"Jim, come here quickly. I have something I must tell you before the warders go." He turned towards her, frowning, a look of amazement on his face. Even then she hesitated. She heard the front door close. The warders had gone. Taking Jim by the arm she led him towards the conservatory. "There’s some one hiding in there," she whispered. "When you left the room to speak to the chief warder I heard a crash from the conservatory. I went in, and under the shelf I saw a man crouched up. His clothes bore the broad arrow. He’s one of the convicts who escaped." Jim looked at her with unbelieving eyes. Then putting her aside, he stepped quickly towards the conservatory. Suddenly he stopped and swung round. "Marjorie! You’re certain of this? Why didn’t you speak—before the warders left?" Something moved in the darkness of the hothouse. Slowly out of the masses of foliage a head and shoulders emerged. Jim sprang to the bell and rang it. "What are you going to do?" Marjorie whispered. "Send Perkins to call the warders back. Give the fellow up," he replied sharply. "You ought to have told me at once, Marjorie. You had better wait in the dining-room." He stood in the doorway blocking the exit. Marjorie stood in front of him and laid her hands on his arms. "Jim—you mustn’t give him up. It’s horrible." He tried to push her away. "Jim," her voice rose piercingly. "My brother is a convict.... You needn’t hide him, but just let him go—give him a sporting chance. Let him go. No one will ever know. Give him a chance." "Silence, dear. You don’t know what you’re saying." The door opened and Perkins entered the room. For a moment there was silence. Not a sound from the conservatory now. Not a sound from the garden outside. The barking of the dogs and the voices of the men had died away. "You rang, sir?" "Bring the glasses, a syphon of soda water, and the whisky," Jim said in a strained voice. Directly the servant had gone he pointed to the sofa on the other side of the fireplace away from the entrance to the conservatory. "Marjorie, dear, go and sit down there. I understand, and I’m sorry; but I must do my duty." She looked at him dry-eyed. All the tenderness had left her face. "It’s five-score of men against one. Open the door and let him go. Yes, he’s bound to be caught to-morrow, but every hour, every minute, every second of freedom must be as sweet to him as our love is to us, Jim. Give him a run—for his money." Jim had turned his back on her. He disappeared into the conservatory and the door closed behind him. Perkins brought the tumblers and the whisky into the room and placed them on a small table. "Quite exciting, miss, this escape of two convicts. Hasn’t been an escape from Princetown for a long time. What with that and this radium mine on Mr. Dale’s estate——" He suddenly stopped and coughed deprecatingly. He, too, in speaking of convicts had forgotten that he was speaking to a convict’s sister.