"Fourteen thousand pounds," said Bones, turning abruptly to the desk
and seizing his pen. "Make it payable to you?"
"You're too kind," murmured Hyane. "Make it an open cheque, Mr.
Tibbetts--I have to pay the agents in cash. These Indian merchants are
so suspicious."
Bones wrote the cheque rapidly, marked it "Pay Cash," and initialled
the corrections, then tore the slip from the book and handed it to the
other.
"Of course, Mr. Tibbetts," said Hyane reverentially, "I regard half
this as a loan to me and half as a loan to my dear wife. We shall
never forget your kindness."
"Rot!" said Bones. "Nonsense! I hope you'll be happy, and will you
tell her----" He swallowed something.
There was a faint tinkle of a bell in the hall, and Ali, his servant,
poked an ebony face round the corner of the door.
"Sir," he said, "the telephonic apparatus demands conversation."
Bones was glad of the interruption, and, with a muttered apology to his
gratified guest, he strode out into the hall. Ali had accustomed
himself to answering the telephone, but this time he had not understood
the preliminary inquiry from exchange.
"Hello!" said Bones into the transmitter.
"Who's that?"
At the sound of the voice which answered him he nearly dropped the
receiver.
"Is that Mr. Tibbetts?"
"Yes," said Bones hoarsely, and his heart beat a wild rataplan.
"I'm speaking from York, Mr. Tibbetts. I wanted to tell you that the
key of the safe is in the drawer of my desk--the top drawer."
"That's all right, dear old--dear Mrs. Hyane."
"What is that you say?" asked the voice sharply.
"Congratulations, dear old missus," said Bones. "Hope you'll be
awfully happy on your plantation."
"What do you mean?" asked the voice. "Did you call me Mrs. Hyane?"
"Yes," said Bones huskily.
He heard her laugh.
"How ridiculous you are! Did you really think I would ever marry my
cousin?"
"But haven't you?" yelled Bones.
"What--married? Absurd! I'm going to Scotland to see about some
family matter."
"You're not--not a Mrs.?" asked Bones emphatically.
"And never will be," said the girl. "What does it all mean? Tell me."
Bones drew a long breath.
"Come back by the next train, young miss," he said. "Let that jolly
old family affair go to blazes. I'll meet you at the station and tell
you everything."
"But--but----" said the girl.
"Do as you're told, young miss!" roared Bones, and hung up the receiver
with a seraphic smile.
The door of his study was a thick one, and it was, moreover, protected
from outside noises by a large baize door, and the student of men had
heard nothing. Bones strode back into the room with a face so changed
that Mr. Hyane could not but observe that something remarkable had
happened.