orrow."

At four o'clock Meldon led the rather embarrassed Simpkins up to
Ballymoy House. Miss King and Major Kent were sitting together on the
lawn, and were apparently getting on very well indeed. The greeting
between Mr. Simpkins and the Major was constrained and cold. Miss King
seemed to feel that the situation demanded tact. She suggested
ordering tea at once, and having it out of doors.

"Not for us, thanks," said Meldon. "The Major and I must be off at
once. We haven't a moment to delay."

Major Kent looked surprised, and seemed inclined to ask questions. He
resented the arrival of Simpkins, but he did not want to leave Miss
King so soon.

"I said this morning," said Meldon, "that we'd stop for tea; but since
then I find that I'm tied--in fact, we're both tied--to a most
important engagement, and must absolutely run if we are to be in time.
Come along, Major." He seized him by the arm as he spoke. "Good-bye,
Miss King. Good-bye, Simpkins. We'll see you both at Portsmouth Lodge
at ten to-morrow morning."

"I suppose, J. J.," said the Major, when Meldon, reaching the highroad,
slackened his pace--"I suppose that I'm being hustled about like this
so that Simpkins can have Miss King all to himself, but--"

"Exactly," said Meldon. "I may tell you, Major, that I now look upon
Simpkins as practically a dead man. I don't see how he can possibly
escape."

"What I was going to say," said the Major, "is that I think you are
mistaken about Miss King. She doesn't seem to me the least like a
criminal."

"Of course not. She wouldn't be the successful murderess she is if she
hadn't the manners and appearance of a very gentle and gracious lady.
That's what gives her the pull she has when it comes to the verdict of
a jury. You ought to know, Major, that the old Bill Sykes sort of
criminal, the brutalised-looking man with a huge jaw and a low
forehead, is quite out of date now. No one gets himself up in that
style who means to go in for serious crime. In a book published the
other day there was a composite photograph made up of the faces of
fifty or sixty criminals of the most extreme kind. I assure you that
the net result was an uncommonly good-looking man. That shows you the
truth of what I'm saying."

"In any case, J. J., setting aside her personal appearance and manner--"

"Your impression of her personal appearance. I wasn't taken in by it."

"She isn't the sort of woman you said she was. Sh