im, and freely accepted Montague Maynard's lavish
hospitality. He posed as a gallant gentleman, and paid attentions to
Violet which the gossips of the links and the tennis field described as
"marked." And then as suddenly as he had apparently caught fire he
apparently cooled. The spurious, perverted sense of duty which for a
week or two kept him loyal to his tempter was shattered by a stronger
force that would not be denied.

Violet's friendship, frankly given as to an equal properly accredited,
her winsome ways, the careless abandon of a girl who trusted and
evidently liked him, had conquered his heart.

Leslie Chermside was honestly in love with the woman whom he was pledged
to entrap for delivery like a bale of goods to that sinister Oriental
satyr, waiting in the palace at Sindkhote seven thousand miles away for
the fulfilment of his mission. By the irony of fate, his love for the
girl whom he had been hired to destroy was the first true passion of his
life, and by the same strange kink in fortune's chain the first effect
was to cause him to repress all semblance of love.

How could he do otherwise, when by no possibility could the suit of such
a penniless wastrel as himself be crowned with success? And as to
continuing his attentions on behalf of Bhagwan Singh--well, he felt that
he would cheerfully give many years of his life to wipe that vile
episode from the page of his memory. So for the past week he had just
drifted, avoiding any approach to more intimate relations, but loth to
leave altogether the shrine at which it had been balm to his bruised
heart to worship.

And now in some shape the end must come to the bitter-sweet interlude.
The appearance of the Jew Levison on the scene left no room for doubt
that if he refused to proceed with the Maharajah's dirty work, he would
not be allowed to strut in false feathers much longer.

"I can have but one answer for that swine to-morrow night, and then he
will take measures to wreak upon me Bhagwan Singh's revenge," he told
himself, as he quitted the marshland and struck into the road that
presently brought him to the lodge gates of the Manor House.

CHAPTER III

PRESAGE OF STORM

Ottermouth Manor was a place of importance in the county, and was only
let furnished because its noble owner possessed so many other seats in
different parts of the kingdom that for the moment he had no use for it.
It is a practical age, and no one is so highly placed that h