carpet.

"Is there any chance of two special licences being issued to marry the
same girl?" he asked.

"None--why do you ask?"

Beale did not reply immediately.

"Something Homo said last night when I told him frankly that I was
searching for Miss Cresswell. 'Oh,' said he, 'that's the lady that's
marrying the doctor.' He wouldn't tell me more. But he gave me an idea
to make sure that no special licence is issued to van Heerden. I shall
apply for one myself."

The lawyer stared at him.

"To marry the girl?" he gasped. "But----"

Stanford Beale laughed a little bitterly.

"Say, don't get up in the air, Mr. Kitson--I'm only thinking of Miss
Cresswell. A special licence in my name would stop one of van Heerden's
paths to easy money. Tell me, and this is what I came to ask you, under
Millinborn's will, does the husband benefit directly by the marriage, or
is he dependent upon what his wife gives him?'

"He benefits directly," said Kitson after a pause, "on his marriage he
receives exactly one-half of the girl's fortune. That was Millinborn's
idea. 'Make the husband independent,' he said, 'do not put him in the
humiliating position of dependence on his wife's generosity, and there
will be a chance of happiness for them both.'"

"I see--of course, van Heerden knows that. He has only to produce a
marriage certificate to scoop in two and a half million dollars--that is
half a million in English money. This is the secret of it all. He wants
money immediately, and under the terms of the will----?"

"He gets it," said Kitson. "If he came to me to-morrow with proof of his
marriage, even if I knew that he had coerced the girl into marriage, I
must give him his share--van Heerden was pretty thorough when he put my
dying friend through his examination." His face hardened. "Heavens, I'd
give every penny I had in the world to bring that fiend to the gallows,
Beale!"

His voice shook, and rising abruptly he walked to the window. Presently
he turned. "I think there is something in your idea. Get the licence."

"I will--and marry her," said Beale quickly.

"Marry her--I don't quite understand you?"

For the first time there was suspicion in his voice.

"Mr. Kitson, I'm going to put all my cards on the table," said Beale
quietly, "will you sit down a moment? There are certain facts which we
cannot ignore. Fact one is that Oliva Cresswell is in the hands of a man
who is absolutely unscrupulous, but has no other object in v