bery took place
there; but it seemed to him now that the police must be aware that it
was so. The arrest had been made because of the robbery in Hertford
Street, and because of that arrest Mr. Benjamin had taken his
departure. Mr. Benjamin was too big a man to have concerned himself
deeply in the smaller matters which had then been stolen.

From Scotland Yard Lord George went direct to Hertford Street. He
was in want of money, in want of a settled home, in want of a future
income, and altogether unsatisfied with his present mode of life.
Lizzie Eustace, no doubt, would take him,--unless she had told her
secret to some other lover. To have his wife, immediately on her
marriage, or even before it, arraigned for perjury, would not be
pleasant. There was very much in the whole affair of which he would
not be proud as he led his bride to the altar;--but a man does not
expect to get four thousand pounds a year for nothing. Lord George,
at any rate, did not conceive himself to be in a position to do so.
Had there not been something crooked about Lizzie,--a screw loose, as
people say,--she would never have been within his reach. There are
men who always ride lame horses, and yet see as much of the hunting
as others. Lord George, when he had begun to think that, after the
tale which he had forced her to tell him, she had caused the diamonds
to be stolen by her own maid out of her own desk, became almost
afraid of her. But now, as he looked at the matter again and again,
he believed that the second robbery had been genuine. He did not
quite make up his mind, but he went to Hertford Street resolved to
see her.

He asked for her, and was shown at once into her own sitting-room.
"So you have come at last," she said.

"Yes;--I've come at last. It would not have done for me to come up to
you when you were in bed. Those women down-stairs would have talked
about it everywhere."

"I suppose they would," said Lizzie almost piteously.

"It wouldn't have been at all wise after all that has been said.
People would have been sure to suspect that I had got the things out
of your desk."

"Oh, no;--not that."

"I wasn't going to run the risk, my dear." His manner to her was
anything but civil, anything but complimentary. If this was his
Corsair humour, she was not sure that a Corsair might be agreeable to
her. "And now tell me what you know about this second robbery."

"I know nothing, Lord George."

"Oh, yes, you do. You know somet