d turned away from her. She felt her heart beat
painfully fast, for it was clear that a disaster of some kind had
befallen him, though a large part of her anxiety sprang from the
question how far the fact was likely to affect herself. He moved away
from the table, and went towards the stairway at the further end of the
hall, and she followed him a few minutes later. He was sitting by an
open window when she reached their room. A candle flickered beside him
and a little bundle of papers was clenched in one hand.

"What is it, Harry?" she asked.

He looked up at her, and his voice sounded hoarse. "I'll try to tell
you later," he answered. "There's a dinner to be got through, and it
will be a big enough effort to sit it out. Slip away as soon as you
can afterward without attracting attention. You'll find me on the
terrace."

He dismissed her with a wave of his hand, and she turned towards the
little dressing-room. When she came out again he had gone, leaving his
outdoor clothing scattered on the floor.

The dinner that followed was an ordeal to Millicent, but she took her
part in the conversation, and glanced towards her husband only now and
then. He did not eat a great deal, and though he spoke when it seemed
necessary, she noticed the trace of unsteadiness in his voice. At
last, however, the meal, which seemed to drag on interminably, was
finished and as soon as possible she slipped out upon the terrace where
she found Leslie leaning against a seat. The moon which had risen
higher was brighter now, and she could see his face. It showed set and
somber in the pale silvery light.

"Well?" she said impatiently. "Can't you speak?"

"I'll try," he answered. "Winkleheim Reef Explorations went down to
four and six pence to-day, and as there's 5 shillings a share not paid
up, it's very probable that one wouldn't be able to give the stock away
before the market closes to-morrow."

"Ah," replied Millicent sharply, "didn't you tell me that they were
worth sixteen shillings not very long ago? Why didn't you sell them
then?"

"Because, as it seems to me now, my greediness was greater than my
judgment. I wanted twenty shillings, and I thought I saw how I could
get it." He paused with a little jarring laugh. "As a matter of
fact--strange as it may seem--I believed in the thing. That is why I
let them send out their independent expert, and held on when the stock
began to drop. At the worst, I'd good reasons