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"Is it so very late?" she whispered, co just a little closer, so that she was indeed almost within the shelter of his arhly and raised them to his lips

"Much too late for me to stay here, child," he said, and his voice even to hi to bed To-ht, then, I will fetch you Good-bye!"

He let himself out He did not even look behind to the spot where he had left her He closed the front door and walked with swift, ale footsteps down the quiet Street, across the Square, and into New Oxford Street Here he seemed to breathe more freely He called a hansom and drove to his rooms

The hall-porter had left his post in the front hall, and there was no one to infor hiave a little start of surprise Mr Ja in his easy-chair with his hands upon his knees--Mr James Shepherd with his face reener, his whole demeanor one of unconcealed and unaffected terror

"Hullo!" Laverick exclaimed "What the dickens--what do you want here, Shepherd?"

"Upon my word, sir, I'm not sure that I know," the ht you back the certificates of them shares I want you to keep them for me I'm terrified lest they come and search my room I am, I tell you fair I'm terrified to order a pint of beer forme all the time"

"Who are?" Laverick demanded

"Lord knoho;" Shepherd answered, "but there's two of theht there we'd done and finished with it Not a bit of it! There was another one there this afternoon, said he was a journalist,me no end of questions He wasn't no journalist, I'll swear to that I asked hilad to have what I send them' Journalist! Lord knoho the other chap was and what he was asking questions for, but this one was a 'tec, straight Joe Foriven achap?'-- me the questions--and I says 'Yes!' and he says, 'That's a 'tee I've seed hi evidence' I went all of a shiver so that you could have knocked me down"