"I never did such a thing in my life before. And, at the same time, I don't mind admitting that I was never so sorely tried. At the present moment I am on the verge of a large fortune, and I am making my grand _coup_ honestly. Would you deem it exaggeration on my part if I said that I was exceedingly glad of the fact?" "Mr. Smith," Chris said, earnestly, "I have seen how fond you are of your daughter." "That is an exceedingly clever remark of yours, young lady," Rawlins smiled. "You know that you have found the soft spot in my nature, and you are going to hammer on it till you reduce me to submission. I am not a religious man, but my one prayer is that Grace shall never find me out. When my _coup_ comes off I am going to settle in England and become intensely respectable." "With Reginald Henson for your secretary, I suppose?" "No, I am going to drop the past. But to return to our subject. Are you asking me to betray Henson to the police?" "Nothing of the kind," Chris cried, hastily. "I--I would do anything to avoid a family scandal. All I want is a controlling power over the man." "The man who bullies women?" "The same. For seven years he has wrecked the lives of five of us--three women. He has parted husband and wife, he has driven the man I love into exile. And the poor wife is gradually going hopelessly mad under his cruelties. And he blackmails us, he extorts large sums of money from us. If you only knew what we have suffered at the hands of the rascal!" Rawlins nodded in sympathy. "I did not imagine that," he said. "Of course, I have known for years that Henson was pretty bad. You may smile, but I have never had any sympathy with his methods and hypocritical ways, perhaps because I never did anything of the kind myself. Nobody can say that I ever robbed anybody who was poor or defenceless or foolish. By heavens, I am a more honest man than hundreds of London and New York capitalists. It is the hard rogues amongst us who have always been my mark. But to injure and wound women and children!" "Which means that you are going to help me?" Chris asked, quietly. "As far as I can, certainly. Especially as you are going to let Henson down easily. Now please ask me any questions that you like." "This is very good of you," said Chris. "In the first place, did you ever hear Mr. Henson speak of his relations or friends?" "Nobody beyond Lord Littimer. You see, Henson and I were extremely useful to one another once or twice, but he never trusted me, and I never trusted him. I never cared for his methods." "Did you go to Brighton lately on purpose to help him?" "Certainly not. I had business in Brighton for some considerable time, and my daughter was with me. When she went away to stay with friends for a short time I moved to the Metropole." "Then why did you go to Walen's in Brighton and ask them to show you some gun-metal cigar-cases like the one in Lockhart's window?"