ent in
Whitehall. Last winter she gave a series of dances at her house in
Knightsbridge, and the girls were invited in turns. Mr. Heredith was
present at one of these functions."

"So much I know," said Merrington.

"Then you are probably aware that Captain Nepcote was also present that
evening, and brought several other young officers with him. It was he
who introduced Philip Heredith to the girl whom he afterwards married."

"I knew Nepcote was a guest at one of the dances, but it is news to me
that he introduced the girl to young Heredith. Lady Vaughan did not tell
us this."

"Lady Vaughan did not know. I ascertained the fact later from one of the
guests who witnessed the introduction. I attach some importance to the
point. Last winter Philip Heredith and Nepcote were on fairly intimate
terms, working together in the same room at the War Office, and
sometimes going together to the houses of mutual friends. It was
evidently a case of the attraction of opposites."

"It must have been," replied Merrington emphatically. "I have had
inquiries made about Nepcote, and I should not have thought he would
have appealed to Mr. Heredith. There is nothing actually wrong so far as
we can learn, but he had the reputation, before the war, of a fast and
idle young man about town, with a weakness for women and gambling. He
came into a few thousands some years ago, but soon spent it. I imagine
that he has subsisted principally on credit and gambling since he
squandered his money, for he is certainly not the type of man to live on
his pay as an officer. As a matter of fact, he was in serious trouble
with the Army authorities recently for not paying his mess bills in
France. He was not brought up to the Army, and he has seen very little
active service. He got his captain's commission about twelve months
after the war commenced, when the War Office was handing out commissions
like boxes of matches, but he managed to keep under the Whitehall
umbrella until quite recently. He seems to have a bit of a pull
somewhere, though I cannot find out where. Perhaps it is his charm of
manner--everybody who knows him says he has a charming manner, though it
wasn't apparent to me that night I interviewed him at his flat."

"Perhaps he was too afraid to exercise it on that occasion," suggested
Colwyn, with a smile. "He must have thought that it was all up with
him."

"Have you discovered anything about Mrs. Heredith's antecedents?" asked
Merring