"You will tell Lady Mabel?" "Yes, and Cannington also. I should not be surprised if he horsewhipped you." Mr. Monk winced. "I shall take my chance of that," he said bravely enough, and to do him the justice he was no coward so far as flesh and blood was concerned. "But suppose I get ahead of you and explain myself." "In that case Lady Mabel will not marry you." "It's probable, although, beyond the fact that I forgot to tell her of my change of name, I have done nothing wrong." "Nothing wrong, when you masquerade----" "I tell you I don't masquerade," he cried, with sudden heat, and springing to his feet; "my name has been legally changed and the money is mine by right. I really am, under an Act of Parliament, Mr. Wentworth Marr. I daresay it was vanity on my part to lessen my years by not confessing to having a daughter of Gertrude's age, but that is not a crime. But you are not going to blackmail me, Mr. Vance, so don't think it.' "I don't propose to. I simply intend to tell Cannington and Lady Mabel the truth. Then they can deal with the situation." Monk snapped his delicate fingers. "Tell them the truth by all means," he said derisively; "it's bound to come out sooner or later. Striver knows that I appear in London as Marr." "Striver, the gardener. How did he learn?" I asked, taken aback. "Ah," sneered the little man, "you don't feel quite so certain that you hold the keys of the situation, do you, Mr. Vance? Yes, Striver knows. He saw me in Piccadilly when I was getting out of my motor, and went to ask my chauffeur questions?" "What sort of questions?" "About my possessing a motor, I suppose. Striver knows my income, and didn't see how I could afford such a machine. Also he has the impudence of old Nick himself. At all events, he learned from my chauffeur that I was Marr, and, thinking something was wrong, as you did, he learned my address and had an interview. To prevent his telling Gertrude I was obliged to shut his mouth and confess all." "How did you shut his mouth?" I asked hastily. "I intimated," said Monk coolly, "that if he could get money enough, and went to school to improve his education, he could marry Gertrude." "What!" this time I sprang to my feet, and a fine rage I was in, "you dared to make a bargain with that fellow." "I had to shut his mouth," said Monk sullenly, and sat down. "So he lives in a fool's paradise. You don't suppose that Gertrude would marry Striver?" "I never thought so for one moment, no more than she would marry you." "She is going to marry me," I insisted, at white heat. "Nothing of the sort," said the little man obstinately; "now that you have learned the truth, I am not going to be under your thumb. I shall give up any idea of marrying Lady Mabel. I shall bring Gertrude to London and I shall marry her to Lord Cannington." "You'll do nothing of the sort." "Who will stop me?"