to the bell. But Sartoris merely reached out a hand
and asked her to help him into his chair. He sank back into the wheeled
contrivance at length with a sigh that might have been pain.

"I'll go as far as the door with you," he said. "No, I can move myself
along. And I hope that you will come here again; I'll let you know when
it is quite convenient. Don't forget that I may be the indirect means of
bringing you a fortune. I am a very old gentleman, my dear; won't you
give me a kiss? Are you very much offended?"

The girl laughed and blushed as she bent down and touched Sartoris's
cheek with her lips. A moment later they were gone, and Field had
emerged from his hiding-place. He had discovered all that he required,
for the present, and he decided not to take any further risks. The
confused pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fit together in his
mind, but they were by no means complete yet. Without further adventure
the inspector crept back to the pantry and found himself at length in
the road. He looked at the upstairs window whence the flickering signals
had come, but it was all dark and still now, though it was not as yet
late.

"So far, so good," Field muttered to himself. "It strikes me that that
young lady is likely to be of service to me. I'll find out who she is
and whence she comes. And now to go off to the Comedy and see if I can
get in touch with the little actress who must play her part in more
dramas than one. I wonder if I had better see her at the theatre or
follow her to her rooms. I'll be guided by circumstances."

It was not more than half-past ten when Field reached the theatre. It
was a popular house for the moment, where the management was running a
kind of triple bill, consisting of one-act musical comedies, each of
which contained the particular star artist. Two of the shows were
already over, and the curtain was about to rise on the third, when Field
reached the stage door. The inquiry for Miss Adela Vane was met by a
surly request to know what was wanted. If the inquirer thought that he
was going into the theatre he was jolly well mistaken.

"So you just be off, or I'll call the police," the crusty doorkeeper
said. "One way or another, I'm pestered out of my life by you chaps. Oh,
you can leave a message or a bouquet or something of that kind, but it's
long odds it's shoved into the dusthole."

Field smiled as he produced his card and handed it over. The effect of
the little square of shi