SIXTEEN

A BOLD STROKE

Cleek stood a moment holding the burnt label between his thumb and
forefinger and regarding it silently, his face a blank as far as any
expression of his feelings was concerned. Then, of a sudden, his gaze
transferred itself to one of the two other labels which, like this one,
had escaped entire destruction by the fire; and carefully picking them
up, he laid them inside his pocket notebook, gave a casual, offhand
sort of glance at the windows of Lord St. Ulmer's room, and then quietly
resumed his sauntering walk in the direction of the house.

[Illustration]

The twilight was now so rapidly fading that it might be said to be all
but dark when he reached the main entrance to the building and found one
of the footmen busily engaged in lighting up the huge electric
chandelier which served to illuminate the broad hallway of the Grange.
But neither the General nor any of the ladies was visible, all, as he
correctly surmised, being engaged in the matter of dressing for dinner.

"Pardon me, sir," said the footman, turning at the sound of his step as
he came in, "I was just about to step out into the grounds to ascertain
if you might not, by chance, have lost yourself or failed to hear the
dressing gong, sir. It is quite half an hour since Miss Lorne requested
me to be on the lookout for you, and I was getting anxious."

"Extremely kind of you, I must say," said Cleek serenely. "But never
give yourself any uneasiness upon my account so long as I remain here. I
am given to taking my time on all occasions, my man. I think out all the
plots of my novels prowling about in silence and alone, and an
interruption is apt to destroy a train of thought forever." And having
thus given the man an idea that he was an author--and accounted
beforehand for any possible need for prowling about the place when the
others were asleep--he went further, and gave him half a crown to salve
his injured feelings, and won in return for it something which he would
have held cheaply bought at a sovereign.

"Now tell me," he went on, "why did Miss Lorne ask you to be 'on the
lookout' for me? Has anything extraordinary occurred?"

"Oh, no indeed, sir," replied the footman with a full half-crown's worth
of urbanity; the generosity of the gentleman had touched him on his
weakest part. "You see, sir, it being the butler's evening off, and Mr.
Harry having been called away before any arrangements were made with
regard to your s