ly
in a fit of rage he plucked it from the hook and ground it face downward
upon his writing-table. It seemed to him almost monstrous that anything
so serene should be allowed any longer to exist. Immediately afterward
he thought that his action had been melodramatic, and shamefacedly he
put away the broken picture in a drawer.

Lily was in London: and Mrs. Smith was beneath him in this house. In
twenty years Lily might be sunk in such a pit, unless he were quick to
save her now. All through the night he kept waking up with the fancy
that he could hear the rosary rattling in that den beneath; and every
time he knew it was only the sound of the broken hasp on his window
rattling in the wind.

CHAPTER VI

TINDERBOX LANE

Next morning, when he woke, Michael made up his mind to leave Leppard
Street finally in the course of this day. He could not bear the thought
that he would only have to lean out of his window to see the actual roof
which covered that unforgettable den beneath him. He wondered what would
be the best thing to do with the furniture. It might be worth while to
install Barnes in these rooms and pay his rent for some months instead
of the salary which, now that Lily had been seen, was no longer a
justifiable expenditure. He certainly would prefer that Barnes should
never meet Lily now, and he regretted he had revealed her name. Still he
had a sort of affection for Barnes which precluded the notion of
deserting him altogether. These rooms with their simple and unmuffled
furniture, the green shelves and narrow white bed, would be good for his
character. He would also leave a few chosen books behind, and he would
write and ask Nigel Stewart to visit here from time to time. Michael
dressed himself and went upstairs to interview Barnes where he lay
beneath a heap of bedclothes.

"Oh, I daresay I could make the rooms look all right," said Barnes. "But
what about coal?"

"I shall pay for coal and light as well as the rent."

"I thought you'd find it a bit dismal here," said Barnes knowingly. "I
wonder you've stuck it out as long as you have."

"After February," Michael said, "I may want to come to some other
arrangement; but you can count on being here till then. Of course, you
understand that when the three months are up, I shan't be able to allow
you five pounds a week any longer."

"No, I never supposed you would," said Barnes, in a tone of resignation.

Michael hesitated whether to speak to hi