r Chris, he pointed out in
his picturesque language. She had her little lot of fish to fry, but at
the same time he had to draw his money and be away before the police were
down upon him. If Miss Lee liked to start at once--

"I am ready at any moment," Chris said. "In any case you will have
to go to Moreton Wells, and I can give you a little more information
on the way."

"You had better go along, Frank," Littimer suggested, under his breath.
"I fervently hope now that the day is not far distant when you can return
altogether, but for the present your presence is dangerous. We must give
that rascal Henson no cause for suspicion."

"You are quite right," Frank replied. "And I'd like to--to shake hands
now, dad."

Littimer put out his hand, without a word. The cool, cynical man of the
world would have found it difficult to utter a syllable just then. When
he looked up again he was smiling.

"Go along," he said. "You're a lucky fellow, Frank. That girl's one in
a million."

A dog-cart driven by Chris brought herself and her companion into
Moreton Wells in an hour, Frank had struck off across country in the
direction of the nearest station. The appearance of himself in More ton
Wells on the front of a dog-cart from the Castle would have caused a
nine days' wonder.

"Now, what I want to impress upon you is this," said Chris. "Mr. Steel's
cigar-case was stolen and one belonging to Van Sneck substituted for it.
The stolen one was returned to the shop from which it was purchased
almost immediately, so soon, indeed, that the transaction was never
entered on the books. We are pretty certain that Reginald Henson did
that, and we know that he is at the bottom of the mystery. But to prevent
anything happening, and to prevent our getting the case back again,
Henson had to go farther. The case must be beyond our reach. Therefore, I
decline to believe that it was a mere coincidence that took a stranger
into Lockhart's directly after Henson had been there to look at some
gun-metal cigar-cases set in diamonds. The stranger purchased the case,
and asked for it to be sent to the Metropole to 'John Smith.' With the
hundreds of letters and visitors there it would be almost impossible to
trace the case or the man."

"Lockhart's might help you?"

"They have as far as they can. The cigar-case was sold to a tall
American. Beyond that it is impossible to go."

A meaning smile dawned on Merritt's face.

"They might have taken more