and patted her fat
breast with her fat hand, as though to give herself courage. "It is not
like a gentleman to say that another gentleman's his friend when he
ain't," she said, with an attempt at dignity.

"Very true," answered Lucian, with great composure, "but you know the
saying, 'All is fair in love and war.' I will be plain with you, Mrs.
Bensusan," he added, "I am here to seek possible evidence in connection
with the murder of Mr. Vrain, in No. 13, on Christmas Eve."

Mrs. Bensusan gave a kind of hoarse screech, and stared at Lucian in a
horrified manner.

"Murder!" she repeated. "Lord! what mur--that murder! Mr. Vrain! Mr.
Vrain--that murder!" she repeated over and over again.

"Yes, the murder of Mr. Vrain in No. 13 Geneva Square on Christmas Eve.
Now do you understand?"

With another gasp Mrs. Bensusan threw up her fat hands and raised her
eyes to the ceiling.

"As I am a Christian woman, sir," she cried, "I am as innocent as a babe
unborn!"

"Of what?" asked Lucian sharply.

"Of the murder!" wept Mrs. Bensusan, now dissolved in tears. "Rhoda
said----"

"I don't want to hear what Rhoda said," interrupted Lucian impatiently,
"and I am not accusing you of the murder. But--your house is at the back
of No. 13."

"Yes," replied Mrs. Bensusan, weeping like a Niobe.

"And a fence divides your yard from that of No. 13?"

"I won't contradict you, sir--it do."

"And there is a passage leading from Jersey Street into your yard?"

"There is, Mr. Denzil; it's useful for the trades-people."

"And I daresay useful to others," said Lucian drily. "Now, Mrs.
Bensusan, do you know if any lady was in the habit of passing through
that passage at night?"

Before Mrs. Bensusan could answer the door was dashed open, and Rhoda,
the red-headed, darted into the room.

"Don't answer, missus!" she cried shortly. "As you love me, mum, don't!"

CHAPTER XV

RHODA AND THE CLOAK

The one servant of Mrs. Bensusan was a girl of seventeen, who had a
local fame in the neighbourhood on account of her sharp tongue and many
precocious qualities. No one knew who her parents were, or where the fat
landlady had picked her up; but she had been in the Jersey Street house
some ten years, and had been educated and--in a manner--adopted by its
mistress, although Mrs. Bensusan always gave her cronies to understand
that Rhoda was simply and solely the domestic of the establishment.

Nevertheless, for one of her humble positi