She felt her knees shake under her and thought she was going toswoon. She put out her disengaged hand to steady herself, and ifthe face which was turned to him was pale, there was a steadfastresolution in her dark eyes.

　　"Let me relieve you of that, Miss Holland," said Kara, in hissilkiest tones.

　　He wrenched rather than took the box from her hand, replaced itcarefully in the drawer, pushed the drawer to and locked it,examining the key as he withdrew it. Then he closed the safe andlocked that.

　　"Obviously," he said presently, "I must get a new safe."He had not released his hold of her wrist nor did he, until he hadled her from the room back to the library. Then he released thegirl, standing between her and the door, with folded arms and thatcynical, quiet, contemptuous smile of his upon his handsome face.

　　"There are many courses which I can adopt," he said slowly. "Ican send for the police - when my servants whom you havedespatched so thoughtfully have returned, or I can take yourpunishment into my own hands.""So far as I am concerned," said the girl coolly, "you may sendfor the police."She leant back against the edge of the desk, her hands holding theedge, and faced him without so much as a quaver.

　　"I do not like the police," mused Kara, when there came a knock atthe door.

　　Kara turned and opened it and after a low strained conversation hereturned, closing the door and laid a paper of stamps on thegirl's table.

　　"As I was saying, I do not care for the police, and I prefer myown method. In this particular instance the police obviouslywould not serve me, because you are not afraid of them and in allprobability you are in their pay - am I right in supposing thatyou are one of Mr. T. X. Meredith's accomplices!""I do not know Mr. T. X. Meredith," she replied calmly, "and I amnot in any way associated with the police.""Nevertheless," he persisted, "you do not seem to be very scaredof them and that removes any temptation I might have to place youin the hands of the law. Let me see," he pursed his lips as heapplied his mind to the problem.

　　She half sat, half stood, watching him without any evidence ofapprehension, but with a heart which began to quake a little. Forthree months she had played her part and the strain had beengreater than she had confessed to herself. Now the great momenthad come and she had failed. That was the sickening, maddeningthing about it all. It was not the fear of arrest or ofconviction, which brought a sinking to her heart; it was thedespair of failure, added to a sense of her helplessness againstthis man.

　　"If I had you arrested your name would appear in all the papers,of course," he said, narrowly, "and your photograph would probablyadorn the Sunday journals," he added expectantly.

　　She laughed.

　　"That doesn't appeal to me," she said.

　　"I am afraid it doesn't," he replied, and strolled towards her asthough to pass her on his way to the window. He was abreast ofher when he suddenly swung round and catching her in his arms hecaught her close to him. Before she could realise what heplanned, he had stooped swiftly and kissed her full upon themouth.

　　"If you scream, I shall kiss you again," he said, "for I have sentthe maid to buy some more stamps - to the General Post Office.""Let me go," she gasped.

　　Now for the first time he saw the terror in her eyes, and theresurged within him that mad sense of triumph, that intoxication ofpower which had been associated with the red letter days of hiswarped life.

　　"You're afraid!" he bantered her, half whispering the words,"you're afraid now, aren't you? If you scream I shall kiss youagain, do you hear?""For God's sake, let me go," she whispered.

　　He felt her shaking in his arms, and suddenly he released her witha little laugh, and she sank trembling from head to foot upon thechair by her desk.

　　"Now you're going to tell me who sent you here," he went onharshly, "and why you came. I never suspected you. I thought youwere one of those strange creatures one meets in England, agentlewoman who prefers working for her living to the more simplebusiness of getting married. And all the time you were spying -clever - very clever!"The girl was thinking rapidly. In five minutes Fisher wouldreturn. Somehow she had faith in Fisher's ability and willingnessto save her from a situation which she realized was fraught withthe greatest danger to herself. She was horribly afraid. Sheknew this man far better than he suspected, realized the treacheryand the unscrupulousness of him. She knew he would stop short ofnothing, that he was without honour and without a single attributeof goodness.

　　He must have read her thoughts for he came nearer and stood overher.

　　"You needn't shrink, my young friend," he said with a littlechuckle. "You are going to do just what I want you to do, andyour first act will be to accompany me downstairs. Get up."He half lifted, half dragged her to her feet and led her from theroom. They descended to the hall together and the girl spoke noword. Perhaps she hoped that she might wrench herself free andmake her escape into the street, but in this she was disappointed.

　　The grip about her arm was a grip of steel and she knew safety didnot lie in that direction. She pulled back at............