"Your information is well worth it," she said quietly, as he took them with a servile smile, "and if we find Mr. Lancaster in the house of Doctor Roversmire, I will double the reward." "Don't be too generous, Miss Maunders," said Teddy, suspiciously. "We know nothing definitely yet. Now we must go to Paddington at once, as there's no time to lose." Olive consented with alacrity, and they left the house, secured a hansom, and were soon on their way to the railway station, leaving Mrs. Bickles to the solitude of the town house, and Dentham with twenty-five pounds in his pocket, very well satisfied with his day's work. Chapter XII. A Perilous Situation Now although Dentham intended to betray the confidence both of Dr. Roversmire and Olive Maunders, yet it was an operation of some difficulty, as he foresaw on taking a quiet view of the situation. So far he had made twenty-five pounds out of the transaction, but he would not obtain any more money from Adrian Lancaster's betrothed until the house had been thoroughly searched, and the unhappy young man found. If they did discover Adrian shut up in a secret chamber, as Rudall surmised, he would certainly gain the balance of the reward from Olive Maunders, but on the other hand he would obtain nothing from his master, as he would be unable to warn him and make terms. "If he's murdered Mr. Lancaster," mused Dentham to himself, as he took his way homeward, "they'll arrest him straight off, and then I won't be able to give him the straight tip, and get paid for it; but then he'll be away from the house if they find anything, so I'll be able to wire the old cove at Marlow, and make an appointment in town--once I get a hold of him I'll bleed him freely, or else hand him over to the law. Yes, that's what I'll do; they can't put him in gaol straight off, so I'll fix up things with him before they get a chance." Mr. Dentham was quite delighted with his villainous little scheme, and could not help admiring himself for the dexterous way in which he turned things to his own advantage. "She said she'd double the reward," he resumed, referring to Miss Maunders, "does that mean the twenty-five or the fifty? If she only doubles the twenty-five, I'll only clear seventy-five pounds, but if she means the fifty, it will be a hundred and twenty-five in my pocket, that will be something on account, and if I can only get another hundred and twenty-five pounds out of the old cove, I'll be able to sit down with three hundred clear, that will set me up for life and not much trouble either. Ah! I knew something would come out of the old cove's way of living. Lord, what a scoundrel he is to be sure--it's a wicked world, and the old cove's about the worst in it."