r myself it is impossible to tell how my stories will end until
the last chapter," he said.

Kara nodded.

"That would be so in the case of the average reader, but you forget that
I am a student. I follow every little thread of the clue which you leave
exposed."

"You should meet T. X.," said John, with a laugh, as he rose from his
chair to poke the fire.

"T. X.?"

"T. X. Meredith. He is the most ingenious beggar you could meet. We were
at Caius together, and he is by way of being a great pal of mine. He is
in the Criminal Investigation Department."

Kara nodded. There was the light of interest in his eyes and he would
have pursued the discussion further, but at the moment dinner was
announced.

It was not a particularly cheerful meal because Grace did not as usual
join in the conversation, and it was left to Kara and to her husband
to supply the deficiencies. She was experiencing a curious sense of
depression, a premonition of evil which she could not define. Again and
again in the course of the dinner she took her mind back to the events
of the day to discover the reason for her unease.

Usually when she adopted this method she came upon the trivial causes
in which apprehension was born, but now she was puzzled to find that a
solution was denied her. Her letters of the morning had been pleasant,
neither the house nor the servants had given her any trouble. She was
well herself, and though she knew John had a little money trouble,
since his unfortunate speculation in Roumanian gold shares, and she half
suspected that he had had to borrow money to make good his losses, yet
his prospects were so excellent and the success of his last book
so promising that she, probably seeing with a clearer vision the
unimportance of those money worries, was less concerned about the
problem than he.

"You will have your coffee in the study, I suppose," said Grace, "and
I know you'll excuse me; I have to see Mrs. Chandler on the mundane
subject of laundry."

She favoured Kara with a little nod as she left the room and touched
John's shoulder lightly with her hand in passing.

Kara's eyes followed her graceful figure until she was out of view,
then:

"I want to see you, Kara," said John Lexman, "if you will give me five
minutes."

"You can have five hours, if you like," said the other, easily.

They went into the study together; the maid brought the coffee
and liqueur, and placed them on a little table near the fire an