im.

"Here, I couldn't get down to the Orange to-night. I've had a bit of
trouble with this girl."

The gas was flaring in the sitting-room by now, and the night, which
outside had been lightening for dawn, was black as ink upon the panes.

"Sit on the bed. The chairs are all full of her dirty clothes. I'll pull
the blinds down. I'm going to leave here to-morrow, Fane. Did you see
her going down the road? She must have passed you by. I tell you
straight, Fane, half an hour back I was in two minds to do her in. I
was, straight. And I would have, if ... Oh, well, I kept my temper and
threw her out instead. Gratitude! It's my belief gratitude doesn't exist
in this world. You sit down and have a smoke. He left some cigarettes
behind."

"Who did?" Michael asked sharply.

"Who did what?"

"Left these cigarettes."

"Oh, they're some I bought yesterday," said Barnes.

"I think it's just as well for you that you are going to-morrow morning.
I hope you quite realize that otherwise I should have turned you out."

"Well, don't look at me in that tone of voice," Barnes protested. "I've
had quite enough to worry me without any nastiness between old friends
to make it worse."

"You can't expect me to be pleased at the way you've treated my rooms,"
Michael said.

"Oh, the gas-stove, you mean?"

"It's not a question of gas-stoves. It's a question of living on a
woman."

"Who did?"

"You."

"If I'd had to live on her earnings, I should be very poorly off now,"
grumbled Barnes, in an injured voice.

Under Michael's attack he was regaining his old perkiness.

"At any rate, you must go to-morrow morning," Michael insisted.

"Don't I keep on telling you that I'm going? It's no good for you to nag
at me, Fane."

"And what about the woman?"

"Her? Let her go to----," said Barnes contemptuously. "She can't do me
any harm. What if she does tell the coppers I've been living on her?
They won't worry me unless they've nothing better to do, and I'll have
hooked it by then."

"You're sure she can't do you any harm?" Michael asked gravely. "There's
nothing else she could tell the police?"

"Here, what are you talking about?" asked Barnes, coming close to
Michael and staring at him fixedly. Michael debated whether he should
mention Cissie Cummings, but he lacked the courage either to frighten
Barnes with the suggestion of his guilt or to preserve a superior
attitude in the face of his enraged innocence.

"I shall come r