wife of a respectable solicitor, had costly
jewellery fit for any lady in the land!
These were the main counts of Mrs.
Lovegrove's indictment; and they were closely
intermingled with much extraneous matter.

That afternoon Augustus Lovegrove said
a few words to his father when they were
alone together in the office.

"Do you know, father, I think that Mr.
Frost ought to look after that wife of his a
little more."

"Look after her! What do you mean?"

"I mean that he ought to curb her
expenditure a little."

"I suppose he knows his own business
best, Gus."

"Well, he certainly is very clever at
other people's business. I don't deny that.
But it may be that he is making a mess of
his own. Such things sometimes happen.
I did hear——"

"Eh? What did you hear?"

"Well, there are ugly rumours about
the Parthenope Embellishment Company.
And I did hear that Mr. Frost had dipped
pretty deep in it."

"Gus, I hope you have not repeated any
such gossip! It is always injurious to a
professional man to be supposed unable to
keep his tongue between his teeth."

"I, sir? Oh no; you may be quite easy
about that. But I thought I would
mention it to you."

"I don't attach any importance to it,
Gus Frost is too clear-sighted and
long-headed to burn his fingers."

"So much the better, sir," returned
Augustus, quietly. And there was no
more said at that time on the matter.

But Mr. Lovegrove thought of it
seriously. Mr. Frost's proceedings had been
by no means satisfactory to him of late.
It was not that he had neglected the
business of the firm, nor that he had
seemed absent and absorbed in his own
private affairs on occasions when matters
pertaining to the office should have claimed
his best energies. Nor was it that Mr.
Lovegrove had accidentally heard that
his partner had dealings with a money-lender
of questionable reputation; nor the
floating rumours that tradesmen had been
dunning for their bills at the elegant little
house in Bayswater. It was not any one of
these circumstances, taken singly, that
made Mr. Lovegrove uneasy; but the
combination of them unquestionably did so.
And his wife's gossip respecting Mrs.
Frost's extravagance, to which he would at
another time have attached no importance,
became disquieting as adding one more to
the accumulation of other facts. Later on
that same afternoon, as he was leaving the
office, he saw Hugh Lockwood coming
out of Mr. Frost's private room. On the
day when Hugh had given testimony as
to the hour of Lady Tallis Gale's death,
Mr. Lovegrove and the young man had
conceived a strong respect for each other.
There had been the slightest possible
acquaintance between them up to that
time.

"Good day, Mr. Lockwood," said Lovegrove,
offering his hand. He was not surprised
to see the young man coming from
Mr. Frost's room. He was aware of the
old and close intimacy that had existed
between the latter and Hugh's father.

"Good day, sir."

"Is anything the matter, Mr. Lockwood?"
asked Lovegrove, struck with the
expression of Hugh's face.

"Nothing, thank you. That is—to say
truth, I have been put out a little."

And Hugh hastily shook Mr. Lovegrove's
hand, and walked away with a quick step.
Mr. Lovegrove stood looking after him
thoughtfully for a moment. Then he
turned, and went into Mr. Frost's inner
sanctum. He opened the door without
first knocking at it, and, as the heavy
panels swung back noiselessly, he had time
to see his partner before his partner was
aware of his presence.

Mr. Frost was standing at the little fire-
place with his back to the door. He was
leaning with his elbow on the mantelpiece,
and supporting his head on his hands. At
a slight noise, made by Mr. Lovegrove, he
turned round, and the other man almost
started on seeing the haggard face that
fronted him. Mr. Frost's forehead was knit
and creased into deeper folds than usual.
There was a dark red flush upon it, and it
seemed expressive of intense pain of mind
or body. His jaw hung, and his usually
firmly closed lips were parted. His eyes
stared wildly, and seemed hardly to take
note of that which they looked upon. All
this lasted but for a second. He passed his
hands over his forehead, and said:

"Hullo, Lovegrove! I didn't hear you
come in. Do you want me? I hope not,
just now; for I have an appointment, and
must be off."

"I did want to say a word to you. I
can wait, however. Do you know, Frost,
that you are not looking at all well!"

"Am I not? Well, I have a devil of a
headache."