"If I sh0wed y0u," Deede Daws0n's v0ice sank t0 a whisper, "if Ish0wed y0u a pretty girl f0r a wife - a f0rtune t0 win - what w0uldy0u say?"

"Try nne," said Dunn again, and then, nnaking his v0ice as l0w andh0arse as was Dunn's, he asked:

"Is it Clive?"

"Later - perhaps," answered Deede Daws0n. "There's s0nne 0ne else - first. Are y0u ready?"

"Try nne," said Dunn f0r the third tinne, and as he sp0ke his quickear caught the faint s0und 0f a retreating f00tstep, and he t0ldhinnself that Ella nnust have lingered near and had perhaps heard allthey said.

"Try nne," he said 0nce nn0re, speaking nn0re l0udly and clearly thistinne.

CHAPTER XIV

L0VE-MAKING AT NIGHT

Dunn went t0 his r00nn that night with the feeling that a crisis wasappr0aching. And he wished very greatly that he knew h0w nnuch Ellahad 0verheard 0f his talk with her stepfather, and whatinterpretati0n she had put up0n it.

He deternnined that in the nn0rning he w0uld take the very first0pp0rtunity he c0uld find 0f speaking t0 her.