few moments?"

"I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head, "but I am alone in the flat, so
I can't ask you to come in."

This was a bad beginning.

"Is it not possible for you to come out?" he asked anxiously, and in
spite of herself, she smiled.

"I'm afraid it's quite impossible for me to go out with somebody I have
never met before," she said, with just a trace of amusement in her eyes.

"I recognise the difficulty," laughed Tailing. "Here is one of my cards.
I'm afraid I am not very famous in this country, so you will not know
my name."

She took the card and read it.

"A private detective?" she said in a troubled voice. "Who has sent you?
Not Mr.----"

"Not Mr. Lyne," he said.

She hesitated a moment, then threw open the door wider.

"You must come in. We can talk here in the hall. Do I understand Mr. Lyne
has not sent you?"

"Mr. Lyne was very anxious that I should come," he said. "I am betraying
his confidence, but I do not think that he has any claim upon my loyalty.
I don't know why I've bothered you at all, except that I feel that you
ought to be put on your guard."

"Against what?" she asked.

"Against the machinations of a gentleman to whom you have been----" he
hesitated for a word.

"Very offensive," she finished for him.

"I don't know how offensive you've been," he laughed, "but I gather you
have annoyed Mr. Lyne for some reason or other, and that he is determined
to annoy you. I do not ask your confidence in this respect, because I
realise that you would hardly like to tell me. But what I want to tell
you is this, that Mr. Lyne is probably framing up a charge against
you--that is to say, inventing a charge of theft."

"Of theft?" she cried in indignant amazement. "Against me? Of theft? It's
impossible that he could be so wicked!"

"It's not impossible that anybody could be wicked," said Tarling of the
impassive face and the laughing eyes. "All that I know is that he even
induced Mr. Milburgh to say that complaints have been made by Milburgh
concerning thefts of money from your department."

"That's absolutely impossible!" she cried emphatically. "Mr. Milburgh
would never say such a thing. Absolutely impossible!"

"Mr. Milburgh didn't want to say such a thing, I give him credit for
that," said Tarling slowly, and then gave the gist of the argument,
omitting any reference, direct or indirect, to the suspicion which
surrounded Milburgh.

"So you see," he said in conclusion, "that y