Gurn took it from him and read: "Will leave Verrières to-morrow evening by 7.20 train, arriving Paris 5 A.M...." Gurn appeared to be sufficiently edified: at all events he paid no attention to the rest of the message. Lord Beltham's murderer handed the document back to the barrister without a word. A few minutes later Maître Roger de Seras had rejoined his lady friends, and the prisoner was once more in his cell. XXV. AN UNEXPECTED ACCOMPLICE Gurn was walking nervously up and down in his cell after this interview, when the door was pushed open and the cheery face of the warder Nibet looked in. "Evening, Gurn," he said; "it's six o'clock, and the restaurant-keeper opposite wants to know if he is to send your dinner in to you." "No," Gurn growled. "I'll have the prison ordinary." "Oh--ho!" said the warder; "funds low, eh? Of course, it's not for you to despise our dietary, but still, Government beans----" He came further into the cell, ignoring Gurn's impatient preference for his room to his company, and said in a low tone: "There, take that," and thrust a bank-note into the hand of the dumbfounded prisoner. "And if you want any more, they will be forthcoming," he added. He made a sign to Gurn to say nothing, and went to the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes: I'll just go and order a decent dinner for you." Gurn felt as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from him; the cell seemed larger, the prison walls less high; he had an intuition that Lady Beltham was not deserting him. He had never doubted the sincerity of her feelings for him, but he quite realised how a woman in her delicate position might feel embarrassed in trying to intervene in favour of any prisoner, and much more so in the case of the one whom the entire world believed to be the single-handed murderer of her husband. But now Lady Beltham had intervened. She had succeeded in communicating with him through the medium of this warder. And almost certainly she would do much more yet. * * * * * The door opened again, and the warder entered, carrying a long rush basket containing several dishes and a bottle of wine. "Well, Gurn, that's a more agreeable sort of dinner, eh?" "'Gad, I wanted it after all," said the murderer with a smile. "It was a good idea of yours, M. Nibet, to insist on my getting my dinner sent in from outside." Nibet winked; he appreciated his prisoner's tact; obviously he was not one to make untimely allusions to the warder's breach of discipline in conveying money to him so simply, but so very irregularly. As he ate Gurn chatted with Nibet. "I suppose it is you who will get Siegenthal's place?"