"I can see that you are incredulous about there having been no conditions attached to the gift, but I have stated just what happened. I can see now that I was a fool, but then it was easy for me to believe that I had been relieved out of pure philanthropy. As if there was any such thing! "At first the money came unaccompanied by any communication, but later, when he knew, I suppose, that I had become absolutely dependent on it, I began to receive instructions. In the beginning he still used the language of philanthropy--he wanted to help this young man or that young woman to gain a footing in good society--but latterly, feeling more sure of me, I suppose, he has become frankly peremptory. Oh! if I had only sent the money back in the first place!" "What sort of instructions?" asked Jack. "Principally for me to receive certain young people that he would send me, and introduce them to society; sometimes to introduce them to particular persons. This seemed harmless enough. People will do anything to get into society, you know." "But when you saw these young people didn't you begin to be suspicious?" "Oh, I didn't want to be suspicious! Their manners were good enough. They didn't shame me. And nowadays society is such a go-as-you-please affair, nobody held me responsible." "What other kind of instructions did you get?" "To ask certain people, generally some well-known rich man, to my house. The hardest thing I ever had to do was to go to the Madagascar and scrape acquaintance with Bobo in the corridor. I nearly died at that, but it was too late to turn back. I was terrified by the way the man always knew instantly when I had not obeyed him." "The spies he had in your house would keep him informed," said Jack. "How did you know that day which of the two of us was Bobo?" "He had described him to me." "Does 'Mr. B.' still come here?" "No, I have never seen him but the once. He writes to me, and very often he calls me up to learn if I have anything to report. I have no way of communicating with him unless he calls up." "Now about Miriam?" said Jack. Mrs. Cleaver sat up, and her tired eyes sparkled with hatred. "That woman!" she cried. "If you knew what I have had to put up with from her! I loathe her! Oh, I would like to see her brought low. What have you got against her? Tell me!" Jack shook his head, smiling grimly. "All in good time," he said. "You're telling me your story now." "Oh, Miriam's just another of them. She came the day before I received my instructions to get hold of Bobo. I was ordered to take her into my house, and give it out that she was a cousin. That was the final humiliation!" "Is that all you can tell me about Miriam?" She nodded. "We don't confide in each other," she said with tight lips. There was a considerable silence between the two before the fire. "What are you thinking about?" asked Mrs. Cleaver nervously at last. "Just trying to dope out a plan to get him--with your help."