was devilish."

He got up with a sudden jerk from his chair, and stood by the fire. Even
the telling of that moment had set beads of moisture on his square, low
forehead.

"At last she spoke again.

"'I wonder if you'd mind coming in for a minute to help me see if Johnny
really is in the house?' she said.

"I don't know what I should have done--refused, I believe, refused her
with an oath, for I began to feel mad; but just at that instant up came
the cat once more, purring like fury, and lifting up his tail. He made
straight for me, and began to rub himself against my legs again.

"'Oh!' said Miss Bassett, 'there he is! Naughty Johnny, naughty boy!
Lord Inley, perhaps you'd be so good as just to lif t him up and put him
inside the door for me. I always have such a job to get him to come
in of a night. He likes hunting in the woods. Doesn't he, the naughty
Johnny?'

"'Now's my chance to get rid of her!' I thought.

"I bent down, picked the cat up, and went along the path towards the
cottage, Miss Bassett following close behind me. The cat was an immense
beast, awfully heavy, and just as I turned out of the yew path to go up
to the cottage door he began struggling to get away, and scratching.
I held on to him, but it wasn't easy, and I got my hand torn before
I dropped him down inside the little hall. Away he ran, towards the
kitchen, I suppose. Miss Bassett was very grateful, but I cut her
gratitude short.

"'Very glad to have been able to help you,' I said. 'Good-night.'

"'Good-night, Lord Inley,' she said.

"I thought her voice sounded a little bit odd when she said that, and
I just glanced at her funny old face, lit up by the lantern she was
holding in one mittened hand. She didn't look at me this time as she had
in the garden. Then I went out, and she immediately shut the door.

"'Thank God!' I thought, and I hurried to the wicket. I didn't dare stay
in the garden now. Seeing her had made me realise my blackguardism in
coming in at all, considering my reason. I resolved to hide in the field
at the corner where the road turns off to Charfield. As I opened the
wicket, instinctively I put my hand into my pocket for my revolver."

He bent down, looking full into my eyes.

"It wasn't there."

"Miss Bassett!" I exclaimed.

"In a moment I realised that Miss Bassett must have grasped the
situation; that her asking me to carry in her cat was a ruse, and that
while the beast was struggling between my hands