1.

　　A taxi-cab stopped at the door of number twenty-two Ovington Square.

　　Freddie Rooke emerged, followed by Jill. While Freddie paid thedriver, Jill sniffed the afternoon air happily. It had turned into adelightful day. A westerly breeze, springing up in the morning, hadsent the thermometer up with a run and broken the cold spell whichhad been gripping London. It was one of those afternoons whichintrude on the bleakness of winter with a false but none the lessagreeable intimation that Spring is on its way. The sidewalks werewet underfoot, and the gutters ran with thawed snow. The sun shoneexhilaratingly from a sky the color of a hedge-sparrow's egg.

　　"Doesn't everything smell lovely, Freddie," said Jill, "after ourprison-life!""Topping!""Fancy getting out so quickly! Whenever I'm arrested, I must alwaysmake a point of having a rich man with me. I shall never tease youabout that fifty-pound note again.""Fifty-pound note?""It certainly came in handy today!"She was opening the door with her latch-key, and missed the suddensagging of Freddie's jaw, the sudden clutch at his breast-pocket, andthe look of horror and anguish that started into his eyes. Freddiewas appalled. Finding himself at the police-station penniless withthe exception of a little loose change, he had sent that message toDerek, imploring assistance, as the only alternative to spending thenight in a cell, with Jill in another. He had realized that there wasa risk of Derek taking the matter hardly, and he had not wanted toget Jill into trouble, but there seemed nothing else to do. If theyremained where they were overnight, the thing would get into thepapers, and that would be a thousand times worse. And if he appliedfor aid to Ronny Devereux or Algy Martyn or anybody like that allLondon would know about it next day. So Freddie, with misgivings, hadsent the message to Derek, and now Jill's words had reminded him thatthere was no need to have done so. Years ago he had read somewhere orheard somewhere about some chappie who always buzzed around with asizeable banknote stitched into his clothes, and the scheme hadseemed to him ripe to a degree. You never knew when you might findyourself short of cash and faced by an immediate call for the ready.

　　He had followed the chappie's example. And now, when the crisis hadarrived, he had forgotten--absolutely forgotten!--that he had thedashed thing on his person at all.

　　He followed Jill into the house, groaning in spirit, but thankfulthat she had taken it for granted that he had secured their releasein the manner indicated. He did not propose to disillusion her. Itwould be time enough to take the blame when the blame came along.

　　Probably old Derek would simply be amused and laugh at the wholebally affair like a sportsman. Freddie cheered up considerably at thethought.

　　Jill was talking to the parlormaid whose head had popped up over thebanisters flanking the stairs that led to the kitchen.