THE new day dawned; the sun rose; the household was astir again.Inside the spare room, and outside the spare room, nothing hadhappened.

At the hour appointed for leaving the cottage to pay the promisedvisit to Holchester House, Hester Dethridge and Geoffrey werealone together in the bedroom in which Anne had passed the night.

"She's dressed, and waiting for me in the front garden," saidGeoffrey. "You wanted to see me here alone. What is it?"

Hester pointed to the bed.

"You want it moved from the wall?"

Hester nodded her head.

They moved the bed some feet away from the partition wall. Aftera momentary pause, Geoffrey spoke again.

"It must be done to-night," he said. "Her friends may interfere;the girl may come back. It must be done to-night."

Hester bowed her head slowly.

"How long do you want to be left by yourself in the house?"

She held up three of her fingers.

"Does that mean three hours?"

She nodded her head.

"Will it be done in that time?"

She made the affirmative sign once more.

Thus far, she had never lifted her eyes to his. In her manner oflistening to him when he spoke, in the slightest movement thatshe made when necessity required it, the same lifeless submissionto him, the same mute horror of him, was expressed. He had, thusfar, silently resented this, on his side. On the point of leavingthe room the restraint which he had laid on himself gave way. Forthe first time, he resented it in words.

"Why the devil can't you look at me?" he asked

She let the question pass, without a sign to show that she hadheard him. He angrily repeated it. She wrote on her slate, andheld it out to him--still without raising her eyes to his face.

"You know you can speak," he said. "You know I have found youout. What's the use of playing the fool with _me?_"

She persisted in holding the slate before him. He read thesewords:

" I am dumb to you, and blind to you. Let me be."

"Let you be!" he repeated. "It's a little late in the day to bescrupulous, after what you have done. Do you want your Confessionback, or not?"

As the reference to the Confession passed his lips, she raisedher head. A faint tinge of color showed itself on her lividcheeks; a momentary spasm of pain stirred her deathlike face. Theone last interest left in the woman's life was the interest ofrecovering the manuscript which had been taken from her. To_that_ appeal the stunned intelligence still faintlyanswered--and to no other.

"Remember the bargain on your side," Geoffrey went on, "and I'llremember the bargain on mine. This is how it stands, you know. Ihave read your Confession; and I find one thing wanting. Youdon't tell how it was done. I know you smothered him--but I don'tknow how. I want to know. You're dumb; and you can't tell me. Youmust do to the wall here what you did in the other house. You runno risks. There isn't a soul to see you. You have got the placeto yourself. When I come back let me find this wall like theother wall--at that small hour of the morning you know, when youwere waiting, with the towel in your hand, for the first strokeof the clock. Let me find that; and to-morrow you shall have yourConfession back again."

As the reference to the Confession passed his lips for the secondtime, the sinking energy in the woman leaped up in her once more.She snatched her slate from her side; and, writing on it rapidly,held it, with both hands, close under his eyes. He read thesewords:

"I won't wait. I must have it to-night."

"Do you think I keep your Confession about me?" said Geoffrey. "Ihaven't even got it in the house."

She staggered back; and looked up for the first time.

"Don't alarm yourself," he went on. "It's sealed up with my seal;and it's safe in my bankers' keeping. I posted it to them myself.You don't stick at a trifle, Mrs. Dethridge. If I had kept itlocked up in the house, you might have forced the lock when myback was turned. If I had kept it about me--I might have had thattowel over my face, in the small hours of the morning! Thebankers will give you back your Confession--just as they havereceived it from me--on receipt of an order in my handwriting. Dowhat I have told you; and you shall have the order to-night."

She passed her apron over her face, and drew a long breath ofrelief. Geoffrey turned to the door.

"I will be back at six this evening," he said. "Shall I find itdone?"

She bowed her head.

His first condition accepted, he proceeded to the second.

"When the opportunity offers," he resumed, "I shall go up to myroom. I shall ring the dining room bell first. You will go upbefore me when you hear that--and you will show me how you did itin the empty house?"

She made the affirmative sign once more.

At the same moment the door in the passage below was opened andclosed again. Geoffrey instantly went down stairs. It waspossible that Anne might have forgotten something; and it wasnecessary to prevent her from returning to her own room.

They met in the passage.

"Tired of waiting in the garden?" he asked, abruptly.

She pointed to the dining-room.

"The postman has just given me a letter for you, through thegrating in the gate," she answered. "I have put it on the tablein there."

He went in. The handwriting on the address of the letter was thehandwriting of Mrs. Glenarm. He put it unread into his pocket,and went back to Anne.

"Step out!" he said. "We shall lose the train."

They started for their visit to Holchester House.