had rejoined his lady friends,
and the prisoner was once more in his cell.

XXV. AN UNEXPECTED ACCOMPLICE

Gurn was walking nervously up and down in his cell after this interview,
when the door was pushed open and the cheery face of the warder Nibet
looked in.

"Evening, Gurn," he said; "it's six o'clock, and the restaurant-keeper
opposite wants to know if he is to send your dinner in to you."

"No," Gurn growled. "I'll have the prison ordinary."

"Oh--ho!" said the warder; "funds low, eh? Of course, it's not for you
to despise our dietary, but still, Government beans----" He came further
into the cell, ignoring Gurn's impatient preference for his room to his
company, and said in a low tone: "There, take that," and thrust a
bank-note into the hand of the dumbfounded prisoner. "And if you want
any more, they will be forthcoming," he added. He made a sign to Gurn to
say nothing, and went to the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes: I'll
just go and order a decent dinner for you."

Gurn felt as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from him; the cell
seemed larger, the prison walls less high; he had an intuition that Lady
Beltham was not deserting him. He had never doubted the sincerity of her
feelings for him, but he quite realised how a woman in her delicate
position might feel embarrassed in trying to intervene in favour of any
prisoner, and much more so in the case of the one whom the entire world
believed to be the single-handed murderer of her husband. But now Lady
Beltham had intervened. She had succeeded in communicating with him
through the medium of this warder. And almost certainly she would do
much more yet.

* * * * *

The door opened again, and the warder entered, carrying a long rush
basket containing several dishes and a bottle of wine.

"Well, Gurn, that's a more agreeable sort of dinner, eh?"

"Gad, I wanted it after all," said the murderer with a smile. "It was a
good idea of yours, M. Nibet, to insist on my getting my dinner sent in
from outside."

Nibet winked; he appreciated his prisoner's tact; obviously he was not
one to make untimely allusions to the warder's breach of discipline in
conveying money to him so simply, but so very irregularly.

As he ate Gurn chatted with Nibet.

"I suppose it is you who will get Siegenthal's place?"

"Yes," said Nibet, sipping the wine Gurn had offered him. "I have asked
for the berth no end of times, but it n