And when his lips twitched, she said: “That smile was almost paternal.” They were all gone at last except Peter and Leslie, and Lucretia, washing up noisily in the scullery, her door half open to insure the proprieties. “Well?” asked Leslie. “Very well--bewilderingly well.” “I told you about Mrs. Dawlish and what she intends to do?” He nodded. “You can, of course, charge her with being privy to the forgery, but I think it was Anita’s work. It will be so much better if you allow her to pass the property to you by deed of gift. That makes you a very rich man, Peter. What are you going to do with it? Buy a house in Park Lane?” “Would you like a house in Park Lane?” he asked. “I’d like almost any kind of house, Peter,” she said quietly. Lucretia, looking through the half-opened door, saw the brown head of her mistress pillowed on Peter’s shabby jacket, saw him bend his head and kiss her. Lucretia sneered. “My stars!” she said, addressing nobody in particular. “These women!” THE END TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES Minor spelling inconsistencies (e.g. drawing-room/drawing room, motor-car/motor car, etc.) have been preserved. Alterations to the text: Abandon the use of drop-caps. Punctuation: fix some quotation mark pairings/nestings, and some missing/invisible periods. [Chapter XXI] Change “The back was _undoubted y_ a door” to _undoubtedly_. [Chapter XXIV] “When she found she _couldn t_ stop… court _wh le_ the judge” to _couldn’t_ and _while_, respectively. [End of text]