s--your friend makes her."

Lydia was a very thoughtful girl for the rest of the evening; she was
beginning in a hazy way to see things which she had not seen before. Of
course Jean never said anything against Jack Glover. And yet she had
succeeded in arousing this youth to fury against the lawyer, and Lydia
realised, with a sense of amazement, that Jean had also made her feel
bad about Jack. And yet she had said nothing but sweet things.

When she got back to the flat that night she found that Mr. Jaggs had
not been there all the evening. He came in a few minutes after her,
wrapped up in an old army coat, and from his appearance she gathered
that he had been standing out in the rain and sleet the whole of the
evening.

"Why, Jaggs," she said impulsively, "wherever have you been?"

"Just dodging round, miss," he grunted. "Having a look at the little
ducks in the pond."

"You've been outside the theatre, and you've been waiting outside Niro's
Club," she said accusingly.

"Don't know it, miss," he said. "One theayter is as much like another
one to me."

"You must take your things off and let Mrs. Morgan dry your clothes,"
she insisted, but he would not hear of this, compromising only with
stripping his sodden great coat.

He disappeared into his dark room, there to ruminate upon such matters
as appeared of interest to him. A bed had been placed for him, but only
once had he slept on it.

After the flat grew still and the last click of the switch told that the
last light had been extinguished, he opened the door softly, and,
carrying a chair in his hand, he placed this gently with its back to the
front door, and there he sat and dozed throughout the night. When Lydia
woke the next morning he was gone as usual.

Chapter XVII

Lydia had plenty to occupy her days. The house in Curzon Street had been
bought and she had been a round of furnishers, paper-hangers and fitters
of all variety.

The trip to the Riviera came at the right moment. She could leave Mrs.
Morgan in charge and come back to her new home, which was to be ready in
two months.

Amongst other things, the problem of the watchful Mr. Jaggs would be
settled automatically.

She spoke to him that night when he came.

"By the way, Mr. Jaggs, I am going to the South of France next week."

"A pretty place by all accounts," volunteered Mr. Jaggs.

"A lovely place--by all accounts," repeated Lydia with a smile. "And
you're going to have a hol