t be very quiet, and not from here."

"Anything, my darling, to see you happy once again."

The butler just then brought in a lamp, and they could see the love
light beaming from her eyes.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

AT THE SILENT DOCK.

Even as Percy Guest rushed at his friend's door to bring one foot
against the lock with all his might, he felt the futility of the
proceeding. For he knew how solid the old oak outer panels had been
made; but he did not pause, and as his foot struck against it there was
a dull sound--nothing more.

Guest drew back again, fully impressed by the hopelessness of his
proceedings, for the outer door opened toward him, and the effect of his
next thrust was only to drive it against the jamb.

He was recoiling again, with his muscles quivering from the violence of
his efforts, when Miss Jerrold caught his arm.

"Mr Guest," she said firmly, "this is madness. You will bring a crowd
of people about us, and only workmen could open that door."

Guest hesitated a moment or two.

"Stop!" he said. "His friend, Mr Brettison, is in the next chambers,
perhaps. I'll go and see."

"Come, Rebecca," said the admiral scornfully; "we have no business
here."

He held out his arm, but his sister thrust it away.

"Yes; we have business here," she said. "If, as Mr Guest suspects,
some accident has befallen Malcolm Stratton, would you care to meet Myra
without having been there?"

She whispered this to her brother while Guest had gone to Brettison's
door, at which he knocked sharply.

The admiral turned fiercely upon his sister, but she did not shrink.

"You know it's right," she said. "Be reasonable, Mark. Malcolm
Stratton could not have insulted us all like this."

"I can't make him hear," said Guest, after a second sharp summons at
Brettison's door. "I must fetch up a carpenter and make him force open
this door."

"You have no right to proceed to such violent measures, Mr Guest."

"Then I shall assume the right, sir. I believe that my friend lies
behind that door wounded or murdered for the sake of the money he had
ready for his wedding trip, and do you think I am going to stand on
punctilio at a time like this?"

Miss Jerrold looked very white and faint as she said quietly:

"He is quite right, Mark."

"Get workmen, then, in Heaven's name, sir, or the police."

Guest took a step toward the stairs, but turned again.

"I don't like the _expose_, sir," he said sharply. "There