“I’m afraid I’ve been an awful nuisance to you. Will you be able to get your car sent up to town, or must you go down to Telsbury for it?” “Don’t bother about my car; it is here,” he said, and nodded to the end of the road. To her amazement she saw his black machine come slowly to the side-walk and stop. She was about to say something, but changed her mind, and, running up the steps, disappeared through the dark portals, the man watching her until she was out of sight. Chapter Five The clerks had gone, only Lizzy Smith remained. That young lady came flying to greet her, all of a twitter with excitement. “Oh, you artful one! You picked him up, did you? Haven’t you got a nerve to come back with him? Suppose old Shaddles had seen you! What have you done to the juggernaut? All the mudguard’s bent. Lois, the countess is here! She’s in with old Shaddles, and she’s got the Queen of Sheba skinned to death! I’ll bet that chinchilla coat she’s got cost a thousand if it cost a tenner. And me wearing dyed fox, and glad to get it! Not that I’m struck on chinchilla--it doesn’t suit my complexion, anyway----. And isn’t Mike lovely?” “Mike?” said Lois, puzzled. “Didn’t he tell you his name was Mike?” asked Lizzy contemptuously. “Of course it is! Michael Dorn. You don’t mean to tell me that you’ve been joy-riding with him all these hours and never called him ‘Mike’ once?” Lois hung up her coat and hat, and sat down wearily. Miss Smith regarded her with a gathering frown. “You’re not looking very bright, old dear,” she said. “What’s wrong?” “The prison upset me,” said Lois. “How long has the countess been here?” “You haven’t had a row with him, have you?” “With him--whom? Oh, the man, you mean, Lizzy?” “Of course I mean the man! Who else was there to row with? You can’t start any backchat with a pre-war Ford.” Happily Lois was saved the embarrassment of an answer, for at that moment a buzzer sounded and Lizzy darted into Shaddles’ office, to return with an uplifted and bending finger. “The countess wants to see you!” she hissed fiercely, “and the thing attached to her is her little boy--the earl!” Lois went into the room and closed the door behind her. Mr. Shaddles glared up from his table as she handed him the crumpled documents. “What’s happened to these?” he asked. “We had an accident with the car,” said Lois, a little incoherently. She was not a fluent liar. “‘We’? Who are ‘we’?” “I mean, I ran into another car,” said the girl in some confusion. Mr. Shaddles smoothed out the rumpled paper, glanced at the signature, and then: “This is the girl, your ladyship.”