ile they stood waiting for
Lady Thurwell's victoria, he managed to say a word to her alone.

"I will come and see you," he whispered.

She looked up at him a little shyly, for in handing her into the
carriage he had assumed a certain air of proprietorship which had
brought a faint color into her cheeks.

"Come soon," she whispered. "Good-bye!"

She nodded brightly, and Lady Thurwell smiled as the horses started
forward, and the carriage drove away.

"I wonder who Mr. Maddison really is?" she said, half to herself, just
as they reached home.

Lady Thurwell shrugged her shoulders.

"Do you mean who his family are?" she asked. "My dear, it isn't of the
slightest consequence. Bernard Maddison is Bernard Maddison, and his
position would be just what it is, even though his father were a coal
heaver."

Which remark showed that Lady Thurwell, as well as being a woman of
society, was also a woman of sense. But Helen was not thinking of his
family.

CHAPTER XVIII

A CHEQUE FOR L1,000

It was ten o'clock in the morning, and the usual routine of business had
commenced in the office of Messrs. Levy & Son. Mr. Levy, senior, was
sitting at his desk opening his letters, and Mr. Benjamin, who had only
just returned from a long journey on business of the firm, and did not
feel inclined for office work, was leaning back in the client's chair,
with his feet up against the mantelpiece, and a partly smoked cigar in
his mouth. He had just finished a long account of his adventures, and
was by no means inclined to quit the subject.

"Altogether, dad," he was saying, "it's about the prettiest piece of
business we ever struck. But one thing is very certain. We must get some
more tin from Miss Thurwell. Why, I've been at it five months now, and
the expenses at some of those foreign hotels were positively awful. Not
knowing the confounded lingo, you see, I was forced to stump up, without
trying the knocking-off game."

"Yes, Benjamin. Yes, my son. We must certainly have some more of the
rhino. Your expenses have been positively e-normous, e-normous,"
declared the old man, with uplifted hands and eyes. "Some of your drafts
have brought tears into my eyes. Positively tears," he echoed
mournfully.

"Couldn't be helped, guv'nor. The thing had to be done."

"And you have got it nearly all in order now, Benjamin, eh? You've got
him under your thumb, eh? He can't escape?"

"Not he! Mark my words, dad. The rope's already woven