kworth Crewe?'

'I don't think I ever heard the name.'

'Indeed? He is well acquainted with Miss. Lord. Some one he wouldn't
mention gave him all the particulars, having learnt them from Miss Lord
herself, and he thought it his duty to inform me of my niece's very
painful position.'

'Who is this man?' Tarrant asked abruptly.

'I am rather surprised you have never heard of him. He's a man of
business. My nephew, Mr. Horace Lord, is shortly to be in partnership
with him.'

'Crewe? No, the name is quite strange to me.'

Tarrant's countenance darkened; he paused for an instant, then added
impatiently:

'You say he had "all the particulars." What were they, these
particulars?'

'Will one be enough? A child was born at Falmouth, and is now at a place
just outside London, in the care of some stranger.'

The source of this information might, or might not, be Nancy herself. In
either case, there was no further hope of secrecy. Tarrant abandoned his
reserve, and spoke quietly, civilly.

'So far, you have heard the truth. What have you to ask of me, now?'

'You have been abroad for a long time, I think?'

'For about a year.'

'Does that mean that you wished to see no more of her?'

'That I deserted her, in plain words? It meant nothing of the kind.'

'You are aware, then, that she has taken a place in a house of business,
just as if she thought it necessary to earn her own living?'

Tarrant displayed astonishment.

'I am aware of no such thing. How long has that been going on?'

'Then you don't see her?'

'I have seen her, but she told me nothing of that.'

'There's something very strange in this, Mr. Tarrant. You seem to me to
be speaking the truth. No, please don't take offence. Before I saw you,
you were a total stranger to me, and after what I had heard, I couldn't
think very well of you. I may as well confess that you seem a different
kind of man from what I expected. I don't wish to offend you, far from
it. If we can talk over this distressing affair in a friendly way,
so much the better. I have nothing whatever in view but to protect my
niece--to do the best that can be done for her.'

'That I have taken for granted,' Tarrant replied. 'I understand that you
expected to meet a scoundrel of a very recognisable type. Well, I am
not exactly that. But what particular act of rascality have you in mind?
Something worse than mere seduction, of course.'

'Will you answer a disagreeable question? Are you