"That's a pretty good excuse," interrupted the colonel, "but it won't work, Lollie. You don't touch with a man like Stafford King and meet him secretly in St. James's Street. And you don't touch by seeing him for half an hour at a time, and I haven't heard of you ever getting off with a fellow to the extent of his paying for your passage to America." She started. "You know the way it is done. You did it before, Lollie," the colonel went on. "Now, you've got to be a good girl and tell us how far you've gone." She hesitated. "I'll tell you the truth," she said. "I'm sick of this life, colonel. I want to go straight. I want to get away out of it all and--and--he's going to help me." "A social reformer, eh?" said the colonel. "I didn't know the police went in for that sort of stunt. And when did he take this sudden liking for you, Lollie?" "It wasn't a sudden liking at all," she said, "but I think it was because--well, because I stopped Pinto in the nursing home--and Miss White told him--I think that's all." The colonel looked down on his pad. "There's something in that," he said. "It sounds feasible. Didn't he question you?" he said, raising his eyes. "About you?" she said. "About us," corrected the colonel. "He asked me nothing about you, nothing about your habits or your methods or about any of our funny business. I'll swear it," she said. "You're not going to believe that, are you, colonel?" demanded Pinto. "You can see that she is lying and that she's double-crossing you?" "She's neither lying nor double-crossing us." It was Crewe who spoke. "I don't know what you think about it, colonel, but I am convinced that Lollie is speaking the truth." "You!" Pinto laughed loudly. "I think you're in a state of mind when you'd believe anything Lollie said. And anyway you're probably in with her." "You're a liar," said Crewe, so quietly that none suspected the surprising thing that would follow, for of a sudden his fist shot out and caught Pinto under the jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor. The colonel was instantly on his feet, his hand outspread. "That's enough, Crewe," he said harshly. "I'll have none of that!" Pinto picked himself up, his face livid. "You'll pay for that," he said breathlessly, but "Swell" Crewe had walked to the girl and had laid his hand on her shoulder. "Lollie," he said, "I'm believing you and I think the colonel is, too. If you're going out of the country, why I'll say good luck to you. You've made a very wise decision and one which we shall all make--some of us perhaps too late." "Wait a moment," said the colonel. He exchanged a glance with Selby and the man slipped quietly from the room. "Before we do any of that fare-thee-well stuff, I've got a few words to say to you, Lollie. I'm with Crewe. I think it is time you went out of the country, but you're going out my way." "What do you mean?" she asked. Her hand clutched "Swell" Crewe's sleeve.