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He looked up at Keith through the haze of smoke and said quietly: “Well, brother, what’s the sentence? ‘Transportation for life, and then to be fined forty pounds?'”

The flippancy revolted Keith. It was Larry all over! Last night horrified and humble, this morning, “Don’t care” and feather-headed. He said sourly:

“Oh! You can joke about it now?”

Laurence turned his face to the wall.

“Must.”

Fatalism! How detestable were natures like that!

“I’ve been to see her,” he said.

“You?”

“Last night. She can be trusted.”

Laurence laughed.

“That I told you.”

“I had to see for myself. You must clear out at once, Larry. She can come out to you by the next boat; but you can’t go together. Have you any money?”

“No.”

“I can foot your expenses, and lend you a year’s income in advance. But it must be a clean cut; after you get out there your whereabouts must only be known to me.”

A long sigh answered him.

“You’re very good to me, Keith; you’ve always been very good. I don’t know why.”

Keith answered drily

“Nor I. There’s a boat to the Argentine tomorrow. You’re in luck; they’ve made an arrest. It’s in the paper.”

“What?”

The cigarette end dropped, the thin pyjama’d figure writhed up and stood clutching at the bedrail.

“What?”

The disturbing thought flitted through Keith’s brain: ‘I was a fool. He takes it queerly; what now?’

Laurence passed his hand over his forehead, and sat down on the bed.

“I hadn’t thought of that,” he said; “It does me!”

Keith stared. In his relief that the arrested man was not Laurence, this had not occurred to him. What folly!

“Why?” he said quickly; “an innocent man’s in no danger. They always get the wrong man first. It’s a piece of luck, that’s all. It gives us time.”

How often had he not seen that expression on Larry’s face, wistful, questioning, as if trying to see the thing with his–Keith’s-eyes, trying to submit to better judgment? And he said, almost gently–

“Now, look here, Larry; this is too serious to trifle with. Don’t worry about that. Leave it to me. Just get ready to be off’. I’ll take your berth and make arrangements. Here’s some money for kit. I can come round between five and six, and let you know. Pull yourself together, man. As soon as the girl’s joined you out there, you’d better get across to Chile, the further the better. You must simply lose yourself: I must go now, if I’m to get to the Bank before I go down to the courts.” And looking very steadily at his brother, he added:

“Come! You’ve got to think of me in this matter as well as of yourself. No playing fast and loose with the arrangements. Understand?”

But still Larry gazed up at him with that wistful questioning, and not till he had repeated, “Understand?” did he receive “Yes” for answer.

Driving away, he thought: ‘Queer fellow! I don’t know him, shall never know him!’ and at once began to concentrate on the practical arrangements. At his bank he drew out L400; but waiting for the notes to be counted he suffered qualms. A clumsy way of doing things! If there had been more time! The thought: ‘Accessory after the fact!’ now infected everything. Notes were traceable. No other way of getting him away at once, though. One must take lesser risks to avoid greater. From the bank he drove to the office of the steamship line. He had told Larry he would book his passage. But that would not do! He must only ask anonymously if there were accommodation. Having discovered that there were vacant berths, he drove on to the Law Courts. If he could have taken a morning off, he would have gone down to the police court and seen them charge this man. But even that was not too safe, with a face so well known as his. What would come of this arrest? Nothing, surely! The police always took somebody up, to keep the public quiet. Then, suddenly, he had again the feeling that it was all a nightmare; Larry had never done it; the police had got the right man! But instantly the memory of the girl’s awe-stricken face, her figure huddling on the sofa, her words “I see him always falling!” came back. God! What a business!