musement
at the cool way the man was now trying to save his face.

"Anyhow there's an end of it," Henshaw said with an air and gesture of
half scornfully dismissing the affair. "And so I bid you good afternoon."

As he walked towards the door Gifford intercepted him.

"Not quite so fast, Mr. Henshaw," he said resolutely. "We can't leave the
affair like this."

"What do you mean?" Henshaw ejaculated, with a look which was half
defiant, half apprehensive.

"You have heard my story," Gifford pursued with steady decisiveness,
"and have, I presume, accepted it."

"For what it is worth." The smart of defeat prompted the futile reply.

"That won't do at all," Gifford returned with sternness. "You either
accept the account I have just given you, or you do not."

There was something like murder in Henshaw's eyes as he replied, "This
bullying attitude is what I might expect from you. To put an end,
however, to this most unpleasant interview you may take it that I accept
your statement."

"To the absolute exoneration of Miss Morriston?"

"Naturally."

"I must have your assurance in writing."

Henshaw fell back a step and for a moment showed signs of an
uncompromising refusal. "You are going a little too far, Mr. Gifford,"
he said doggedly.

"Not at all," Gifford retorted. "It is imperatively necessary."

"Is it?" Henshaw sneered. "For what purpose?"

"For Miss Morriston's protection."

The sneer deepened. "I should have thought that purpose quite negligible,
seeing how valiantly the lady is already protected. But I have no
objection," he added in an offhand tone, "as you seem to distrust the
lasting power of bluff, to give you an extra safeguard. Indeed I think it
just as well, all things considered, that Miss Morriston should have it.
Give me a pen and a sheet of paper." Henshaw's manner was now the
quintessence of insolence, but Gifford could afford, although it cost him
an effort, to ignore it. With the practised pen of a lawyer Henshaw
quickly wrote down a short declaration, signing it with a flourish and
then flicking it across the table to Gifford. "That should meet the
case," he said, leaning back confidently and thrusting his hands into his
pockets. Dealing with one who, like himself, was learned in the law he
had, to save trouble, written a terse declaration which he knew should be
quite acceptable. It simply stated that from certain facts which had come
to his knowledge he was quite satisfied that his