should be maintained a profound secret in his own safe. Amongst these
bills Poole knew that there was one for L1,000 given by a young nobleman
of immense estates, but so entailed that he could neither sell nor
mortgage, and, therefore, often in need of a few hundreds for pocket
money. The nobleman's name stood high. His fortune was universally
known; his honour unimpeachable. A bill of his any one would cash at
sight. Could Poole but obtain that bill! It had, he believed, only a
few weeks yet to run. Jasper or Madame Caumartin might get it discounted
even by Lord -------'s own banker; and if that were too bold, by any
professional bill-broker, and all three be off before a suspicion could
arise. But to get at that safe, a false key might be necessary. Poole
suggested a waxen impression of the lock. Jasper sent him a readier
contrivance,--a queer-looking tool, that looked an instrument of torture.
All now necessary was for Poole to recover sufficiently to return to
business, and to get rid of Uncle Sam by a promise to run down to the
country the moment Poole had conscientiously cleared some necessary
arrears of work. While this correspondence went on, Jasper Losely
shunned Mrs. Crane, and took his meals and spent his leisure hours with
Madame Caumartin. He needed no dressing-gown and slippers to feel
himself at home there. Madame Canmartin had really taken a showy house
in a genteel street. Her own appearance was eminently what the French
call /distingue/; dressed to perfection from head to foot; neat and
finished as an epigram; her face in shape like a thoroughbred cobra-
capella,--low smooth frontal widening at the summit, chin tapering but
jaw strong, teeth marvellously white, small, and with points sharp as
those in the maw of the fish called the "Sea Devil;" eyes like dark
emeralds, of which the pupils, when she was angry or when she was
scheming, retreated upward towards the temples, emitting a luminous green
ray that shot through space like the gleam that escapes from a dark-
lantern; complexion superlatively feminine (call it not pale but white,