She felt under her pillow for the electric bell push, and some minutes later one of the hotel maids entered. “What time is it?” Yootha asked. “Close on one o’clock, miss.” “One o’clock! But why was I not called? Why was my cup of tea not brought?” “I will inquire, miss,” and the maid left the room, closing the door behind her. Soon she returned. She said that before Mrs. Mervyn-Robertson had left she had said that Miss Hagerston was very tired and must not be disturbed. “How do you mean, before she left?” Yootha inquired. “Where has she gone?” “I have no idea, miss. She left the hotel this morning with her maid, and the two gentlemen who were with her have gone too.” “You mean gone away? Gone, with their luggage?” “Yes, miss.” Yootha started up in bed. “But this is extraordinary!” she exclaimed. “They never said a word yesterday about leaving. Has no message been left for me?” “No, miss. I made that inquiry.” A whole flood of thoughts, doubts, suspicions, surged through the girl’s brain. Oh, if only she could remember exactly what had happened on the previous night! But the harder she tried to concentrate her thoughts, the more impossible she found it to remember anything. She could recollect playing and winning in the Casino during the afternoon and evening; after that her mind was a blank. She could not recollect even where she had had supper, or with whom, or if she had had supper at all! Then, all at once, her heart seemed to stop beating. Ever since the night she and Jessica and her friends had together broken the bank at Dieppe, Jessica had been acting as her banker. That is to say she had suggested that in order to save Yootha trouble--so she put it--she would advance her money to play with, as much as she might want, and, in return, take charge of the girl’s winnings. Every morning she had come to Yootha and told her the exact sum she held belonging to her, and out of it she had handed Yootha whatever sum she asked for. But there had been no record or acknowledgment, or aught else in writing. Yootha had placed implicit confidence in her friend and now---- She saw it all, and her mouth went suddenly dry. Jessica had left her, taking with her the whole of the very considerable sum she, Yootha, had won during the past weeks. Had she not been so lucky, Jessica and her friends would no doubt have left her long before. Now, probably, they had come to the conclusion enough money had been won by her to make it worth their while to decamp with it. And what could she do? If she tried to claim it Jessica would, of course, say she knew nothing whatever about it, and perhaps declare her to be suffering from a delusion.