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For the third time he stood at the end of the Cut and got his breath.

It was over. Thank God, it was over. It had been a lesson, a nerve-racking lesson. But he was out of it, clear. Never again would he let himself in for anything like that, NEVER, NEVER.

The third letter marked "Private and Personal' arrived the day after Olive Standford was told to take over in Mr. Noland's office. The letter said briefly: " You're a dirty stinker! You didn't even mention my name to Miss Bateman. I asked her. Well, the last laugh might be on me. "

As the morning wore on the sick feeling in his stomach increased. She had said she wasn't a blabber, but that was when she imagined she had something to gain. Thwarted, God knew

lunch in case he would run into her on the stairs. The only thing to do was to get out early and return early. And he got the opportunity to do this when, at about ten to twelve, Jim Whelan phoned to say he would like a word with him and would he join him for lunch at "The Oak'? Yes, Harry said, he'd be very pleased to. Was it something connected with the business? No, Jim replied, nothing connected with the business, but nevertheless it was of some importance. But more over lunch. How soon could he make it? Right now, Harry said.

Jim Whelan was waiting for him in one of the wooden-framed cubicles which distinguished "The Oak', and after asking him if he would like anything to drink and Harry saying no, thanks all the same, they got down to ordering lunch. This over, Harry sat back and looked across at Jim and said, " Well now, what's this you've got to tell me? "

"Ah, yes." Jim tapped his finger tips gently together then asked, "Am I right in thinking that you don't actually love your father-in-law?"

It was a moment before Harry answered very quietly, "You're right; but why do you ask?"

"Well, for the simple reason I wanted to make sure, although I was pretty certain how you felt."

"What you've got to say concerns him?"

Yes. "

"Regarding the business?"

"Oh no. No, nothing to do with the business ... By the way, do you know if he goes to York very often?"

"York? Yes. At least he's been a few week-ends this year."

"Do you know why he goes?"

To see this old colonel I understand. He's still war crazy. good old days, and all that. "

"His old colonel? Oh, that's a good one I Now let me start at the beginning and put you in the picture from my side. It's like this, Harry. My in-laws live in York and they were celebrating their golden wedding at the week-end, and the wife and I went through on Friday night and for a treat we had arranged to take them to the new hotel that's been opened recently. The ^un-m-"

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an liic un-miciiy way we wuluu iicvci yu lu a place like that but this was once in a lifetime. Well, it was when we were in the foyer, they were waiting for me, Marge and her mam and dad, and I was just coming out of the gents when I see a man and a very smartly dressed young woman being led to the dining-room by the head waiter.

And the man was . guess who? "

No! "

"Yes, Rippon. And the woman was Alice Howell."

"Alice Howell and him, in ... in York I' " Alice Howell and your father-in-law, in York, yes. You remember Alice Howell, don't you?

She was in the storeroom. She married, and her husband had a nervous breakdown, two in fact. He's in the asylum now. "

"Yes, yes, I know." There was an utterly bewildered note in Harry's voice.

"She was a member of the church. They were both members. She moved to York to stay with a cousin or someone last back end, in November some time."

"Does that coincide with the colonel?"

Harry sat back and tried to digest this news. It was unbelievable. He said as much.

"It's unbelievable, Jim. Now are you sure?"

"Look, Harry; I know the old man, I know him even before you did--I started in the business^ when it was a pup--and I also know Alice Howell."

"He couldn't have just met her."

"Just met her be damned!" Jim tossed his head.

"The head waiter was taking them in like old friends and head waiters are not given to charity; the only thing that causes them to stoop their backs is the thought of picking up crinkly paper."

The stinking hypocrite; the psalm-singing stinking hypocrite I And all that business about his old Colonel. God 1 he could be sick.

"Well now, has that given you an appetite for your dinner?"

"Appetite? It's taken it away, I'm floored, Jim."

"I'm not; I wasn't surprised in the least. I've had my own opinion about Mr. Dave Rippon for many years; an' I've got a suspicion this isn't the first little offshoot he's indulged in. In 1-j^^ J. v ^ il-i-J^^, tm u UMU^f-A^AA. J-^fIT^- AYHJ^WJ-A IA^VA-1

Al/k-3 tlJLJything for nothing, and if I've ever heard of him doing a good turn for somebody, a woman'in particular, I've always wondered what she'd had to give him in return. " He paused and looked hard at Harry and asked, " Aren't you tickled about it? "

"No, Jim, I'm not,. I'm anything but. At this moment I'm Haming-well boiling, I'm bloody-well boiling."

And that was putting the state of his feelings mildly, for he was hearing Esther down the years extolling her father's virtues.

"I'm sorry I told you. Harry."

"Oh no, don't you be sorry, Jim. Thank you very much, and I mean that.

You see I've had that sanctimonious old roue pushed down my throat for years; that was, when he wasn't being held up before me as a paragon.

"

"Oh, I guessed that much, Harry. That was why I thought I'd like telling you. What you going to do about it?"

"I don't know, Jim" not yet. I just don't know, I'll see how things work out. But there's one thing I do know, I feel in a stronger position than I've ever felt in my life before. "

"Good. Good. Then my spilling the beans has done something."

"By the way," said Harry now.

"Did he-see you?"

"No. As it happened he didn't, and that was because he was escorted to the Rose Room ... It's a smaller dining-room, kept for select patrons or small parties I understand. But would his face have been red if we had bumped into each other 1 Yet being Dave Rippon, I bet he'd have talked himself out of it."

Yes, thought Harry, being Dave Rippon he'd have talked himself out of it all right.

Harry ran up the office stairs," marched across the first floor, thrust open his office door, pulled off his hat and coat, and sat down behind his desk. He was still angry, but now his anger was being attacked by a form of reasoning that seemed to be defending his father-in-law. It said: He's a widower; if he wants to have a woman on the side that's up to him isn't it? Yes, he came back, that was up to him. He could have had as many women on the side as he liked if ht wasn't such a preach96

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" r" -1 "OL.l.^-A. LU himself ... And what would Esther make of her dear papa when she heard of this? But there was the rub; he wouldn't be able to tell Esther, for the knowledge would break her. And there was another point. Would he be able even to tell 'his father-in-law he was aware of his double life? ... He didn't know. Yet there was one thing certain, he wouldn't be capable of listening to him doing the Colonel Callow and the honour of the regiment monologue without retaliating in some way.

He sat now with both hands on the desk rolling a pencil back and forward between his fingers. Then, the action stopping abruptly, he put his hand into his inner pocket and brought out Betty Ray's letter again. When he re-read it, it didn't appear so obviously threatening now. The knowledge he had acquired over the last two hours had in an odd way rid him of some of his fears, not all, but some. His thinking pointed out that even if she did open her mouth he wouldn't have his father-in-law wagging his finger at him. Then his reasoning, turning on him, again, said. You're not in such a good position that you can wag your finger yourself. They would say you're worse than he is; a married man with three children! It wouldn't be much use protesting it just happened that once for who'd believe you? Certainly not Esther.

When the phone rang he lifted it abruptly and said, "Yes."

"Harry 1' The name was rapped out, it was the great man himself.

Yes? "

"Where've you been? I tried to get you at twelve o'clock."

"I've been to lunch."

"Going early, aren't you? Anyway, listen. I want you up here at four-thirty prompt. I'll likely be out of the board room then but if I'm not, wait."

He held the mouthpiece away from him and looked at it. The man on the other end of the line could have been a schoolmaster chastising an errant pupil. He was about to speak when he heard the phone click down.

Well! Talking about having the wind taken out of your sails. That demand augured no pleasant interview. There was some97

It was about ten minutes later when the phone rang again and he heard the voice of Miss Bateman on the other end.

"Mr. Blenheim?"

"Yes." He was bristling now.

"Miss Bateman here."

"Yes, Miss Bateman?"

"Would it be possible for you to come up to the office now?"

He screwed up his eyes as he replied, "But Mr. Rippon's just been on the phone and told me he wants to see me at half-past four."

"I know, Mr. Blenheim; but I would like to see you now, if it's convenient to you."

Where his father-in-law's tone had been, to say the least, demanding, Miss Bateman's was persuasive, and this he knew wasn't like Miss Bateman.

"Are you still there, Mr. Blenheim?"

"Yes, I'm still here, Miss Bateman."

"Can you come up now?"

"Yes, I can." His voice remained stiff.

"Thank you."

When he put the phone down he stared at it; then rising and passing Ada. Cole's door, he called, "If anyone should ring I'll be up in Mr.

Rippon's office, Ada."

She opened the door and nodded at him, saying, "Very well, Mr.

Blenheim." Her expression caught his attention, and step ping back he looked at her and said, "Are you all right, Ada?"

"Yes yes, Mr. Blenheim." For a moment he thought she looked frightened, but that he supposed was a ridiculous idea; she was just tired "Not another cold brewing up I hope?" he said.

"No, Mr. Blenheim."

He nodded at her now and went out across the hall and into the lift and up to the second floor. When he entered his father- in-law's outer office Miss Bateman was seated behind her desk apparently waiting for him. He judged this because her hands were on top of the blotter, joined together as if she had been sitting thinking. This, too, was an unusual pose in which to find Miss Bateman.

"Sit down, Mr. Blenheim."

jlai- acii. ^uwii cuiLi iuu&. eli ui-njss liic ucsk ana noted mac ner expression, too, was different; she didn't look cool any longer, she looked sort of furious, yet in an odd way controlled. For something to say he said, "Can I help you. Miss Bateman?"

Before answering she made a small motion of her head slightly to the side and her arched eyebrows moved upwards. Then, her voice even, she said, "No, I don't think you can, Mr. Blenheim; but I can help you."

He found himself pursing his lips and bobbing his head and saying politely, "That's very nice of you, Miss Bateman."

"We won't waste time on being polite to each other, Mr. Blenheim. I have twenty minutes'--she glanced at her watch-- 'before I am due in the Board Room." She sat up stiffly in her chair now, her hands still joined together on the blotter, then went on, "Mr. Rippon wishes to see you at half-past four. You will have gauged from his tone that he didn't sound pleased. You might be wondering what he wants to see you about. Well, I'm going to tell you so you'll be prepared. It's about Betty Ray."

His stomach muscles jerked as if a bullet had hit them. The saliva left his mouth and his tongue seemed to swell making it impossible for him to comment in any way.

"The knowledge of your association with Miss Ray came to me through'--she paused" --Miss Cole, but believe me, Ada . Miss Cole told me of this only because she was worried about you. She felt you were being blackmailed by this girl because of the letters you were receiving. She told me in confidence about it. Perhaps that was foolish of her, but she wanted advice. You must believe that she sincerely wanted to help you. Well, Mr. Blenheim, I am secretary to Mr. Rippon; I've worked for the firm a year longer than you and my loyalties, have always been with it, especially to Mr. Rippon and so I informed Mr. Rippon of what Miss Cole had told me. " .

The hell you did I Loyalty to the firm. He felt hot anger rising in him again, but it was checked when she said, as if she meant it, "I'm sorry now that I did so, very sorry. I want you to believe that, Mr.

Blenheim."

That was some comfort. He opened his mouth to speak but found himself still unable to do so. Instead he drooped his head and swung it slowly from side to side; but he brought it up

he will do to you because you've got a come-back at him, haven't you?

"

"Come-back?" The word seemed to struggle over the thickness of his tongue.

"Yes, his visits to York."

His eyes widened, his mouth dropped into a slight gape.

"You know about them?"

"I didn't until about an hour ago. I happened to be sitting in the cubicle in " The Oak" and heard you and Mr. Whelan talking I'm afraid I became interested and made a point of listening It's odd that I should have gone into " The Oak" today, fate, you might say. I haven't eaten there more than half-a- dozen times before. Perhaps because it's a favourite with the men. Anyway, there I was alone in my cubicle and I had nothing to do but lean back against the partition and listen to two known voices talking."

"You know it all then, Miss Bateman, don't you?" he said now with a slight touch of sarcasm, and she nodded at him and said, "Yes. Yes, Mr. Blenheim, I know it all. I also know that your father-in-law was looking forward to the ribbing he would be able to give you because of your relationship with Miss Ray, although he didn't know exactly what it was. Nor do I or Miss Cole for that matter. But being, as he terms himself a man of the world, he put two and two together."