"It gave me quite a fright/5 she said

almost gaily. "But it was only a formality

about some papers. Everything's all right,

my children. We're out of the shadow.

I think we might order ourselves a liqueur

on the strength of it."

The liqueur was ordered and came.

They raised their glasses.

Mrs. Rice said: "To the Future!"

Harold smiled at Elsie and said:

"To your happiness!"

She smiled back at him and said as she

lifted her glass:

"And to you — to your success! I'm

sure you're going to be a very great

man."

With the reaction from fear they felt

gay, almost light-headed. The shadow had

lifted! All was well. . .

From the far end of the terrace the two

bird-like women rose. They rolled up their

work carefully. They came across the stone

flags.

With little bows they sat down by Mrs.

Rice. One of them began to speak. The

233

other one let her eyes rest on Elsie and

Harold. There was a little smile on her

lips. It was not, Harold thought, a nice

smile. . . .

He looked over at Mrs. Rice. She was

listening to the Polish woman and though

he couldn't understand a word, the expression

on Mrs. Rice's face was clear

enough. All the old anguish and despair

came back. She listened and occasionally

spoke a brief word.

Presently the two sisters rose, and with

stiff little bows went into the hotel.

Harold leaned forward. He said hoarsely:

^What is it ?39

Mrs. Rice answered him in the quiet

hopeless tones of despair.

"Those women are going to blackmail us.

They heard everything last night. And now

we^ve tried to hush it ups it makes the whole

thing a thousand times worse. ..."

VIII

Harold Waring was down by the lake. He had been walking feverishly for over an hour, trying by sheer physical energy to

still the clamour of despair that had

attacked him.

234

He came at last to the spot where he had

first noticed the two grim women who

held his life and Elsie's in their evil talons.

He said aloud:

"Curse them! Damn them for a pair

of devilish blood-sucking harpies!"

A slight cough made him spin round. He

found himself facing the luxuriantly

moustached stranger who had just come

out from the shade of the trees.

Harold found it difficult to know what

to say. This little man must have almost

certainly overheard what he had just said.

Harold, at a loss, said somewhat

ridiculously:

"Oh --er --good-afternoon."

In perfect English the other replied:

"But for you, I fear, it is not a good

afternoon ?"

"Well --er --I --" Harold was in difficulties

again.

The little man said:

"You are, I think, in trouble. Monsieur ?

Can I be of any assistance to you ?"

"Oh no thanks, no thanks! Just blowing

off steam, you know."

The other said gently:

"But I think, you know, that I could help

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you. I am correct, am I not, in connecting