A second conference with his old friend Simpson enlightened the engineer officer upon many things, as yet "seen in a glass darkly." He began to fear that Alan Hawke was growing dangerous as the secret juggler in the strange social situation at the marble house.

With the vise-like memory of an old soldier, Simpson had retained various anecdotes not entirely to the credit of the self-promoted Major Alan Hawke, and had partly supplied the hiatus between the sudden disappearance of the desperate lieutenant, a rake gambler and profligate, and the return of the prosperous and debonnaire Major en re'traite.

"Don't let him work too long around Miss Nadine, Major Hardwicke," said the wary Simpson.

"Sly and quiet as he seems, he's surely here for no good.

I know him of old.