By the varying forms of the telegrams she saw that he had excused himself from the office upon a plea of illness, while really he was working in secret to elucidate the mystery of the hooded man of Hammersmith. The fact that Boyne had been absent that night and had not yet returned, did not arouse her curiosity, for she concluded that Gerry had been following him ever since the previous evening. She relied upon her lover’s cleverness and ingenuity. The changing of his clothes showed her that he was resourceful. She admired him for it. So she took her tea with her aunt, and afterwards laid Mr. Boyne’s table in eager readiness for his return. He came in and greeted her as cheerily as usual. "Tell Mrs. Felmore that I expect she’s been wondering where I’ve been all this time. But I went out to Loughton, in Essex, to see a friend last night, and I stayed there. Tell her so, Miss Marigold, will you? And now for my supper! I’m horribly hungry!" He ate his meal, yet not by any means in the manner of a hungry man. He only toyed with it, for, a matter of fact, he had left Pont Street half an hour before, having taken leave of the Red Widow and his wife, whose faces had borne grim smiles of complete satisfaction. That night as Marigold lay awake, unable to sleep, she became obsessed by the one idea that she ought to leave the house of mystery and return to Wimbledon Park. Gerald, by his mysterious message to her, had evidently got upon the track of something, therefore it was useless for her to remain any longer in that strange atmosphere of doubt and fear. Boyne had retired, and though she remained on the alert until the first streak of dawn shone through the blinds, she heard no movement to arouse her suspicion. Next day, when she came down into the kitchen, she told her aunt that she was returning home. So, taking her blouse-case, she left before Mr. Boyne came downstairs. "Marigold has gone to the bank, sir," said Mrs. Felmore when she placed Boyne’s coffee and kippers upon the table. "She left word that she thanks you very much for allowing her to stay here, but she couldn’t encroach on your kind hospitality any longer." "Oh!" exclaimed Boyne in surprise. "She’s gone—eh?" "Yes, sir. She went out a quarter of an hour ago. She waited to see if you came down—but she had to go." Boyne grunted, and remarked something beneath his breath—words that the deaf woman, even with her expert lip-reading eyes, could not understand. Marigold had slipped safely out of the way. The fact filled him with intense chagrin. What did it portend? "At least Durrant’s activity is at an end!" he growled deeply to himself. "Now we have to deal with this girl. For the present nobody can know of the whereabouts of Gerald Durrant. When they do—I hope the peril will be over!" And he swallowed his coffee with the gusto and satisfaction of a man who had made a most complete coup, and from whose mind some great weight had been lifted.