"'What a bloodthirsty highwayman!'
"'I shall steal another kiss. I would rather have you than all the gold in the world.'
"'Still, gold is the next best thing,' I said, smiling at his affectionateness which my absence had evidently fostered. 'So being on the point of death, as I thought, I resolved to make death worth dying, and leave a heap of gold to the man I loved. This number of Threepenny Bits was not mine originally. When the crash occurred it was being read by the old gentleman in the opposite corner but his next of kin is a hypocritical young scapegrace (so he told me) and I thought it would be far nicer for my heir to come in for the money. So I took it from his body the very instant before I fainted dead away!'
"'My heroine!' he cried again. 'So you thought of your Richard even at the point of death. What a sweet assurance of your love!'
"'Yes, an assurance of three thousand pounds,' I answered, laughing merrily. 'And now, perhaps, you will let me read the details of the catastrophe. The reporters seem to know ever so much more about it than I do. It's getting dusk and I can hardly see—I wonder what was the name of old grizzly-growler—ah! here it is—"The pocket-book contained letters addressed to Josiah Twaddon, Esquire, and——"'
"'Twaddon, did you say?' gasped Richard, clutching the paper frantically.
"'Yes—don't! You've torn it. Twaddon, I can see it plainly.'
"'Does it give his address?' Richard panted.
"'Yes,' I said, surprised. I was just going on to read that, '4, Bucklesbury Buildings——'"
"'Great heavens!' he cried.