nst Doctor van Heerden, that I regard him as a rival, a
business rival let us say, or that I have some secret grudge against
him, and if in place of that suspicion you would believe that I am
serving a much larger interest than is apparent to you, I think we might
discuss"--he smiled--"even Doctor van Heerden without such a discussion
giving offence to you."

She laughed.

"I am really not offended. I am rather distressed, if anything," she
said, knitting her brows. "You see, Doctor van Heerden has always been
most kind to me."

Beale nodded.

"He got you your rooms at the flats," he replied quietly; "he was also
ready to give you employment the moment you were providentially
discharged from Punsonby's. Does it not strike you, Miss Cresswell, that
every kind act of Doctor van Heerden's has had a tendency to bring you
together, into closer association, I mean? Does it not appear to you
that the net result of all the things that might have happened to you in
the past few days would have been to make you more and more dependent
upon Doctor van Heerden? For example, if you had gone into his employ as
he planned that you should?"

"Planned!" she gasped.

His face was grave now and the laughter had gone out of his eyes.

"Planned," he said quietly. "You were discharged from Punsonby's at
Doctor van Heerden's instigation."

"I will not believe it!"

"That will not make it any less the fact," said Mr. Beale. "You were
nearly arrested--again at Doctor van Heerden's instigation. He was
waiting for you when you came back from Punsonby's, ready to offer you
his job. When he discovered you had already engaged yourself he
telephoned to White, instructing him to have you arrested so that you
might be disgraced and might turn to him, your one loyal friend."

She listened speechless. She could only stare at him and could not even
interrupt him. For her shrewd woman instinct told her so convincingly
that even her sense of loyalty could not eject the doubt which assailed
her mind, that if there was not truth in what he was saying there was at
least probability.

"I suggest even more," Beale went on. "I suggest that for some purpose,
Doctor van Heerden desires to secure a mental, physical and moral
ascendancy over you. In other words, he wishes to enslave you to his
will."

She looked at him in wonder and burst into a peal of ringing laughter.

"Really, Mr. Beale, you are too absurd," she said.

"Aren't I?" he smiled. "I