ell
Birchill I want to see him to-morrow, and I'll come to the flat about 9
o'clock. Tell him an old friend named Field wants to see him. Don't
forget the name--Field!' Then he locked the gate and was gone before I
could speak a word.

"I gave Fred his message next morning--I wish to God that I hadn't," she
continued. "I asked Fred not to keep the appointment, but he insisted on
doing so. He said that he and Field had been good friends in the gaol,
and that Field had told him that if he ever got on to anything he would
let him know. He seemed quite pleased at the idea of meeting Field again.
I told him to beware that Field wasn't laying a trap for him, but he
wouldn't listen to me.

"Sure enough, Field--or Hill as he calls himself now--did come over
that evening and I let him in myself. I took him into the sitting-room
where Fred was, and I sat down in a corner of the room pretending to read
a book so that I could hear what our visitor had to say. But the cunning
old devil whispered something to Fred, and Fred came over to me and asked
if I'd mind leaving them alone for half an hour. I didn't mind so much
because I knew I could get it all out of Fred after Hill had gone.

"He remained shut up with Fred for nearly two hours and then I heard Fred
letting him out of the front door. Fred came in to me, and I soon got the
strength of it all from him. What do you think Hill had come for? To get
Fred to burgle Sir Horace's house! And Fred had agreed to do it. I cried
and I stormed and went into hysterics, but he wouldn't budge--you know
how obstinate he can be when he likes. He said that Hill had told him
there was a good haul to be picked up. Sir Horace was going to Scotland
for the shooting, and the servants were to be sent to his country house,
so the coast would be clear. Hill was to leave everything right at
Riversbrook on the afternoon of the 18th of August, and he was to come
across to the flat and let Fred know.

"Hill came, as he promised, but as soon as he came in I could see that
something had happened. The first words he said were that Sir Horace had
returned unexpectedly from Scotland. I was glad to hear it, for I thought
that meant that there would be no burglary. I said as much to Fred, and
he would have agreed with me, but that devil Hill was too full of
cunning. 'Of course, if you're frightened, we'd better call it off,' he
said. Fred had been drinking during the day, and you know what he's like
when he's