ied Sir Lyster, his hand dropping from the
mantelpiece to his side.

For the fraction of a second the girl stood just inside the door;
then as the significance of Malcolm Sage's words dawned upon her,
the smile froze upon her lips, the blood ebbed from her face,
leaving it drawn and grey, and the notebook dropped from her fingers.
She staggered forward a few steps, then, clutching wildly at the
edge of the table, she swayed from side to side. With an obvious
effort she steadied herself, her gaze fixed upon her accuser.

Slowly Malcolm Sage raised his eyes, cold, grey, inflexible, and
fixed them upon the terrified girl.

The three Ministers appeared not yet to have realised the true
nature of the drama being enacted before them.

"Miss Blair," said Malcolm Sage quietly, "what are your relations
with Paul Cressit?"

Twice she essayed to speak, but no sound came.

"I--I--er--know him," she faltered at length.
"I wondered," said Malcolm Sage slowly.

"What does this mean, Mr. Sage?" enquired Sir Lyster.

"I will tell you," said Malcolm Sage, whilst Lord Beamdale placed a
chair into which Miss Blair collapsed. "Last night whilst you were
at dinner Miss Blair opened your safe with a duplicate key made from
a wax impression. She abstracted a valuable document, putting in its
place some sheets of blank paper." He paused.

"Go on," almost gasped Mr. Llewellyn John.

"She took the document to her room and hid it, a little uncertain as
to how she should get it to her accomplice. This morning she saw Sir
Lyster's note on the hall-table, and emboldened by the thought that
the theft had not been discovered, she cycled out to Odford and
posted the document to Paul Cressit at his chambers in Jermyn
Street." Again Malcolm Sage paused and drew from His pocket a note.

"In the envelope was enclosed this note." He handed to Mr. Llewellyn
John a half sheet of paper on which was typed:

"Paul, dearest, I have done it. I will ring you up to-morrow. I
shall ask for Tuesday off. You will keep your promise, dear, and
save me, won't you? If you don't I shall kill myself.--G."

"Miss Blair," said Sir Lyster coldly, "what have you to say?"

"N-nothing," she faltered, striving to moisten her grey lips.

"If you will tell the truth," said Malcolm Sage, "you still have a
chance. If not"; he paused significantly.

She gulped noisily, striving to regain her power of speech.

"You--you promise?" She looked across at Mr. Llewellyn Joh