over my eyes! And I don't mean to buy it back from you,
either, if that's your game. You can keep it, for all I care; it's
served its purpose now, and you won't get another penny from me!'

"Well, I wish you could have heard them, then!" Loretta continued,
with gusto. "They carried on terribly; the whole office could hear
them. It was as good as a play--the strange man, Paddington denying
right up to the last that he knew anything about the robbery, and Mr.
Mallowe accusing him, and threatening and bluffing it out for all he
was worth! But in the end, he paid the man some money, for I remember
he insisted on having the check certified, and the secretary himself
took it over to the bank. I don't know for what amount it was drawn."

"Why didn't you tell me that before, Loretta?" asked Anita,
reproachfully. "I mean, about the--the names Mr. Carlis called me, and
his suspicions. I wish I'd known it half an hour ago, when he
telephoned to me!"

"That's just why I didn't tell you, Miss Lawton!" responded Loretta,
with a flash of her white teeth.

"Mr. Blaine told me to report to him this afternoon, and I meant to,
but he didn't tell me to talk to anyone else, even you. When you asked
me to undertake this for you, you said I was to do just what Mr.
Blaine directed, and I've tried to. It was on the tip of my tongue to
tell you, but I thought I'd better not, at least until I had seen Mr.
Blaine. I was sure that if I said anything to you about it, you would
let Mr. Carlis see your resentment the next time he called, and then
he and Old Mr. Mallowe would get their heads together, and find out
that their suspicions of all of us girls were correct. You wouldn't
want that."

"Miss Murfree is quite right," Blaine interposed. "You must be very
careful, Miss Lawton, not to allow Mr. Carlis to discover that you
know anything whatever of that conversation--at least just yet."

"I'll try, but it will be difficult, I am afraid," Anita murmured. "I
am not accustomed to--to accepting insults. Ah! if Ramon were only
here!"

Wilkes, the butler, appeared at the door just then, with a card, and
Anita read it aloud.

"Mr. Mallowe."

"Oh, gracious, let me go, Miss Lawton!" exclaimed Loretta. "I've told
you everything that I can think of, and if he sees me, it will spoil
Mr. Blaine's plans, maybe?"

"Yes, he must not find you here!" the detective agreed hurriedly.
"I'll communicate with you at the club if I need you again, Miss
Murfree