Nancy was about to speak when she was interrupted by a plaintive request from outside that someone would open the door. Colin hastened to comply, and Mrs. Mark, carrying a teapot and a large covered plate, sailed smilingly into the room. "Be careful of the crumpets, Colin," she said, as he relieved her of her burden. "I have done them with a double lot of butter in honour of your visit." Mark laid his hand on his wife's shoulder. "Mary," he said, wheeling her round so that she faced Nancy, "do you know who this is?" "Of course I do," was the answer. "We were introduced to each other on the doorstep. I had no idea that Colin had such nice friends." "But you haven't heard the really thrilling part of it. This is the dream secretary who is going to get us out of all our troubles." "Oh, how splendid!" exclaimed Mary, but before she could add anything further Nancy rose to her feet with a little protesting gesture. "Please," she said, "please! You're making me feel the most dreadful humbug and impostor!" She turned to Colin. "Do tell them the truth, Doctor Gray." "I'm only waiting for the chance," said Colin. With a good-natured chuckle Mark placed his pipe on the mantelpiece, and pulled up a couple of chairs to the table. "Fire ahead, my lad," he observed. "That's to say, if you can eat crumpets and talk intelligibly at the same time." Spurred on by this encouragement, Colin set about his task with obvious relish. He was a good hand at telling a story, and under his eloquent treatment the slightly unusual circumstances which had attended his first introduction to Nancy lost nothing in dramatic freshness. Retailed, indeed, amid the chink of tea-cups and the pleasant crackling of the wood fire, they seemed to appear more romantic than ever, and both Mark and Mary listened to him with a fascinated interest which showed itself plainly in their faces. Having described the capture of "Ginger Dick" and done full justice to the spirited behaviour of Nancy during the operations, he went on to relate how he had walked back with her to the studio, and had been admitted into the secret of her profession. "Of course," he finished, "directly I heard that I knew where I was. You'd asked me to find you a resourceful angel, and here she was fluttering round Chelsea wasting her life typing out bad stories! The whole thing was evidently a put-up job on the part of Providence." "It seems to be like a direct answer to prayer," said Mark, with considerable enthusiasm. "I can hardly believe it even now." Mary leaned across and began refilling Nancy's cup. "My dear," she begged, "please say that it's true. You can't imagine how it will relieve our feelings. If Colin has been misrepresenting the situation I shall burst into floods of tears."