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he was being ushered into the
drawing room of the-Lambert's
house. It was a spft summer
evening, agreeably cool; the
lights were not yet turned on, and
the house was almost dark, Miss
Estelle was out, the man said,
but would return at any moment.
Would he wait for her?
John Hewlett paced the room
quietly, thinking out the speech
that he had prepared. He passed
into the hall. Adjacent to the
drawing room was a smaller one,
the entrance hidden by a Japan
est screen. Behind this he heard
the murmur of voices. One of
them was Estelle's. The other
was the softly modulated one of
Theodore Faning. Hewlett was
about to break in on them when
something said aroused his atten
tion, and, though he would have
scorned to play the spy, he stood
as though rooted there, awaiting
the opportunity to slip away
without arousing detection.
"Yes, Estelle, he's a beggar,"
he,heard Fanning say, with a sejf
satisfied laugh. "Every penny
wiped out in the -Hardware slump.
It's all over the street Poor
beggar!"
"Why, 'poor' beggar?" asked
Estelle.
"Because he's losing you, Es
telle," Fanning answered, "and
that makes him doubly poor. I
tell you, when I heard the news
my heart got into my throat and
stayed there. He's so devilishly
pertinacious, that Hewlett fellow,
I was half a mind that he would
hurry round and pour some lying
story into the old man's ears and
somehow contrive to keep his
strangle-hold on you. But I
guess he didn't have the nerve.
Take it from me, you won't see
him again, Estelle. He's prob
ably miles away by now, with "all
the money that his dupes trusted
him with."
In the old days in the foundry
Hewlett has been famous for
striking without speaking. "It's
a word and a blow with John
Hewlett," was said of him. Now,
hearing this, he felt his temples
suffused with blood; involuntar
ily he put out his hands and the
Japanese screen toppled over.
Next moment he was standing in
front of Estelle and his traducer.
All the decorum acquired through
years of painful self-mastery had
vanished, and he was elemental
in his fury. His fists were clench
ed, his face was purple, and he
rocked slightly, like an infuriated
beast.
"I heard you," he bellowed. "I .
heard you! I I woa't hurt you
in 'Miss Lambert's presence. But
I'm going to speak to her alone.
'Get out!"
; "Mr. Hewlett!" cried Estelle,
springing to her feet, pale with
anger, "please remember that
you are both my guests."
Hewlett's hands fell to his.',
sides. He felt himself trembling.
:At that moment Admiral Lam
bert entered the room quietly,,
stepped up, and took his place be
tween the men.
"Come, Hewlett, my dear fel
low," he began. "Whit's the mat
ter between you and Mr. Fan
ning?"
'Jj&sm
