g nothing whatever, even now; and
when three seconds had passed Beatrice whirled abruptly on the only
other possible source of information present, which happened to be
Wilkins.

"You were here!" she said swiftly. "You answer me: who was the woman?"

"The--the woman, ma'am!" Wilkins repeated.

Beatrice came nearer and looked up at him, and there was that in her
eyes which sent Wilkins back a full pace.

"You--you creature!" Beatrice said. "What woman was in this apartment
last night?"

Now, as it chanced, Wilkins was far more intelligent than he looked.
Give him the mere hint to a situation and he could lumber through
somehow. Only a little while ago, when Hobart Hitchin came upon them, he
had caught the key to this affair--so he smiled quite confidently and
bowed.

"There was no woman here last night, ma'am," said Wilkins, "only Mrs.
Boller, the wife of that gentleman there!"

CHAPTER XII

The Crash

Now it was the turn of Beatrice to become rigid.

She did not even wink, those first few seconds. She looked straight at
Wilkins, searching his soul; and Wilkins, pleasantly conscious of having
done the right thing well, preserved his quiet, respectful smile and
wondered just which lady this newest might be.

He was telling the truth. He was telling the horrible, the incredible
truth--and although those eyes of Mrs. Boller's might have suggested
that she was capable of passionate murder if goaded far enough, they
belied her actions just now. One slim, white hand went to her throat for
a moment, as if to ease her breathing, but when she spoke her tone was
very low, very quiet indeed:

"Mrs. Boller was here?"

"Yes, madam!" Wilkins responded in round tones.

"All last night?"

"Er--yes, madam. She----"

Johnson Boller returned to life! Johnson Boller, with a thick, senseless
shout, bounded forward and landed directly between Wilkins and his
beloved as he snarled:

"Say, you--you lying dog! You----"

"Let him alone!" his wife said quickly. "Permit him to tell me the
truth!"

"He's not telling you the truth!" cried Johnson Boller. "He's lying!
He--why, Wilkins, I'll smash your face into so many nasty little pieces
that----"

"I beg pardon, sir!" Wilkins said hastily. "The--the lady was here----"

"There was no lady here!" Mr. Boller shouted.

Wilkins put up his hands.

"Well, the lady that was eating breakfast, sir, after a manner of
speaking," he stammered. "Her that was introduced as