There was a little pause, and then Murchison spoke in his stern, inflexible voice: "And how long is it since you saw George Burton?" She had answered the question before, but he was hoping to entrap her into some unguarded admission. He could see that she was considerably thrown off her balance, clever and ready as she was, by the extent of his knowledge. "I told you just now, soon after he came out of prison." And then Hugh rose in his wrath. And then she, seeing in his face that he had another and a stronger card to play, got up from her kneeling position and watched him with an agonised countenance. "I am sorry to use such harsh words to a woman, even such a woman as you are, Mrs Spencer. But when you say that you are lying miserably, and you know it as well as I do." Her face went livid. She assumed a tone of indignation, but her voice died away in a sob. "How dare you say that?" "I am not the sort of man to make a statement unless I can prove it up to the hilt. Your so-called cousin, George Dutton, keeps a bucket-shop in the City; from certain evidence in my possession, I should say it was not a very paying business." Stella did not attempt to reply to this last shot, but she recognised that he had gone about the business very thoroughly. "George Dutton, the bucket-shop keeper, is George Burton, the forger, come to life again, still, I take it, on the same criminal tack, perhaps in a lesser degree. Do you admit," he cried vehemently, "that George Burton and George Dutton are one and the same?" "Yes, since you seem to have proof, I admit it," was the somewhat sullen answer. "That is as well; it clears the ground, up to a certain point. You say you parted from Burton soon after his release from prison, and have not seen him since. When was that--how long ago? You met him frequently as George Dutton at Elsinore Gardens." The courage of despair seemed to come to her, and she ceased to tremble. "I will answer no more questions. Tell me what you allege and I will admit or deny. Of course, you have employed a detective; you have had me watched." "Of course. I should not presume to cope single-handed with a clever woman like yourself. You have met George Dutton, alias George Burton, four times within the last fortnight at obscure restaurants in the City, and there is a strong presumption that you were handing to him envelopes containing money." She seemed now to recognise that the game was up. Her self-possession returned to her. She sat down, and motioned to him to seat himself. "You are much too clever for me, Major Murchison. You have handled the matter very well, so well that you have turned your vague suspicions into absolute certainty. Well, what action are you going to take? As a matter of course, you intend to turn me out of my husband's house?"