Produced by D Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) THE WHITE LIE BY WILLIAM LE QUEUX _Author of "The Temptress," "In White Raiment," "The Room of Secrets," etc._ WARD, LOCK & CO., LIMITED LONDON, MELBOURNE AND TORONTO 1915 [Illustration: "He had taken her small, white hand in his, and for a moment he stood mute before her, overcome with gratitude." (Chapter XVIII.) [_Frontispiece_] CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I.--IS MAINLY MYSTERIOUS 7 II.--CONCERNS A PRETTY STRANGER 19 III.--DESCRIBES TWO INQUIRIES 34 IV.--DESCRIBES A TORN CARD 45 V.--SECRETS OF STATE 56 VI.--THE SAFE BREAKERS 67 VII.--THE DOWNWARD PATH 78 VIII.--REVEALS THE GRIM TRUTH 88 IX.--IN THE NIGHT 99 X.--HONOUR AMONG THIEVES 108 XI.--THE VOW 119 XII.--THE FATE OF "THE AMERICAN" 130 XIII.--SISTERS IN SILENCE 139 XIV.--JEAN LEARNS THE TRUTH 149 XV.--HIS LORDSHIP'S VISITOR 159 XVI.--JEAN HAS A SURPRISE 169 XVII.--THE DARKENING HORIZON 178 XVIII.--LORD BRACONDALE'S CONFESSION 188 XIX.--THE GARDEN OF LOVE 197 XX.--CROOKED CONFIDENCES 206 XXI.--THE GREEN TABLE 215 XXII.--DISCLOSES A SCHEME 224 XXIII.--THE FALLING SHADOW 235 XXIV.--THE BLOW 244 XXV.--TO PAY THE PRICE 255 XXVI.--A CHILD'S QUESTION 265 XXVII.--THE INTRUDER 275 XXVIII.--THE CLOSED BOX 284 XXIX.--DEADLY PERIL 293 XXX.--THE WHITE LIE 299 THE WHITE LIE CHAPTER I. IS MAINLY MYSTERIOUS. "A woman--perhaps?" "Who knows! Poor Dick Harborne was certainly a man of secrets, and of many adventures." "Well, it certainly is a most mysterious affair. You, my dear Barclay, appear to be the last person to have spoken to him."