one of Dovey's spies on to that excellent
husband of hers; and the myrmidon has been shadowing him about for a
fortnight with a pocket camera. A few days ago he came to Lady Marksford
in great glee. He had snapshotted his lordship while actually walking in
the public streets with a lady who was not his wife."

"'What is the use of this at all?' asked the jealous woman.

"'Well, it is evidence, your ladyship, that your husband was walking with
the lady. I know where she is staying, and in a few days shall have found
out all about her.'

"'But, you stupid man,' cried her ladyship, in tones of great contempt,
'how can any one swear that this is his lordship, when the greater part
of him, including his head and shoulders, is hidden from sight?
And--and'--she scrutinized the photo carefully--'why, I guess it is
impossible from this photograph to say whether the gentleman is walking
with the lady or going in the opposite direction!'

"Thereupon she dismissed the detective in high dudgeon. Dovey has himself
just returned from Paris, and got this account of the incident from her
ladyship. He wants to justify his man, if possible, by showing that the
photo does disclose which way the man is going. Here it is. See what you
fellows can make of it."

Our illustration is a faithful drawing made from the original photograph.
It will be seen that a slight but sudden summer shower is the real cause
of the difficulty.

All agreed that Lady Marksford was right--that it is impossible to
determine whether the man is walking with the lady or not.

"Her ladyship is wrong," said Baynes, after everybody had made a close
scrutiny. "I find there is important evidence in the picture. Look at it
carefully."

[Illustration]

"Of course," said Melville, "we can tell nothing from the frock-coat. It
may be the front or the tails. Blessed if I can say! Then he has his
overcoat over his arm, but which way his arm goes it is impossible to
see."

"How about the bend of the legs?" asked Churton.

"Bend! why, there isn't any bend," put in Wilson, as he glanced over the
other's shoulder. "From the picture you might suspect that his lordship
has no knees. The fellow took his snapshot just when the legs happened to
be perfectly straight."

[Illustration]

"I'm thinking that perhaps----" began Macdonald, adjusting his
eye-glasses.

"Don't think, Mac," advised Wilson. "It might hurt you. Besides, it is no
use you thinking that if the dog woul