Without waiting to see the effect of his words, the Duke began to rapidly mount the stairs. The Earl and his guests hurried after, but as they reached the first landing, the Duke had mysteriously disappeared.

“Monsieur Le Comte moves quickly,” said the Earl in surprise. He had been apprised of the identity of his new guest. “Nonetheless, I must find out the truth of this matter. My Harold would never do such a thing. It will all turn out to be a hum, mark my words!”

He hurried on with his wife behind him and his guests pressed close behind.

Lord Harold Webb heard the rumpus coming along the corridor and smiled. It was just as well he wanted to be discovered, he reflected smugly, or he would have had time to make things respectable long before they appeared. The room was in total darkness. Well, might as well get as much fun as possible. Alice was, after all, lying next to him. He thought of the feel of her warm body through the thin material of her nightgown when he had carried her to his bed and his pulses began to race.

He pulled the unconscious female body close to his own naked one, throwing the covers back first so that when Uncle Gervase burst in, he should have the maximum view.

He searched for the mouth beneath his in the dark. Just before the Earl and his party burst into the room, Lord Harold Webb was conscious of two bewildering physical sensations. Alice’s mouth, instead of soft and childlike as he remembered, was hard and thin. And he had noticed she had lost weight of late, but never would have believed she could have possessed so many hard sharp bones.

Also just before the door opened, a branch of candles on the mantelshelf immediately sprang into flame as if by magic, showing the stern and hard profile of Alice’s Uncle Gervase. He was standing by the fireplace, looking toward the door.

“Good God!” cried the Earl bursting into the room, “Oh, Harold, my son, what have you done?”

The guests crowded into the room behind him.

“This lady is my fiancée,” said Harold, sitting up in bed with great unconcern. “I do not think we have done anything vastly wrong.”

Then came the mocking voice of Uncle Gervase. “Alas! My poor Alice! To be cut out by a spinster.”

Harold stared at the Duke who had turned and was lighting another branch of candles. He had a sudden sick feeling of dread. He turned slowly and looked down at the face lying on the pillow next to him.

Miss Snapper was lying, snoring. Her mouth was slightly open, showing a glint of little, sharp teeth.

“There has been some terrible mistake,” babbled Harold, pulling the bedclothes hurriedly about his naked body.

Now, the Duke had made sure that the drug he had put in Miss Snapper’s milk was not very strong.