, 1924-05-21
E. Phillips Oppenheim
Copyright by Little, Brown and Company

your information?"
1--WE parted with 1t and serve you
right" was the bitter reply. I'm not
saying that you're not IA brave man,
Sir Timothy, but there's such a thing
as being foolhariy, and that's what
you are. / wasn'r asking you for half
your fortune, nor eve a dab of 1t, but
If your life wasn't worth n few hun
dred pounds-you, with all that money
well, it wasn't worth saving. So
now you know. I've spent ninepence
to give you a chance to hop IL, be-
cause l met a gent who has been good
to me. I've had a good dinner and ]
feel merciful. So there you are"
do / gather" Sir Timothy asked.
in a perfectly level tone, that the
deed is already done?'
IT'S already done and lone thor
oughly," was the nncompromising an
swer. "Ini not ringing up to ask you
to change your mind. If o were to
offer me five thousand now, or ten, !
couldn't stop the bally thing. You've
a sporting chance of getting away II
you start at once. That's all there Is
to it."
"You have nothing more to say?"
Nothing! Only / wish to God I'd
never stepped into that Mayfair agen-
~. wish I'd never gone to Mrs.
Hilditch's as a temporary butler. l
wish I'd never seen any n of you /!
That's all. You n go to hi which
way o like, only. If you take my
advice, you'll go by the way of South
America. The scaffold isn't every
mans fancy"
There was a burr of the instrument
and then silence. Sir Timothy care
fully replaced the receiver, paused on
his way out of the room to smell q
great bowl of lavender, and passed
back into the garden.
"More applicants for invitations? p
Lady Cynthia inquired lazily.
Her host smiled.
"Not exactly! Although" he added,
"as a matter of fact my party would
have been perhaps a little more com
plete with the presence of the person
to whom l have been speaking"
Lady Cynthia pointed to the stream,
down which the punt was slowly drift
ing. The moo had gone behind a
cloud, and Francis figure, as he stood
there. was underlined and ghostly. A
thought seemed to flash into her mind.
She leaned forward.
"Once,' she said. "he told me that
he was your enemy"
"The term is a little melodramatic,'
Sir Timothy protested. ave look at
certain things from opposite points of
view. You see, my prospective son-in-
law. If ever he becomes that, repre-
sents the law-the Law with a capital
(which recognizes no human errors
or weaknesses. and judges crime out
of the musty books of the law-givers
of old. He makes of the law n me-
chanlcal thing which can neither bend
nor give. and he judges humanity from
the same standpoint. Yet at heart he
Is n good fellow and / like him."
"And your"
my weakness lies the other way
he confessed. land my sympathy Is
with those who do not fear to make
their own laws"
She held out her hand, white and
npt'lial III II Hi'ihtituis bipoih. ~
the other end of the lawn. Francis and
Margaret were ~disembarking from the
punt.
"Does 1t sound too sh%ocklngly OBJ
vious," she murmured, "if | say tina,
| want to make you my law?'
II would have puzzled anybody. ex'
cept. perhaps, Lady Cynthia herself
to have detected the slightest altera'
tion In Sir Timothy's demeano- curing
the following day. when he made fit
full appearances at the Sanctuary. OF
ut the dinner which was served n lit
tie earlier thar usual. before his final
departure for the scene of the fes-
t~ivities. Once he paused in the act
Of helping himself to some dish and
listened for n to the sound
Of voices In the hall. and when n taxi
cab drove up he set down his glass
and again betrayed some interest.
THE maid with my frock. thank
%heavensH" Lady Cynthia announced
glanclng u Of the window. MY last
anxiety is removed. l am looking for.
ward now to a wonderful night"
You may very easily be dlsappolnt.
ed" her host warned her. MY en-
tertainments appeal more. Ms n rule,
TO men,"
why don't you be thoroughly orig
lnal and Issue nj invitations to aomen
at all?" Margaret inquired.
For the same reason that you
adorn your rooms and the dinner-table
with flowers" he answered. zone
needs them AS a relief. Apart from
that, | am really proud OF my dancing.
room, and there again. you see. your
sex Is necessary"
I'VE are battered" Margaret de.
clared. with II little bow. ut does
seen queer TO think that you should
own what Cynthla's cousin. Davy Hin.