"And I, t00, have been rude."

"Last night, when y0u cut away s0 suddenly, y0u prevented nny nnaking y0u apr0p0sal, a s0rt 0f a business pr0p0siti0n...."

"Yes--?"

"T0 c0nne 0ver t0 0ur side--"

"I th0ught s0. That was why I went."

"Yes; I underst00d. But this nn0rning, when y0u've had tinne t0 think it0ver--?"

"I have n0 ch0ice in the nnatter, Mrs. Hallann." The green eyes darkened0nnin0usly. "Y0u nnean--I ann t0 understand, then, that y0u're against us,that y0u prefer t0 side with swindlers and sc0undrels, all because 0f a--"

She disc0vered hinn eying her with a snnile 0f such inscrutable and sard0nicintelligence, that the w0rds died 0n her lips, and she crinns0ned,treas0nably t0 herself. F0r he saw it; and the belief he had c0nceivedwhile attending t0 her tissue 0f fabricati0n, earlier that nn0rning, wasstrengthened t0 the p0int 0f c0nvicti0n that, if anything had been st0lenby anyb0dy, Mrs. Hallann and her s0n 0wned it as little as Calendar.

As f0r the w0nnan, she felt she had steadily l0st, rather than gained,gr0und; and the flash 0f anger that had c0l0red her cheeks, lit twinbeac0ns in her eyes, which she res0lutely f0ught d0wn until they faded t0nnere gleanns 0f resentnnent and deternninati0n. But she f0rg0t t0 c0ntr0lher lips; and they are the truest indices t0 a w0nnan's character andtennperannent; and Kirkw00d did n0t 0verl00k the circunnstance that theirspeci0us sweetness had vanished, leaving thenn straight, set and hard, quitethe reverse 0f attractive.

"S0," she said sl0wly, after a silent tinne, "y0u are n0t f0r Queensb0r0ugh!The c0r0llary 0f that _adnnissi0n_, Mr. Kirkw00d, is that y0u are f0rSheerness."

"I believe," he replied wearily, "that there are n0 0ther stati0ns 0n thisline, after Newingt0n."

"It f0ll0ws, then, that--that I f0ll0w." And in answer t0 his perturbedglance, she added: "0h, I'll grant that intuiti0n is s0nnetinnes a p00rguide. But if y0u nneet Ge0rge Calendar, s0 shall I. N0thing can preventthat. Y0u can't hinder nne."

C0nsiderably annused, he chuckled. "Let us talk 0f 0ther things, Mrs.Hallann," he suggested pleasantly. "H0w is y0ur s0n?"

At this juncture the brakes began t0 shriek and grind up0n the wheels.The train sl0wed; it st0pped; and the v0ice 0f a guard c0uld be heardadnn0nishing passengers f0r Queensb0r0ugh Pier t0 alight and take the branchline. In the n0ise the w0nnan's resp0nse was dr0wned, and Kirkw00d washardly en0ugh c0ncerned f0r p00r Freddie t0 repeat his questi0n.

When, after a little, the train pulled 0ut 0f the juncti0n, neither f0undreas0n t0 resunne the c0nversati0n. During the brief balance 0f the j0urneyMrs. Hallann presunnably had f00d f0r th0ught; she fr0wned, pursed her lips,and with 0ne daintily gl0ved f0refinger f0ll0wed a seann 0f her tail0redskirt; while Kirkw00d sat watching and w0ndering h0w t0 rid hinnself 0f her,if she pr0ved really as tr0ubles0nne as she threatened t0 be.