at her set
face he saw she was obdurate; and, recognising his defeat, said as calmly
as he could, for he felt raging:

'All right! Give me the paper!' Bending over the table he wrote. When
she took the paper, a look half surprised, half indignant, passed over
her face. Her watchful aunt saw it, and bending over looked also at the
paper. Then she too smiled bitterly.

Leonard had printed in the names! The feminine keenness of both women
had made his intention manifest. He did not wish for the possibility of
his handwriting being recognised. His punishment came quickly. With a
dazzling smile Stephen said to him:

'But, Leonard, you have forgotten to put the addresses!'

'Is that necessary?'

'Of course it is! Why, you silly, how is the money to be paid if there
are no addresses?'

Leonard felt like a rat in a trap; but he had no alternative. So
irritated was he, and so anxious to hide his irritation that, forgetting
his own caution, he wrote, not in printing characters but in his own
handwriting, addresses evolved from his own imagination. Stephen's eyes
twinkled as he handed her the paper: he had given himself away all round.

Leonard having done all that as yet had been required of him, felt that
he might now ask a further favour, so he said:

'There is one of those bills which I have promised to pay by Monday.'

'Promised?' said Stephen with wide-opened eyes. She had no idea of
sparing him, she remembered the printed names. 'Why, Leonard, I thought
you said you were unable to pay any of those debts?'

Again he had put himself in a false position. He could not say that it
was to his father he had made the promise; for he had already told
Stephen that he had been afraid to tell him of his debts. In his
desperation, for Miss Rowly's remorseless glasses were full on him, he
said:

'I thought I was justified in making the promise after what you said
about the pleasure it would be to help me. You remember, that day on the
hilltop?'

If he had wished to disconcert her he was mistaken; she had already
thought over and over again of every form of embarrassment her unhappy
action might bring on her at his hands. She now said sweetly and calmly,
so sweetly and so calmly that he, with knowledge of her secret, was
alarmed:

'But that was not a promise to pay. If you will remember it was only an
offer, which is a very different thing. You did not accept it then!' She
was herself somewhat desper