"Ah, now I see you understand," and the man's face beamed. "But
remember, I come not as a beggar, neither as a suppliant, but merely to
receive payment for a favor."

"Payment for a favor!" the woman exclaimed. "What do you mean? I owe
you nothing. I never saw you before. What favor?"

"The favor of silence. I know what you were thinking about to-night as
you sat here. Your thoughts were in the past, to another night such as
this. You were in a private hospital, and----"

He was interrupted by a startled cry from the woman. She was sitting
bolt upright, her hands gripping hard the arms of the chair, and her
face ghastly white.

"W-what do you know?" she gasped.

"Calm yourself, madame. Although I know all, you have no need to fear."

For a few seconds the woman stared at the man before her. Then she
gave an hysterical laugh and sank back in her chair. What did this
stranger know? she wondered. Perhaps nothing, and she had made a fool
of herself by showing her agitation.

"My nerves are somewhat shaken to-night," she confessed. "I have not
been well of late, so your sudden appearance and strange words have
rather unsettled me. What do you mean by referring to another night
such as this, and to a private hospital? What have they to do with me?"