thing
in her attitude chilled him and he dropped her hand and rose. When she
looked up she saw that his face was white and set. He walked to the door
and unlocked it.

"I'm not going to ask you any more," he said quietly. "You know best why
you came to me to-night--I suppose you followed me and took a room. I
heard somebody going upstairs soon after I arrived."

She nodded.

"Do you want--this?" she asked and pointed to the wallet on the table.

"Take it away with you."

She got up to her feet unsteadily and swayed toward him. In a second he
was by her side, his arms about her. She made no resistance, but rather
he felt a yielding towards him which he had missed before. Her pale face
was upturned to his and he stooped and kissed her.

"Odette! Odette!" he whispered. "Don't you realise that I love you and
would give my life to save you from unhappiness? Won't you tell me
everything, please?"

"No, no, no," she murmured with a little catch in her voice. "Please
don't ask me! I am afraid. Oh, I am afraid!"

He crushed her in his arms, his cheek against hers, his lips tingling
with the caress of her hair.

"But there is nothing to be afraid of, nothing," he said eagerly. "If you
were as guilty as hell, I would save you! If you are shielding somebody
I would shield them because I love you, Odette!"

"No, no!" she cried and pushed him back, both her little hands pressing
against his chest. "Don't ask me, don't ask me----"

"Ask me!"

Tarling swung round. There was a man standing in the doorway, in the act
of closing the door behind him.

"Milburgh!" he said between his teeth.

"Milburgh!" smiled the other mockingly. "I am sorry to interrupt this
beautiful scene, but the occasion is a desperate one and I cannot afford
to stand on ceremony, Mr. Tarling."

Tarling put the girl from him and looked at the smirking manager. One
comprehensive glance the detective gave him, noted the cycling clips and
the splashes of mud on his trousers, and understood.

"So you were the cyclist, eh?" he said.

"That's right," said Milburgh, "it is an exercise to which I am very
partial."

"What do you want?" asked Tarling, alert and watchful.

"I want you to carry out your promise, Mr. Tarling," said Milburgh
smoothly.

Tarling stared at him.

"My promise," he said, "what promise?"

"To protect, not only the evil-doer, but those who have compromised
themselves in an effort to shield the evil-doer from his or her own
wi