the success of my bluffing offer to marry the woman prompted some regret that the matter had not been pushed home to the point of obtaining her full confession; and it was to prove one of those disastrous blunders which come from decent motives.

i had scarcely left her before i began to see the thing clearly. it had not been difficult to persuade her, but there was von erstein. he was not likely to believe in any readiness to marry, and would soon be able to talk her round to his view. in that case i might whistle for a confession.

all the same i had not come empty away. she had admitted the lie about "our child," and he couldn't talk that away. moreover, it was still possible to set inquiries on foot and get the truth that way. it was all to the good that her impression of me was so favourable. there was no acting or humbug about that, and it remained to see the result. it was fairly certain that she would have little desire to carry the scheme any farther.

in the meantime what were the others thinking? nessa had laughed at the business in the thiergarten; but there was more than a joke in it, even when one knew the truth. both she and rosa would be very curious to learn what had followed, so i went to see them at once and found them all talking about it.

the countess was shocked and very distressed. "it was such a scandal, johann; and to happen in such a spot and with the von gratzens there," she said.

"i need not tell you how sorry i am, aunt."

"that wasn't johann's fault, mother," said rosa. "he couldn't prevent the woman choosing such a public place and acting as she did."

"why do you say choosing, rosa? you don't imagine she expected to meet johann there, do you? what happened after we left?" she asked me.

"my impression is that she did choose the place, aunt. i had a talk with her and afterwards saw her at her flat."

"but surely there can't be a scrap of truth in it."

"how can i say? most emphatically i don't remember her nor a thing she told me."

"what did she tell you, herr lassen?" asked nessa, her eyes twinkling. "of course we're all anxious to hear—if you don't mind telling us, that is."

"i don't mind in the least. it's not a nice story;" and i told them as shortly as possible. nessa had to hide her face from the countess when i spoke of my offer of marriage, and rosa covered her laughter under a pretence of indignation.

"you seem to have forgotten our engagement very easily, johann!"

"oh no. she reminded me of it; but of course she has the first claim."

"indeed!" she cried, tossing her head.

but her mother took it seriously. "i think you were right, johann, and i'm thankful you had sufficient manly spirit," she declared, making me feel no end of a hypocrite.

"and when are you to be married, herr lassen?" asked nessa, with mischief in look and tone.

"it is not yet definitely settled."

"and your child?" chipped rosa.

"there was a mistake there. she admitted afterwards that the child is neither hers nor mine."

"admitted that!" exclaimed the countess with more indignation than i thought she was capable of feeling. "do you mean to tell us that she was brazen-faced enough to confess such a thing? she must be a regular baggage and you must be mad to think of marrying her! i never heard such a thing in all my life."

"she wasn't exactly brazen-faced when she told me, aunt olga. i think she was rather affected by my offer; and as an honourable man——"

"honourable fiddlesticks, johann! don't talk rubbish. she's an impostor, nothing else; and i shall go to my lawyer in the morning and tell him to inform the police."

rosa came to the rescue then. "unless you want to get johann into serious trouble, you won't do that, mother. you've often worried because i didn't wish to marry him, and i haven't told you the real reason; but you had better know it now. the woman's story about the sale of secret information is true. you may not remember it, johann; but i have a couple of letters of yours in which you more than half admit it, and that it was the reason why you fled the country and never intended to come back."

"rosa!" cried the dear old lady in deep distress. "is that true, johann?"

"unfortunately, i can't say either yes or no, aunt olga."

"i'll get the letters," said rosa, and she fetched them and read the portions out to us. "you can see it's his handwriting;" and she gave the letters to her mother, who glanced at them and then handed them to me.

"i don't know the writing, of course," i said. "i don't believe i could even copy it. i'm in the pothook stage still." it was a small, curiously wriggling fist, difficult to decipher, but easily identified by any one who had ever seen it. and the countess knew it well.

"what had i better do, johann?" she appealed.

"i leave that to you. i hope i am incapable of anything of the sort now; but if i did it, i must take the consequences."

"there is only one thing to do, mother; and that is, nothing. you don't want johann to be shot, i suppose," said rosa sharply.

"don't, rosa!"

"it's all very well to say don't; but that's what will happen if you insist on stirring this dirty water."

"but you wouldn't have him marry such a woman, child!"

"perhaps he'd rather do even that than be shot," was the retort.

it was cruel, but effective; and after a few more words her mother gave in and went away, distressed to the point of tears.

"i'd rather have had you tell her the whole truth than grieve her like that, rosa," i said.

"possibly, but i wouldn't. you don't know mother, and i do. it was necessary to frighten her or she would have spread the story broadcast. i'll go and make it all right presently."

"do you believe this story about your cousin?"

"i know it's true, and so does oscar. he told me the moment we heard johann was coming back."

"but he was coming back in spite of it," pointed out nessa.

"because of his spy work, nessa. he was a born spy. he wormed out a lot of things in america; and the secret service people, seeing how good he was at the work, sent him to england and, after what he found out there, told him to come home and promised to overlook the other affair. that'll explain why i wasn't overjoyed to see you," she added to me.

i nodded. "and explain probably why von gratzen thinks it worth while to send me back to england to recover my memory."

"very possibly—if he really believes you've lost it, that is. oscar says its the reason, and he ought to know. he laughed at it all; but it's no mere laughing matter."

"better to laugh than worry," said i.

"now tell us all about your anna," said nessa, who refused to consider the thing serious.

i gave them a more detailed account of the interview and answered a heap of questions about anna, describing the change of front she had shown, the way in which she had been led to confess about the child, and my opinion that von erstein was at the back of it.

"i shall never forget that scene in the thiergarten to-day," laughed nessa. "you did look so thunderstruck."

"nothing to what i felt, i can tell you. i never felt such a fool in my life. of course i couldn't tell whether she was in earnest or not."

"nessa laughed and was giggling about it all the way home."

"i couldn't help it. it was so utterly ridiculous, rosa. her 'oh, my long lost darling!' was just exquisite. and she did it uncommonly well."

"my laughter will have to wait till we're all out of the wood," said rosa; "and there's a long way to go yet."

"yours won't, will it?" nessa asked me.

"not a bit of it. let's laugh while we can. but now what about the workman's card that i need?"

"oscar's getting it," replied rosa. "i told him to lose no time; and after this affair to-day, the sooner you're away, the easier i shall feel. it's getting on my nerves. i'd better go to mother now and calm her down."

we rose and nessa turned to me with a mischievous smile. "you'll have me at the wedding, won't you?" she rallied.

"whose?"

"why yours, of course."

"certainly. it couldn't take place without you," i replied, laughing, but with a look which made her rather sorry she'd chipped me.

"why not?" asked rosa stolidly. her humour was only teutonic. "you don't expect me to be present, i hope?"

"what do you say, miss caldicott?"

"oh, don't be ridiculous. rosa doesn't understand such stupid jokes. good-night, herr lassen." she spoke indifferently, but there was a little pressure of the hand which sent me off home feeling mighty pleased with myself and thinking a lot more about her than the new complications, and so nearly brought me to grief.

it was a dark night, the streets were deserted, and i was plunging along castle-building on the foundation of that hand-pressure when, as i was taking a short cut through a square, a drunken man ran up behind, and lurched into me. he cursed me for getting in his way, and tried to close with me and, before i could shake him off, two others appeared, and one of them aimed a blow at my head with his stick.

luckily there was just time for me to wriggle out of the way and let the first man have the benefit of the blow. it caught him full on the head, and down he went in a heap. the other two were so astounded by this that they hesitated long enough to give me a chance to attack in my turn. i went for the ruffian who had struck at me, bashed him under the chin hard enough to send him staggering back tripping into the gutter, and was ready for number three. but there was no fight left in him, and he bolted.

his companion in the gutter scrambled to his feet, but his stick had flown out of his hand in the fall, and the moment he found he had to deal with me alone without it, he also thought discretion safer and ran off after the other.

i turned to have a look at the drunken brute who had started the row, or rather the robbery, for that seemed to be the meaning of the affair. the blow had seemed hard enough to crack his skull; but when i examined him i saw that it had not hurt him seriously. i also discovered something which told me i had not appreciated the true purpose of the attack.

i recognized him at once. he was the fellow who had called on me that morning in the name of rudolff.

he was able to get up and walk; shakily, it is true, for he was a good deal dazed, and i had to hold him up on the way to my rooms, which were close by. the stairs were a difficulty, but we got up somehow, and a drink of spirits and a rest soon brought him round sufficiently to talk.

"i suppose you were coming to warn me again, rudolff, eh?" i said.

he stared stupidly at me.

"don't try to fool me in that silly fashion, my friend. i know too much about you. so drop it, or you'll step out of this into the police station. you should choose companions who don't blab, you know."

that made him begin to sit up and take notice. "i've been drunk, haven't i?"

"no. not too drunk to play the decoy, my man."

"don't understand," he mumbled, shaking his head.

"all right. i haven't time to fool about with your sort. you can try that on the police;" and i rose and went to the telephone.

"wait a bit," he cried hurriedly. "i'll try to remember things."

"give me the nearest police station," i said into the 'phone, but without releasing the receiver.

that was enough for him. "don't bring them here," he said with an oath. "i'll tell you all i know."

"i only want one thing. who put you on to me? tell me that and you can go."

he tried to lie and mentioned a name at random.

"you're only making a fool of yourself, rudolff. lies are no good to me. you came here this morning with a yarn which you could only have got from one man in berlin, and i know all about it. you were in the thiergarten this afternoon and pointed me out to you know whom i mean."

it proved a good shot and he squirmed uneasily, although trying a feeble sort of denial. "what's the use of lying?" i rapped sternly.

"i don't know what you mean," he muttered.

"we'll soon settle that."

taking the precaution to lock the door i turned to the telephone again and asked for von erstein's number; and after some preliminaries with some one i took to be his servant, von erstein answered me.

"who is it?" he asked sharply.

"johann lassen. hope i haven't disturbed your packing."

"what do you want with me?"

"nothing; i've had quite enough of you already; but there's a friend of yours here and he's in a bit of difficulty."

"what the devil are you driving at? who is he?"

"the man you sent here to-day."

"i don't know what you mean."

"oh come, that won't do. anyhow he does, and that's enough for me." i tried to pop in the suggestion of a threat.

"what's his name?"

"you know that without my telling you; i only know what he called himself. you don't send men about the place on secret errands without knowing their names, do you?"

"well, what does he call himself?"

"rudolff; i don't know who he is now."

"i never heard of the man, and i've had enough of your tomfoolery."

"just as you like. i can deal with him, of course." i heard him swear sulphurously.

"what does he want?" he growled after a pause.

"to keep out of gaol, chiefly, i fancy."

"oh, blazes! can't you speak plainly?"

"yes. you see that second little practical joke you fixed up for me to-day has missed fire; he's had a crack on the head from one of your mutual friends, and i've got him here. after what he told me i rang you up to know what you'd like to do about it. as you and i are such pals, it didn't seem quite friendly to give him in charge without letting you have a chance to tell me your side. see?"

"i tell you i don't know anything about it;" angrily with an oath.

"no thoroughfare that way, my beloved."

there was no reply; he had apparently rung off. so i used the opportunity to impress friend rudolff and lead him to understand that von erstein had told me everything, and then hung up the receiver, paused a moment, and again pretended to call up the police station.

this was too much for the man. "what are you going to do?" he asked.

"my friend tells me that he had nothing to do with it, knows nothing about you, and that i'd better hand you over to the police."

"who were you talking to?"

"count von erstein."

"then he's a liar," he cried furiously. "he sent me here this morning so that i should know you by sight, first for that business in the thiergarten this afternoon and then for this affair now."

"don't tell me such lies, you murderous brute. why, not ten minutes ago you gave me another name. von erstein, indeed, my friend!"

"friend! he's no friend of yours. he's got me under his thumb for another thing and drove me to do both jobs by threatening to split on me. i can't get into the hands of the police. if you'll let me go i'll tell you all i know about it."

i shook my head and played the unbeliever till he was nearly beside himself with fright, and then told him to write down the story. this wasn't to his liking at all, but a little gentle persuasion in the shape of another pretence, with the 'phone, set him to work.

i walked up and down smoking while he wrote, glancing every now and then over his shoulder to read the result. he was not a ready penman, but he got the main facts clear enough for my purpose.

his statement was practically what he had already told me, and he added some very useful details which would help to fix it on von erstein. but in one respect it fell short of expectation. he knew no more about anna hilden than his employer had told him—that i had really ruined her and that she was looking for me.

whether he was lying or not, there were no means of deciding, and it seemed better not to question him too directly. the whole affair had shaken him up a good deal, and when he laid down the pen with a sigh he begged for another drink.

i let him have it and he gulped it down at a draught. "what are you going to do with that?" he asked, pointing to the statement.

"that wasn't in the bargain, friend cutthroat; but i'll promise you one thing, as you've seen wisdom. if i have to use it, i'll see that no harm comes to you, provided that you're ready to speak to the truth of it."

he shook his head dismally over this, and while he was hesitating, there was a nervous knock at my outer door. it flashed into my thoughts that it might be anna hilden. i didn't want them to meet, so i shut the room door behind me as i went out.

it was a very wild shot indeed; for the moment i pulled back the latch, the door was pushed wide and von erstein came swaggering in.