With a good deal more grumbling she paid the half fee, and, fastening the locket round her neck, flounced out of the building. As Kelson gleefully anticipated, the spell acted in less than two days, and with such success, that he was more than compensated for the monetary loss. Shortly afterwards, Kelson received a frantic visit from another Suffragette--a woman whose virulent sandy hair at once aroused his animosity. "Quick! Quick!" she cried, bursting into the room where he was sitting. "Let me have a spell that will blow up every Cabinet Minister, and their wives and families as well." "Such an ambitious request as that, madam," Kelson rejoined, "cannot be granted in a hurry. I must have time--to--" "No! No! At once!" the lady cried, stamping her feet with ill-suppressed rage. "--to consider how it can best be done," Kelson went on calmly. "I must have time to think." The lady fumed, but Kelson remained inexorable; and directly she had gone, he made a wax image of her, and taking up a knife chopped its head off. In the evening, he learned that a lady answering to her description had been run over by a train at Chislehurst--and decapitated. Kelson grew heartily sick of the Suffragettes. They were not only plain but abusive, and he complained bitterly to Hamar. "Look here," he said, "it's not fair. You and Curtis see all the decent-looking women and shelve all the rest on me. I'll stand it no longer." And he spoke so determinedly, that Hamar thought it politic to humour him. "Very well, Matt," he said, forcing a laugh. "I'll try and arrange differently in future. After to-day you shall have your share of the pretty ones--anything to keep the peace. Only--remember--no falling in love." FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 22: Lest the reader should query this, let him consult the police in any of our big centres, and he will learn that crime and prostitution is immensely on the increase among children. In Newcastle it is estimated that there are over two thousand girls, of under fourteen years of age, voluntarily leading immoral lives, and making big incomes.] CHAPTER XXII THE PERSECUTION OF THE MARTINS Hamar's one great idea on reaching stage four was to utilize the torments as a means of getting Gladys. Though he saw crowds of pretty girls every day, none appealed to him as she did--and the very difficulty of getting her enhanced her value and stimulated his passions. "I will give her one more chance," he said to himself, "and then if she won't have me I'll plague her to death." He went to the Imperial, and passing himself off as her father to the new official at the stage-door entrance, was shown into the ante-room (which led to her dressing-room). It took a good deal to scare Hamar, but he admitted afterwards that he did feel a trifle apprehensive whilst he awaited her advent; and his anticipations were fully realized.