LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN. 1901

CONTENTS

I.[The Conspiracy]
II.[Wanted—a Chaperon]
III.[Parlous Times]
IV.[A Lady in Distress]
V.[A Gentleman in Distress]
VI.[Afternoon Tea]
VII.[An Irate Husband]
VIII.[Diplomatic Instructions]
IX.[A House-warming]
X.[Before Dinner]
XI.[After Dinner]
XII.[A Morning Call]
XIII.[The Serious Side of Miss Fitzgerald's Nature]
XIV.[The Serious Side of the Secretary's Nature]
XV.[The Secretary's Intentions]
XVI.[Man Proposes]
XVII.[Her Husband]
XVIII.[The Door with the Silver Nails]
XIX.[A Midnight Message]
XX.[The Wisdom of Age]
XXI.[The Resources of Diplomacy]
XXII.[A Little Commission]
XXIII.[Forty Thousand Pounds]
XXIV.[A Very Awkward Predicament]
XXV.[The Rustle of a Skirt]
XXVI.[Face to Face]
XXVII.[The Marriage Register]
XXVIII.[Two Questions]
XXIX.[In which Death is a Relief]
XXX.[Two Letters]
XXXI.[Miss Fitzgerald Burns her Boats]
XXXII.[The Top of the Tower]
XXXIII.[The Secret of the Door]
XXXIV.[Within the Tower]
XXXV.[The Short Way Out]
XXXVI.[The Day of Reckoning]
XXXVII.[The Price of Knowledge]
XXXVIII.[The Price of Love]
XXXIX.[The Price of Silence]
XL.[The Price of a Lie]

CHAPTER I

THE CONSPIRACY

"Forty thousand pounds is a pretty sum of money."

"Bribery is not a pretty word."