er of the room was a man, a white-faced, sickly looking man
with a head too big for his body. His hands were above his head, his
lower lip trembled in terror.

Mr. Beale was searching him with thoroughness and rapidity.

"No gun, all right, put your hands down. Now turn out your pockets."

The man said something in a language which the girl could not
understand, and Mr. Beale replied in the same tongue. He put the
contents, first of one pocket then of the other, upon the table, and the
girl watched the proceedings with open eyes.

"Hello, what's this?"

Beale picked up a card. Thereon was scribbled a figure which might have
been 6 or 4.

"I see," said Beale, "now the other pocket--you understand English, my
friend?"

Stupidly the man obeyed. A leather pocket-case came from an inside
pocket and this Beale opened.

Therein was a small packet which resembled the familiar wrapper of a
seidlitz powder. Beale spoke sharply in a language which the girl
realized was German, and the man shook his head. He said something which
sounded like "No good," several times.

"I'm going to leave you here alone for awhile," said Beale, "my friend
and I are going downstairs together--I shall not be long."

They went out of the flat together, the little man with the big head
protesting, and she heard their footsteps descending the stairs.
Presently Beale came up alone and walked into the sitting-room. And then
the strange unaccountable fact dawned on her--he was perfectly sober.

His eyes were clear, his lips firm, and the fair hair whose tendencies
to bedragglement had emphasized his disgrace was brushed back over his
head. He looked at her so earnestly that she grew embarrassed.

"Miss Cresswell," he said quietly. "I am going to ask you to do me a
great favour."

"If it is one that I can grant, you may be sure that I will," she
smiled, and he nodded.

"I shall not ask you to do anything that is impossible in spite of the
humorist's view of women," he said. "I merely want you to tell nobody
about what has happened to-night."

"Nobody?" she looked at him in astonishment. "But the doctor----"

"Not even the doctor," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "I ask you
this as a special favour--word of honour?"

She thought a moment.

"I promise," she said. "I'm to tell nobody about that horrid man from
whom you so kindly saved me----"

He lifted his head.

"Understand this, Miss Cresswell, please," he said: "I don't want you