same,
soon's I'd seen this piece in the paper just now I said to myself, 'I'd
best go round to Portman Square and tell what I do know,' I says. And
it's like this, sir--I come on this part yesterday--last night it was.
My taxi belongs to a man as keeps half a dozen, and he put me on to
night work, this end of Oxford Street. Well, it 'ud be just about a
quarter to two this morning when a tall, well-built gentleman comes out
of Orchard Street and made for my cab. I jumps down and opens the door
for him. 'You know St. Mary Abbot's Church, Kensington?' he says as he
got in. 'Drive me down there and pull up at the gate.' So, of course, I
ran him down, and there he got out, give me five bob, and off he went.
That's it, sir."

"And when he got out, which way did he go?" asked Mr. Tertius.

"West, sir--along the High Street, past the Town Hall," promptly
answered the driver. "And there he crossed the road. I see him cross,
because I stopped there a minute or two after he'd got out, tinkering at
my engine."

"Can you tell us what this gentleman was like in appearance?" asked Mr.
Tertius.

"Well, sir, not so much as regards his face," answered the driver. "I
didn't look at him, not particular, in that way--besides, he was wearing
one of them overcoats with a big fur collar to it, and he'd the collar
turned high up about his neck and cheeks, and his hat--one of them
slouched, soft hats, like so many gentlemen wears nowadays sir--was well
pulled down. But from what bit I see of him, sir, I should say he was a
fresh-coloured gentleman."

"Tall and well built, you say?" observed Mr. Tertius.

"Yes, sir--fine-made gentleman--pretty near six feet, I should have
called him," replied the driver. "Little bit inclined to stoutness,
like."

Mr. Tertius turned to Peggie.

"I believe you have some recent photographs of Mr. Herapath," he said.
"You might fetch them and let me see if our friend here can recognize
them. You didn't notice anything else about your fare?" he went on,
after Peggie had left the room. "Anything that excited your attention,
eh?"

The driver, after examining the pattern of the carpet for one minute and
studying the ceiling for another, slowly shook his head. But he then
suddenly started into something like activity.

"Yes, there was, sir, now I come to think of it!" he exclaimed. "I
hadn't thought of it until now, but now you mention it, there was. I
noticed he'd a particularly handsome diamond ring on his