Curtis had carefully
avoided her since the supper; but she had seen Kelson, and he had
looked at her each time he met her as if he yearned to fall down at
her feet and worship her. Should she attach herself to him for the
evening--and run the risk of another quarrel with Hamar? She dearly
loved risks and dangers--and the danger she would encounter in defying
Hamar appealed to her sporting nature. It was easy to secure
Kelson--one glance from her eyes--and he would have followed her to
Timbuctoo. "Charing Cross--under clock--after show to-night," she whispered as
she flew hurriedly past him. "I want to speak to you." Now it so happened that Hamar had given Kelson orders to return to his
rooms, directly the performance was over, and to remain in them till
morning, in case he was wanted in connection with the initiation. But
he might have spared himself the trouble. It was Lilian, and Lilian
only, that Kelson now thought of--it was Lilian, and Lilian only, that
he would obey. The idea of meeting her--of having her all to
himself--of being able to do her a service--filled him with such
uncontrollable delight, that he hardly knew how to comport himself so
as not to arouse Hamar's suspicions. Directly the performance was over
he sneaked out of the Hall, and pretending not to hear Hamar, who
called after him, he jumped into a taxi, and was whirled away to the
trysting-place. Lilian Rosenberg, who arrived a moment later, was
dressed in a new costume, and Kelson thought her looking smarter and
daintier than ever. "You shall kiss me at once," she said, "if you promise me one thing." "And what is that?" he asked, looking hungrily at her lips. "I want you to let me see the Unknown when it comes to you to-night,"
she said. "Good God! What do you know about the Unknown!" he exclaimed, his jaws
falling, and a look of terror creeping into his eyes. "A great deal," she laughed, "so much that I want to learn more"--and
of what she knew she told him, just as much as she had told Hamar. "And now," she said, "I repeat my promise--you shall have a
kiss--think of that--if only you will hide me somewhere so that I can
see the Unknown or its emissary." "I would do anything for a kiss," Kelson said, "but I fear it is
impossible to fulfil the condition, because I haven't the remotest
idea where or when the Unknown will appear. Besides, it is just as
likely to go to Hamar or Curtis as to come to me; and up to the
present I haven't felt the remotest suggestion of its favouring me. Is
this the only condition I can fulfil, so that you will let me kiss
you?" "Certainly," Lilian Rosenberg replied. "I am not in the habit of being
kissed. Such an event can only happen in the most exceptional and
privileged circumstances--such, for example, as exist at the present
moment, when I ask you to put yourself to some considerable
trouble--if not actually to incur danger--in order to accomplish what
I wish." "And yet I remember kissing you unconditionally," Kelson commented. "Memory is a fickle thing," Lilian Rosenberg replied, "and so is
woman. Times have changed. I'll leave you at once, unless you promise
to do your very utmost to grant my request." Kelson promised, and--after they had had supper at the Trocadero,
suggested that they should take a stroll in Hyde Park. "I hope you are not awfully shocked?" he inquired rather anxiously,
"but a sudden impulse has come over me to go there. I believe it is
the will of the Unknown. Will you come with me?" "We shan't be able to get in, shall we, it's so late?" Lilian
Rosenberg said. "Otherwise I should like to--I'm rather in a mood for
adventure." "They don't shut the gates till twelve," Kelson said, "and it's not
that yet." "Very well, let's go, then. I'm game to go anywhere to see the
Unknown," and so saying Lilian rose from the table, and Kelson
followed her into the street. They took a taxi, and alighting at Hyde Park Corner entered the Park. It was very dark and deserted. "It's nearly closing time," a policeman called out to them rather
curtly. "We are only taking a constitutional," Kelson explained. "We shall be
back in five minutes." They crossed the road to the statue, and were deliberating which
direction to take, when they heard a groan. "It's only some poor devil of a tramp," Kelson said. "The benches are
full of them--they stay here all night. We had better, perhaps, turn
back." "Nonsense!" Lilian Rosenberg replied. "I'm not a bit afraid. There's
another groan. I'm going to see what's up," and before he could stop
her she had disappeared in the darkness. "Here I am," she called;
"come, it's some one ill."

Plunging on, in the darkness, Kelson at last found Lilian. She was
sitting on a chair under a tree, by the side of a man, who was lying,
curled up, on the ground. "He's had nothing to eat for two days, and has Bright's Disease,"
Lilian Rosenberg announced. "Can't we do something for him?" "Two gentlemen told me just now," the man on the ground groaned, "that
if I stayed here for a couple of hours--they would pass by again and
guarantee to cure me. I reckoned there was no cure for Bright's
Disease, when it is chronic, like it is in my case; but they laughed,
and said, 'We can--or at least--shall be able to cure anything.'" "What were the two gentlemen like?" Kelson asked. "How could I tell?" the man moaned. "I couldn't see their faces any
more than I can see yours--but they talked like you. Twang--twang--
twang--all through their noses." "Sounds as if it might be Hamar and Curtis," Kelson remarked. "That's it!" the man ejaculated. "'Amar. I heard the other fellow call
him by that name." "How long ago is it since they were here?" Kelson asked. "I can't say, perhaps ten minutes. I've lost count of time and
everything else, since I've slept out here. They talked of going to
the Serpentine." "We had better try and find them," Kelson said. "If you had the money couldn't you get shelter for the night," Lilian
Rosenberg said. "It must be awful to lie out here in the cold, feeling
ill and hungry." "I dare say some place would take me in," the man muttered, "only I
couldn't walk--at least no distance." "Well! here's five shillings," Lilian Rosenberg said, "put it
somewhere safe--and try and hobble to the gates. If they haven't
closed them, you will be all right." "Five shillings!" the man gasped; "that's--it's no good--I can't
count. I've no head now. Thank you, missy! God bless you. I'll get
something hot--something to stifle the pain." He struggled on to his
knees, and Lilian Rosenberg helped him to rise. "How could you be so foolish as to touch him," Kelson said, as they
started off down a path, they hoped would take them to the Serpentine. "You may depend upon it, he was swarming with vermin--tramps always
are." "Very probably, but I run just as much risk in a 'bus, the twopenny
tube, or a cinematograph show. Besides, I can't see a human being
helpless without offering help. Listen! there's some one else
groaning! The Park is full of groans."