one is mysterious. You must do it; I have arranged for your doing
it. The waiters here all know me as your wife. There is not the least
danger--unless, indeed, you are married already?" she added, with a
quick and angry suspicion.

"You need not be alarmed. I was not such a fool as to marry another
woman while you were alive--had I even seen one I would have cared to
marry. But what of Lady Devine? You say you have told her."

"I have told her to communicate with Mrs. Carr, Post Office, Torquay,
in order to hear something to her advantage. If you had been rebellious,
John, the 'something' would have been a letter from me telling her who
you really are. Now you have proved obedient, the 'something' will be
a begging letter of a sort which she has already received hundreds, and
which in all probability she will not even answer. What do you think of
that, Mr. Richard Devine?"

"You deserve success, Sarah," said the old schemer, in genuine
admiration. "By Jove, this is something like the old days, when we were
Mr. and Mrs. Crofton."

"Or Mr. and Mrs. Skinner, eh, John?" she said, with as much tenderness
in her voice as though she had been a virtuous matron recalling her
honeymoon. "That was an unlucky name, wasn't it, dear? You should have
taken my advice there." And immersed in recollection of their past
rogueries, the worthy pair pensively smiled. Rex was the first to awake
from that pleasant reverie.

"I will be guided by you, then," he said. "What next?"

"Next--for, as you say, my presence doubles the danger--we will contrive
to withdraw quietly from England. The introduction to your mother over,
and Mr. Francis disposed of, we will go to Hampstead, and live there for
a while. During that time you must turn into cash as much property as
you dare. We will then go abroad for the 'season'--and stop there. After
a year or so on the Continent you can write to our agent to sell more
property; and, finally, when we are regarded as permanent absentees--and
three or four years will bring that about--we will get rid of
everything, and slip over to America. Then you can endow a charity
if you like, or build a church to the memory of the man you have
displaced."

John Rex burst into a laugh. "An excellent plan. I like the idea of the
charity--the Devine Hospital, eh?"

"By the way, how did you find out the particulars of this man's life. He
was burned in the Hydaspes, wasn't he?"

"No," said Rex, with an air of pride.