want money for? I want
it, that's enough--What else will you ask?"

"What was the deal you expected money from yesterday?"

"A stock exchange business."

"What sort of business?"

She crimsoned with anger.

"I haven't come to talk of that. I came as a friend to ask you for help.
If you refuse, well, there that ends it."

"Oh, no, it doesn't," said he. "I want to ask you a question."

"Well, ask it."

"It's just a simple question."

"Go on."

"You expected to receive fifteen hundred pounds yesterday?"

"I did."

"Did you expect to receive it from Mr. A. S. Voles?"

He saw at once that she was guilty. She half rose from her chair, then
she sat down again.

"What on earth do you mean?" she cried.

"You know quite well what I mean," replied he, "you would have had
fifteen hundred of Voles' takings on those letters. You heard last night
I had refused to part. He was only your agent. There's no use in denying
it. He told me all."

Her face had turned terrible, white as death, with the rouge showing on
the white.

"It is all untrue," she stuttered. "It is all untrue." She rose
staggering. He did not want to pursue the painful business, the pursuit
of a woman was not in his line. He went to the door and opened it for
her.

"It is all untrue. I'll write to you about this--untrue."

She uttered the words as she passed out. He reckoned she knew the way to
the hall door, and, shutting the door of the room, he turned to the fire
place.

He was not elated. He was shocked. It seemed to him that he had never
touched and handled wickedness before, and this was a woman in the
highest ranks of life!

She had trapped Rochester into making love to her, and used Voles to
extort eight thousand pounds from him on account of his letters.

She had hypnotized Rochester like a fowl. She was that sort. Held the
divorce court over him as a threat--could Humanity descend lower? He
went to "Who's Who" and turned up the P's till he found the man he
wanted.

Plinlimon: 3rd Baron, created 1831, Albert James, b. March 10th 1862. O.
S. of second Baron and Julia d. of J. H. Thompson, of Clifton, m.
Sapphira. d. of Marcus Mulhausen, educ. privately. Address The Roost,
Tite Street, Chelsea.

Thus spake, "Who's Who."

"I bet my bottom dollar that chap's been in it as well as she," said
Jones, referring to Plinlimon, Albert James. Then a flash of humour lit
the situation. Voles had returned eight thousand pounds; as an agent