tell you the truth. But it's all right, and the new lawyer, a smart young fellow in the City, suspects nothing. I've already sent him his fee—so that's settled him." "Will you employ him again?" "Will you employ him again?" "I never employ a solicitor a second time, my dear Lilla. That would be a fatal mistake," was his reply. "But what I came to tell you mainly is that I've had a failure—a mysterious failure! Things haven't turned out exactly as I expected they would." "I never employ a solicitor a second time, my dear Lilla. That would be a fatal mistake," was his reply. "But what I came to tell you mainly is that I've had a failure—a mysterious failure! Things haven't turned out exactly as I expected they would." "Failure!" gasped the woman, with disappointment upon her dark, handsome face. "Then we must postpone it? How annoying!" "Failure!" gasped the woman, with disappointment upon her dark, handsome face. "Then we must postpone it? How annoying!" "Yes. But perhaps it's all for the best, Lilla. There was an element of danger. I told you that from the first." "Yes. But perhaps it's all for the best, Lilla. There was an element of danger. I told you that from the first." "Danger! Rubbish!" declared his wife, with boldness, the diamonds flashing upon her fingers. "There's no danger! Of that I'm quite convinced. There was much more in that other little affair last winter. I was full of apprehension then—though I never told you of it." "Danger! Rubbish!" declared his wife, with boldness, the diamonds flashing upon her fingers. "There's no danger! Of that I'm quite convinced. There was much more in that other little affair last winter. I was full of apprehension then—though I never told you of it." "Well, at any rate, I haven't succeeded in the little business I've been attempting this last fortnight, so we'll have to postpone it." "Well, at any rate, I haven't succeeded in the little business I've been attempting this last fortnight, so we'll have to postpone it." "Perhaps your failure is due to the presence of your deaf old lady in the house," laughed his wife. "I passed the place in the car about a fortnight
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