“Who is it?” asked Audrey sharply. But Sir Harry hesitated to reply bluntly with the man’s name. “Mind you,” he said, “I don’t mean for a moment to insinuate that it’s anything but a coincidence, but still, I’ve watched him and it’s always the same.” “Who is it?” asked Audrey again. “One moment, Madame. You might well ask, if I were to say anything not altogether pleasant about one of your guests, why I came to you about it, instead of speaking to some of the men. But one or two fellows to whom I mentioned it laughed at me, and said that if I were to speak to you, I should only get snubbed. I resented that, on your account, knowing how kind and straightforward you were with me last night. And--and I made up my mind to do, what is not really a very nice thing to have to do, to come to you and rely upon your tact to deal with the matter.” “You did just what was right and wise and kind, and I’m very much obliged to you,” said Audrey earnestly. “I need not tell you that my position is a very difficult one--I’m not used to entertaining on a large scale, and my position as a business woman puts me at a disadvantage.” “That was exactly what I thought, and why I felt it was a shame you should not know,” said the young man eagerly. “Well, the man I mean is Mr. Diggs.” “I thought so,” said Audrey. “I won’t have him here again. Tell me--I’ll keep your confidence--how much he has won from you?” “Oh, I don’t mean to insinuate----” “Nor I. He is lucky, that’s all. But what amount has his luck been worth to him?” He hesitated, but at last said simply:-- “About four thousand pounds from me, and nearly five thousand from the young Angmerings.” Audrey was overwhelmed. In stony silence she sat while Sir Harry described the faint suspicions he had from time to time entertained concerning the methods of Mr. Candover’s clever secretary, and added simply that he should never have thought of challenging him but for Audrey’s own words to him on the previous night. “Then,” went on the young man, “I thought things over, and I remembered his curious manner to you as he said good-night, and I went out of my way to find the young Angmerings this morning, and to put questions to them. The result was that I found this Diggs had used just the same little devices with them as he had done with me, and that they had lost even more than I had to him. Now, you must understand that I don’t wish to have any fuss made; I think the Angmerings and I have only paid a proper price for our folly in playing so high. But I made up my mind that, out of gratitude to you for the way you spoke to me last night, I could not do less than come straight here and tell you what I have done.” “I can’t thank you enough,” said Audrey. “He shall never play in my house again.” Then the young baronet spoke out. “I knew you would get rid of the fellow when you knew,” he said promptly. “The truth is I don’t think there’s any doubt that he is a sharper, and it must be a paying game!”