He turned and left the room. Virginia stood at the end of the table, clasping the pocket-book in her hands, and watching his retreating figure. He opened and closed the door. She sank back into her place for a moment and covered her face with her hands. For a moment she forgot where she was. The perfume of the roses, with which the table was laden, had somehow reminded her of the little farmhouse with its humble garden, far up amongst the hills. CHAPTER XIV STELLA PROVES OBSTINATE Littleson reached the hotel where Stella lived just in time to find the hall full of her trunks, and Stella herself, in dark travelling clothes and heavily veiled, in the act of saying farewell to the manager. He came up to her eagerly. "I seem to be just in time, Miss Duge," he said. "You are going away?" "I am certainly going away," she answered. "Did you wish to see me?" Her manner took him a little aback. Nevertheless he reflected that there were a good many people within hearing, and she was right to be cautious. "Can I have three words with you?" he begged, "alone, anywhere?" She led him into a sitting-room, which was fortunately empty. "Well," she said, continuing to draw on her gloves, "what do you want, Mr. Littleson?" "You know very well what I want," he answered quickly. "I have my cheque-book in my pocket, and I am ready to pay over the hundred thousand dollars. I know that you have the paper. If you like to wait for ten minutes, you can have the money in dollars." "How do you know that I have the paper?" she asked calmly. "Your cousin, Miss Virginia, has been to our office," he answered. "She thought, naturally, that you had brought it straight to us. I don't know whether she seriously expected that we would give it up again, but that seemed to be the object of her visit. At any rate, we learnt that you had succeeded." Stella was busy with the last finger of her glove. "Yes!" she said, "I succeeded. It was a brutal action, and I shall never quite forgive myself for it, but I got the paper." "Well?" he said. "Well?" she answered calmly. A horrible misgiving came over him. "You haven't parted with it?" he demanded anxiously. "You haven't let your father have it back again?" "I have not parted with it," she answered, "to my father. On the other hand, I certainly have not got it. A hundred thousand dollars is a good deal of money, Mr. Littleson; but I did not commit theft for the benefit of you and your friends." "What do you mean?" he asked hoarsely. "Exactly what I say," she answered. "The paper is in safe keeping. You will probably hear before long who has it." Littleson was speechless. All manner of horrible fears oppressed him. "You must tell me," he insisted hoarsely, "where it is, who has got it! This is infamous! Why, if I had not told you--"