money you may whistle for your share.
Besides, a fellow like that isn't really afraid of a charge of bigamy."

Jean, curled up in a big arm-chair, looked up under her eyelashes at her
father and laughed.

"I had no intention of letting Marcus marry Lydia," she said coolly,
"but I had to dangle something in front of his eyes, because he may
serve me in quite another way."

"How did he get those two slashes on his hand?" asked Mr. Bri