s. Clover didn't know about it; but that's your doing. Our friend,
Mr. C., wouldn't thank you."

"He knows, then, does he?" cried Polly.

"Mr. C. knows a great many things, my dear. He was not born yesterday.
Now, see here, Polly. We're both of us in this, and we'd better be
straight with each other. I am no friend of Mr. C., but I am a friend
of yours, and if you can help me to get a bit tighter hold of him--Yes,
yes, I'll tell you presently. The question is, Whether I can depend
upon what he says? Of course, I know all about you; I want to know more
about him. Now, is it true that you saw him first at the theatre?"

Polly nodded, and Gammon congratulated himself on his guess.

"And--he wasn't alone?"

"No."

"Just what I thought."

"He says he was alone--eh?" asked Polly with eagerness.

"I guess why. Now who was with him, old girl?"

A moment's sulky hesitation and Polly threw away all reserve.

"There was two ladies--if they were ladies; at all events, they was
dressed like it. Oldish, both of 'em. One was a foreigner. I know that
because I heard her speak; and it wasn't English. The other one spoke
back to her in the same way, but I heard her speak English too. And she
was the one as sat next to him."

"Good, Polly, we're getting on. And how did you notice him?"

"Well, it was like this," she began to narrate with vivacity. "I
offered him a programme--see?--and he gave me half a sovereign and
looked up at me, as much as to say he'd like change. And I'd no sooner
met his eyes than I knew him. How could I help? He don't look to have
changed a bit. And I saw as he knew me. I saw it by a queer sort of
wink he give. And then he looked at me frightened like--didn't he just!
Of course, I didn't say nothing, but I kept standing by him a minute or
two. And I'd forgot all about the change till he said to me, with a
sort of look, 'You may keep that,' he said, and I says, 'Thank you,
sir,' and nearly laughed."

"Not a bad tip, eh, Polly?"

"Oh, I've had as good before," she replied, with a brief return to the
old manner.

"No doubt he enjoyed himself that evening. He kept spying round for
you, didn't he?"

"I saw him look once or twice, and I give him a look back, but I
couldn't do much more then; I said to myself I'd keep my eye on him to
see if he came out after the first act. And sure enough he did, and
there was me standing in his way, and he put his hand out to give me
something, and just nodded and w