I meant it for a little surprise, you see.' 'Oh, how kind! How dear and kind!' cried the lady gratefully, and with amazing disregard of her husband's presence.
The two ex-policemen had not expected anything so interesting as this, and their expressions were worthy of study.

They had been engaged, through a private agency, to assist and support an injured husband, and afterwards to appear as witnesses of a vulgar clandestine meeting, as they supposed.

It was not the first time they had been employed on such business, but they did not remember ever having had to deal with two persons who exhibited such hardened indifference; and though the incident of the notes was not new to them, they had never been in a case where the amount of cash received by the lady at one time was so very large.
'It is needless,' said the fair man, addressing them both, 'to ask what this money was for.' 'Yes,' said Mr.Van Torp coolly.

'You needn't bother.

But I'll call your attention to the fact that the notes are not yours, and that I'd like to see them put back into that envelope and laid on that table before you go.