ander.

VI

PUZZLE: FIND THE CAR

"What do you think it means?" asked Dick, when the chauffeur had gone.

"It's just struck me, it may mean that Carmona intends to slip away with
his guests in his new automobile, and that he wanted to find out something
about my car, what it was like, and so on, in case I got wind of the idea,
and followed."

"The identical thing struck me. He wouldn't go spying himself, but sent
his chauffeur, a new importation, probably, to have a look at the Gloria
and describe it. I wonder how he heard you had one."

"Easy enough to do that. Of course he's found out somehow, perhaps through
employing a detective, that Chris Trevenna and Casa Triana are one man. He
can't make much use of the knowledge to bother me on this side the
frontier, but--"

"Yes; a big but."

"It seems pretty certain that his own car must have come, or be coming
here, and that he means to use it going into Spain, or he wouldn't have
developed this sudden interest in mine."

"It looks like it. Now he knows, if a dark blue Gloria crosses his path,
it's the car of the pursuing lover, and--"

"I was just thinking that a dark blue Gloria will not cross his path."

"You don't mean--"

"I mean that it won't be prudent for either Casa Triana's or Chris
Trevenna's car to follow his, wherever he means to go."

"What, you'll give up--"

"Is it likely?"

"You're getting beyond me."

"What I want is to stay with you, in your car."

"Wish I had one!" said Dick.

"You're going to have the loan of one. Would a grey or a red car suit you
best?"

"I see. Red, please. They say red paint dries quickest."

We both laughed.

"Your red car must have new lamps," I went on, "and a new number, and any
other little things that can be put on in a hurry. And you'd better get a
passport if you haven't one. Gentlemen touring in foreign lands are
sometimes subjected to cross-questionings which might be inconvenient
unless they've plenty of red tape up their sleeves."

"I'll lay in a stock. How would you like me to be the accredited
correspondent, for the Spanish wedding festivities, of a newspaper or
two?"

"Rattling good idea. Could you work it?"

"Easy as falling off a log, or puncturing a tyre. I'll arrange by
telegraph, London and New York."

"Grand old chap."

"Thanks. Better wait till I've done something. What about your part in the
show?"

"A humble friend, accompan