t me to remind you," he said, stretching out his hand for
it, "that it is addressed to me."

Her hands were behind her. She leaned over towards him.

"It can be addressed to you a thousand times over," she answered, "but
before I part with it I want to know what it means."

Borrowdean was thinking quickly. He wanted to gain time.

"I do not even know which document you have--purloined," he said.

"It is from Leeds," she answered, "and it is signed Polden. 'Parkins
found, has made statement, appears to-night.' Can you explain what this
means, Sir Leslie Borrowdean?"

Her voice was scarcely raised above a whisper, but there was a dangerous
glitter in her eyes. There were few traces left of the woman whom once
before he had found so easy a tool.

"I cannot tell you," he answered. "It is not an affair for you to concern
yourself with at all."

"Not an affair for me to concern myself about!" she repeated, leaning
a little over towards him. "Isn't it my husband against whom you are
scheming? Don't I know what low tricks you are capable of? Isn't this
another proof of it? Not an affair for me to concern myself about,
indeed! Didn't you worm the whole miserable story out of me?"

"My dear Mrs. Mannering!"

She checked a torrent of words. Her bosom was heaving underneath her lace
blouse. She was pale almost to the lips. The sudden and complete disuse
of all manner of cosmetics had to a certain extent blanched her face.
There was room there now for the writing of tragedy. Borrowdean, still
outwardly suave, was inwardly cursing the unlucky chance which had blown
the telegram her way.

"Might I suggest," he said, in a low tone, "that we postpone our
conversation till after breakfast time? The waiters seem to be favouring
us with a great deal of attention, and several of them understand
English."

She did not even turn her head. Thinner a good deal since her marriage,
she seemed to him to have grown taller, to have gained in dignity and
presence, as she stood there before him, her angry eyes fixed upon his
face. She was no longer a person to be ignored.

"You must tell me about this--or--"

"Or?" he repeated, stonily.

"Or I will make a public statement," she answered. "If you ruin my
husband's career, I can at least do the same with yours. Politics is
supposed to be a game for honourable men to play with honourable weapons.
I wonder if Lord Redford would approve of your methods?"

"You can go and ask him, my dea