, and yet scarcely
middle-aged; not a repulsive face; indeed, rather attractive in a
way, except for a certain hardness of expression which told of lost
illusions. And as she took my coat and hat, I noticed that the little
finger of her left hand was missing.

"This way, sir," she said, and motioned me into a room at the right.
"Mrs. Magnus will be down in a minute."

I heard her step recede along the hall, and then somewhere a clock
struck eight. As the sound died away the rustle of skirts came down
the stair, and Mrs. Magnus appeared in the doorway. Her panic of the
morning had passed, and she was perfectly self-controlled.

"Ah, Mr. Lester," she said, "you are prompt. You have the money?" she
added in a lower tone.

"Yes," I answered, and then stopped, for I fancied I heard a stealthy
footstep at the door.

"Let us go up to the study. We will be more comfortable there," and
she led the way out into the hall.

I was close at her heels, and looked quickly to right and left. But
there was no one in sight.

Mrs. Magnus went before me up the stair, turned toward the front of
the house in the hall above, and ushered me into a small room which
seemed to have been fitted up as an office. Its principal piece of
furniture was a massive, roll-top desk. The top was up at the moment,
and disclosed rows of pigeon-holes, some full of papers and some
empty. Below them were the usual small drawers. The desk was one of
the largest I have ever seen, and I wondered how it had been got into
the room. An office chair of the usual swing type stood in front of
it.

Something told me that this was _the_ desk. It stood in one corner of
the room; not closely in the corner, but at an angle to it, its back
touching the wall on either side and leaving a little triangle of
space behind it. The reason of this was evident enough, for, placed
in this way, the person sitting at the desk got the advantage of
the light from the window at his right, and also the heat from the
fireplace at his left.

The thought flashed through my mind that, before I placed the money on
the desk, I would take occasion to glance over into the space back of
it.

"Sit down, Mr. Lester," said Mrs. Magnus, and herself drew up a chair
to one side of the fireplace, where a wood fire crackled cheerily,
throwing out a warmth just strong enough to be grateful on this damp
evening. "The money is in that bag?"

"Yes," I said. "I have it in hundred-dollar bills--five p