man, his hair cut short, his face and figure wasted, so that the clothes
he wore hung on him. Her first feeling was one of revulsion. Her second
was an impulse of pity. James Meredith, for she guessed it was he,
appeared wretchedly ill. He swung round as she came in, and looked at
her intently, then, walking quickly towards her, he held out his thin
hand.

"Miss Beale, isn't it?" he said. "I'm sorry to meet you under such
unpleasant circumstances. Glover has explained everything, has he not?"

She nodded.

His deep-set eyes had a magnetic quality that fascinated her.

"You understand the terms? Glover has told you just why this marriage
must take place?" he said, lowering his voice. "Believe me, I am deeply
grateful to you for falling in with my wishes."

Without preliminary he walked over to where the parson stood.

"We will begin now," he said simply.

The ceremony seemed so unreal to the girl that she did not realise what
it portended, not even when a ring (a loosely-fitting ring, for Jack
Glover had made the wildest guess at the size) was slipped over her
finger. She knelt to receive the solemn benediction and then got slowly
to her feet and looked at her husband strangely.

"I think I'm going to faint," she said.

It was Jack Glover who caught her and carried her to the sofa. She woke
with a confused idea that somebody was trying to hypnotise her, and she
opened her eyes to look upon the sombre face of James Meredith.

"Better?" he asked anxiously. "I'm afraid you've had a trying time, and
no sleep you said, Mrs. Rennett?"

Mrs. Rennett shook her head.

"Well, you'll sleep to-night better than I shall," he smiled, and then
he turned to Rennett, a grave and anxious man, who stood nervously
stroking his little beard, watching the bridegroom. "Mr. Rennett," he
said, "I must tell you in the presence of witnesses, that I have escaped
from a nursing home to which I had been sent by the clemency of the
Secretary of State. When I informed you that I had received permission
to come to your house this morning to get married, I told you that which
was not true."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Rennett politely. "And, of course, it is
my duty to hand you over to the police, Mr. Meredith." It was all part
of the game. The girl watched the play, knowing that this scene was
carefully rehearsed, in order to absolve Rennett and his partner from
complicity in the escape.

Rennett had hardly spoken when there was a l