"I must have time to think, Mr. Trotter," she said quietly. "Now, don't say anything more,--please! I shall take good care of myself, never fear. My woes are small compared to yours, I am afraid. The next morning after our little scene in the park, he came down to breakfast, smiling and triumphant. He said he had news for me. Mr. Carpenter was to dismiss you that morning, but had agreed not to prefer charges against you,--at least, not for the present." She paused to moisten her lips. There was a harassed look in her eyes. "Charges?" said Trotter, after a moment. The other men leaned forward, fresh interest in their faces. "Did you say charges, Miss Emsdale?" asked Mr. Bramble, putting his hand to his ear. "He told me that Mr. Carpenter was at first determined to turn you over to the police, but that he had begged him to give you a chance. He--he says that Mr. Carpenter has had a private detective watching you for a fortnight, and--and--oh, I cannot say it!" "Go on," said Trotter harshly; "say it!" "Well, of course, I know and you understand it is simply part of his outrageous plan, but he says your late employer has positive proof that you took--that you took some marked bank notes out of his overcoat pocket a few days ago. He had been missing money and had provided himself with marked--" Trotter leaped to his feet with a cry of rage. "Sit down!" commanded Mr. Bramble. "Sit down! Where are you going?" "Great God! Do you suppose I can sit still and let him get away with anything like that?" roared Trotter. "I'm going to jam those words down Carpenter's craven throat. I'm--" "You forget he is in Atlantic City," said de Bosky, as if suddenly coming out of a dream. "Oh, Lord!" groaned Trotter, very white in the face. There were tears in Miss Emsdale's eyes. "They--he means to drive you out of town," she murmured brokenly. "Fine chance of that!" cried Trotter violently. "Let us be calm," said M. Mirabeau, gently taking the young man's arm and leading him back to the box on which he had been sitting. "You must not play into their hands, and that is what you would be doing if you went to him in a rage. As long as you remain passive, nothing will come of all this. If you show your teeth, they will stop at nothing. Take my word for it, Trotter, before many hours have passed you will be interviewed by a detective,--a genuine detective, by the way, for some of them can be hired to do anything, my boy,--and you will be given your choice of going to prison or to some far distant city. You--" "But how in thunder is he going to prove that I took any marked bills from him? You've got to prove those things, you know. The courts would not--" "Just a moment! Did he pay you by check or with bank notes this morning?" "He gave me a check for thirty dollars, and three ten-dollar bills and a five." · "Have you them on your person at present?" "Not all of them. I have--wait a second! We'll see." He fumbled in his pocket for the bill-folder.