"Well, if she wished to walk into a trap, then it surely wasn't my business to keep her out of it—was it?" he asked, with a sinister smile. "I knew the reason why she had so suddenly been deprived of her room at Wimbledon Park, and allowed her to think that I was a fool."
"She'll no doubt know different ere long," laughed the Red Widow.
Then, opening the door, Boyne satisfied himself that there was no servant in the passage, and returning to her, he began to speak rapidly in a low, tense voice.
"What?" she asked breathlessly, when he had finished. "To-night?"
"Yes, to-night—why not?" he asked. "Wear one of your smartest black dresses. Come round and see Lilla. Then you and she can arrange things."
"But, Bernard! It's a most desperate game!"
"Not more so than any other," he laughed. "A dangerous situation always calls for drastic measures."
"But will the trap be sufficiently well-baited?"
"I'll see to that—never fear! Just act as I tell you and to-morrow we shan't have much to fear from at least one of this inquisitive pair!"
For a few minutes she seemed lost in thought.