'Grilled, 'm? Right-o. Well, as I was sayin' about Miss Marryun.
She's gotta ring in 'er fortune and she _will_ get married, but it will
be to a dark man who'll cross water to meet her. She's like me. She
isn't fated to meet the right one yet.'

This was a subtle reference to her own chaotic love affairs. Elizabeth
never has any lack of young men.' But they are like ships that pass in
the night (her night out as a rule), and one by one they drift off,
never stopping to cast anchor in her vicinity. You know what I mean.
Elizabeth can't keep her young men. They seem attracted to her at
first, but, as I say, after a very short time they drift.

'We shall see wot we shall see,' went on Elizabeth, 'there aint no
knowin' an' there aint no tellin'. But wot I ses is, if this 'ere
propogal don't come orf this evenin', I gotta plan. Of course, one
marries accordin' to Fate, but sometimes it doesn't do no 'arm to give
Fate an 'elpin' 'and, like.'

Nodding darkly, she melted out. I did not at the time attach any
significance to her final words. How was I to guess at those schemes
which were even then fermenting in her mind and ended by involving not
only Marion and Another, but the entire family?




CHAPTER V

Marion gave me what the newspapers term 'a verbatim report' of the
interview which took place between her and George Harbinger. She