ave to pay Sandal back some cash."

"I'll do that. Maud will lend me the money. Does he want all?"

"Oh, a couple of thousand will shut his mouth. I'll not see you left.
It's all right, so sit up and don't shake there like a jelly."

"You're very kind to me," said Hay, faintly.

"Don't you make any mistake. So far as I am concerned you might stick in
the mud forever. I helped you, because I want you to help me. I'm in
want of money--"

"I'll give you some."

"Picked from that girl's pockets," said Aurora, dryly, "no, thank you.
It might dirty my fingers. Listen--there's a reward offered for the
discovery of the murderer of Aaron Norman. I want to get that thousand
pounds, and you can help me to."

Hay started to his feet with amazement. Of all the requests she was
likely to make he never thought it would be such a one. "Aaron Norman's
murder," he said, "what do you know of that?"

"Very little, but you know a lot."

"I don't, I swear I don't."

"Pish," said Miss Qian, imperiously, "remember I've got the whip-hand,
my boy. Just you tell me how Mrs. Krill came to strangle the--"

"Mrs. Krill?" Hay turned white again, and his eye-glass fell. "She had
nothing to do with the matter. I swear--"

"Strikes me you swear too much, Mr. Hay. What about that opal brooch you
stole from Beecot when he had the smash?"

"I didn't steal it. I never saw it at the time of the accident."

"Then you got that boy Tray to steal it."

"I knew nothing about the boy. Besides, why should I steal that opal
serpent brooch?"

"You wanted to buy it from Beecot, anyhow?"

Hay looked puzzled. "Yes, for a lady."

"Mrs. Krill?"

"I admit that Mrs. Krill wanted it. She had associations connected with
that brooch."

"I know," interrupted Aurora, glancing at the clock, "don't waste time
in talking of Lady Rachel Sandal's death--"

"How do you know about that?" stammered Hay, completely nonplussed.

"I know a mighty lot of things. I may as well tell you," added Miss
Qian, coolly, "since you daren't split, that I've got a lot to do with
the secret detective service business. I'm helping another to hunt out
evidence for this case, and I guess you know a lot."

The man quailed. He knew that he did not stand well with the police and
dreaded what this little fluffy woman should do. Aurora read his
thoughts. "Yes," she said, "we know a heap about you at the Scotland
Yard Office, and if you don't tell me all you know, I'll make things ho