e doing," he said genially.

Iris watched him with uneasy eye. The sight of a newspaper was dreadful
to her: yet she always eagerly scanned those that came under her
notice. Lying now on the dry turf, she was able to read one page whilst
Dyce occupied himself with another. Of a sudden she began to shake;
then a half-stifled cry escaped her.

"What is it?" asked her husband, startled.

"Oh, look, Dyce! Look at this!"

She pointed him to a paragraph headed: "Disappearance of a City Man."
When Lashmar had read it, he met his wife's anguished look with
surprise and misgiving.

"You've had a precious narrow escape. Of course this is nothing to
_you_, now?"

"Oh but I'm afraid it is--I'm afraid it is, Dyce--"

"What do you mean? Didn't you get everything out of his hands?"

"I thought it was safe--I left it till we were back at home--"

Lashmar started to his feet, pale as death.

"What? Then all your money is lost?"

"Oh, surely not? How can it be? We must make inquiries at once--"

"Inquiries? Inquiries enough have been made, you may depend upon it,
before this got into the papers. Why, read! The fellow has bolted; the
police are after him; he has robbed and swindled right and left. Do you
imagine _your_ money has escaped his clutches?"

They stood face to face.

"Dear, don't be angry with me!" sounded from Iris in a choking voice.
"I am not to blame--I couldn't help it--oh don't look at me like that,
dear husband!"

"But you have been outrageously careless! What right had you to expose
us to this danger? Ass that I was ass, _ass_ that I was! I wanted to
speak of it, and my cursed delicacy prevented me. What right had you to
behave so idiotically?"

He set off at a great speed towards Dawlish. Iris ran after him, caught
his arm, clung to him.

"Where are you going? You won't leave me?"

"I'm going to London, of course," was his only reply, as he strode on.

Running by his side, Iris told with broken breath of the offer of
marriage she had received from Wrybolt not long ago. She understood now
why he wished to marry her; no doubt he already found himself in grave
difficulties, and saw this as a chance either of obtaining money, or of
concealing a fraud he had already practised at her expense.

"Why didn't you fell me that before?" cried Lashmar, savagely. "What
right had you to keep it from me?"

"I ought to have told you. Oh, do forgive me! Don't walk so quickly,
Dyce! I haven't the strength to ke