into one of the streets leading
from it he entered one of the tall buildings of expensive flats.
Declining the porter's offer of the lift, he went quickly up the stairs,
which, unlike those of Brown's Buildings, were carpeted and well-lit,
and rang the bell of a flat on the second floor.

"Lord Heyton in?" he inquired of the servant. "Yes, I know he is," he
added quickly, as he caught the scent of a cigarette. "Is he alone? All
right, don't trouble to announce me." He walked quickly across the
passage, entered a room and, closing the door behind him, turned the key
in the lock.

A young man was sprawling in a low chair before the fire. He was a
good-looking young man, very fair, with rather thin hair, parted in the
middle; his eyes were blue and somewhat prominent, his mouth weak and
sensual; he was in evening-dress, and presented a definite type of the
young man about town.

As he turned his head at the click of the lock and saw his visitor, his
face flushed hotly, his under-lip drooped, his eyes opened widely, and
he clutched at the arms of the chair. Fear was written all over him in
large letters. There was silence for a moment or two; then, with a catch
of his breath, he rose and involuntarily muttered the other man's name.
He also held out his hand; but Dene, ignoring it, seated himself on the
table and, pointing to the chair, said, curtly, but without anger:

"Sit down, Heyton. Sit down. Yes; I've come. You didn't expect to see
me. You thought you had got rid of me? Well, I'm going right enough; but
I wanted a word or two with you first."

Lord Heyton dropped back into the chair and, covertly wiping the sweat
from his face, which was white now, glanced from Dene to the fire, then
back again; but his eyes could get no higher than Dene's waistcoat.

"I--I suppose you've come to kick up a row, to bully me?" he said,
sullenly.

"Not at all," retorted Dene, coolly. "If I had wanted to kick up a row,
to bully you--in other words, to round on you and show you up, I should
have come before, the moment I knew how you had--sold me. Yes, that's
the word; sold me."

"I--I was hard driven," said Heyton, almost inaudibly. "I tell you that,
if I hadn't been able to put my hand on the money, I should have been
ruined. A man in my position can't stand being declared a defaulter.
I--I thought it would be all right; that my father would have stumped
up; but he left England for some beastly place abroad; where, I don't
kno