“I must see him.” Her cheeks were flaming under the man’s scrutiny. “Here,” she opened her purse and gave him a bill, then pushed him aside and ran upstairs. She remembered that Steele had told her that his rooms were on the second floor, front. The halls were as dark as midnight. She had to feel with her hands for a door. There was one at the end facing the hall. She knocked so loudly that Steele sprang out of bed. “What is it?” he cried. “It is I. Open the door—quick!” Steele made no reply until he opened a door at the side of the hall. He had tied himself into a bath robe. “Good heavens!” he said, “why have you come here? Are you mad?” “Oh, I think I am. Lock the door—quick. Oh, haven’t you heard? Didn’t you know about it before? The ‘Day’ is right next door to the ‘Eye.’ Why didn’t you warn me?” “What on earth are you talking about? What has happened? Do sit down and calm yourself.” “The ‘Eye’ is out with a big story that I murdered Beverly Peele. That is what is the matter.” “What? Oh, you poor child! The damned rascals! But you shouldn’t have come here. Don’t you know that the ‘Eye’ will watch every move you make? It takes the clever woman to do the wrong thing, every time!” He went to the window and peered out, then clenched his teeth, and raising his arm brought it down violently. “They can’t put me in prison, can they?” He pressed his finger to a bell. “I must read what they have to say. They are very wary, and never would have printed such a story unless they had had a good deal of circumstantial evidence. But they will need a terrible lot to convict you. Don’t worry.” “Oh, how can you be so cool?” “Some one has to be cool, my dear girl. If you cannot think I must think for you.” A man has not much sentiment at that hour of the morning; still, Steele had sympathy in his nature, and was profoundly disturbed. The servant came up with the newspapers, and Steele ordered coffee and rolls from the restaurant below. He threw himself into a chair, opened the “Eye,” and read the story through deliberately, word for word, while Patience walked nervously up and down the room. When he had finished he laid the newspaper on the table. “It’s a damned bad case,” he said. “You don’t believe I did it, do you?” He looked at her for a moment with his peculiarly searching gaze. “No,” he said, “you didn’t do it. You’d be even more interesting if you had. But that’s not the question. We’ve got to make others believe you didn’t do it. The first thing for you to do is to go directly back to Peele Manor. Tell them you came up to see Miss Merrien and to engage rooms. Anything you like—only go back there and wait. If you are arrested, it must be from there, and there must be no suggestion of fear on your part—you must brace up and carry it off.” The waiter entered with the coffee and rolls, and Steele made her drink and eat. “It is 9.45,” he said. “You can catch a train that goes between ten and eleven.”