"All right" said Cyril and he reached his blue melton from the peg. As Helen was helping him on with his coat she noticed something silver sticking out of the breast pocket. "Why whatever is this?" she asked in supprise, "it looks like the best silver tea pot." "Best silver tea pot!" cried Cyril scornfully, as though a man cant carry his cigarette case about with him." But he looked uncommonly angry for all that and Helen had seen and felt quite enough to convince her that it was the best tea pot and she felt her heart turn sick as she closed the front door after Cyril's retreating figure. CHAPTER 21 THE PAWN TICKET Helen's heart was beating fast, as she went back to the sitting room, "oh dear" she cried sitting down on the sofa "whatever is Cyril up to I wonder it _was_ a tea pot I know and it was wrapped in cotton wool too for it felt soft, I do hope he is up to no tricks." Finding nothing to do Helen sat down to strum on the harmonium, but this did not soothe her spirits and she wandered about the room till her eye fell on a little white ticket lying on the hearth rug. She could not bear to see paper on the floor, so she hastily picked it up, and before tossing it into the fire she looked at it well to make sure it was nothing important. Helen know enough to see at first glance it was a pawn ticket for a valuable silver sugar baisen worth L1.10.0. Her cheeks grew white as she read it and she felt her fingers growing stiff. "Of course" she cried "its as plain as day light, Cyril has pawned the best sugar baisen for a few trumpery shillings, oh I'm sure he is getting into bad company" and she commenced to weep. "And I know he means to pawn the tea pot too." But this was only the beginning of another long series of troubles for poor Helen, but happily for her she did not know that or it might have driven her mad. CHAPTER 22 AN UNEXPECTED VISIT Helen's weeping had given her a headache and she was taking a doze on the sofa, when angry voices were heard at the front door. The voices were those of Mr. Netherby and a young lady evidently in great distress. Helen came to the passage to hear what was the matter "I tell you I've had orders from Mr. Sheene to let no gossiping women inside this office" cried Mr. Netherby. "But I'm not a gossiping woman" said the lady in agitation. "And how do I know that?" enquired Mr. Netherby. "I tell you I am a hater of gossip" screamed the lady "and here it is pouring rain and you have the audacity to keep me waiting at the front door, when I ask to see the lady of the house." "There is no lady of this house" said Mr. Netherby "except Mrs. Marshland and she rules it with a firm hand" "I want to see Miss Winston" cried the lady now almost in tears. Here Helen interupted, "Mr. Netherby" she said "If this lady wishes to see me, kindly let her in at once." "I've got the master's orders not to" replied Netherby firmly. "Insolent person!" cried Helen "obey me at once, open the door."