O uncle, you must come in. I want a thousand: I can get six hundred or so quietly-not a word must leak out or I could do more, of course. Give me five hundred and I'll get you fifty thousand times five hundred back."

Lord Arglay disregarded this appeal. "Did you say the other man belonged to the Persian Embassy?" he asked. "What did he want anyway?"

"He wanted it back," Reginald said. "Some sort of religious idea, I fancy. But really Sir Giles only needed him in order to make sure it was authentic."

"If Giles thought it was authentic," Lord Arglay said, "I'( bet any money he wanted to tantalize him with it. If there was an it, which of course I don't believe."

"But I saw it, I touched it, I used it," Reginald cried out lyrically. "I tell you, I did it."

"I know you do," the ChiefJjustice answered, "And though I shan't give you the money I'm bound to say I feel extremely curious." He got up slowly. "I think," he said, "the telephone Excuse me a few minutes. I want to try and catch Giles if he's in."

When he had gone out of the room a sudden consciousness of their respective positions fell on the other two. Reginal, Montague became acutely aware that he had been revealing an immense and incredible secret to a girl in his uncle's employment. Chloe became angrily conscious that she could not interrogate this young man as she would have done her own friends. This annoyed her the more because, compared with Lord Arglay's learning and amused observation, she knew him to be trivial and greedy. But she, though certain of greater affection for the Chief Justice than he had, was a servant and he a relation. She thought of the phrase again-"the Crown of Suleiman." The crown of Suleiman an Reginald Montague!

"Sounds awfully funny, doesn't it, Miss Burnett?" Mr. Montague asked, coming carefully down to her level.

"Lord Arglay seemed to think Sir Giles was having a joke with you," she answered coldly. "A kind of mesmerism, perhaps."

"O that's just my uncle's way," Reginald said sharply. "He likes to pull my leg a bit."

"So Lord Arglay seemed to think," Chloe said.

"No, I mean Lord Arglay," Reginald said more irritably than before.

"You mean Lord Arglay really believes it all?" Chloe said, surprised. "O do you think so, Mr. Montague?"

"Lord Arglay and I understand one another," Reginald threw over carelessly.

"One another?" Chloe said. "Both of you? But how splendid! He's such an able man, isn't he? It must be wonderful to understand him so well." She frowned thoughtfully. "Of course I don't know what to think."

"Ah, well, that doesn't so much matter, does it? I mean-" He hesitated.

"O I know it isn't my money that comes in," Chloe hastened to say. "I do realize that, Mr. Montague."

"It isn't a question of money-not first of all," Reginald protested. "It's a matter of general interest."

Chloe said nothing, chiefly because she was a little ashamed of herself, but the result was almost worse than if she had made another effort. The commenting silence extended itself for some minutes and was broken at last by Lord Arglay's return.

"Well," he said, "I've been talking to Giles. I'm bound to say he swears it's quite right, and sticks to you in every par- ticular, Reginald. However, he's asked us to go over to-night and see. Miss Burnett, can you come?"

"O but, Lord Arglay, ought I to.