ely, and entered an apartment which afforded a striking
contrast to his own. For whereas the room of Inspector Dunbar was
practically unfurnished, that of his superior was so filled with
tables, cupboards, desks, bureaux, files, telephones, bookshelves
and stacks of documents that one only discovered the Assistant
Commissioner sunk deep in a padded armchair and a cloud of tobacco
smoke by dint of close scrutiny. The Assistant Commissioner was small,
sallow and satanic. His black moustache was very black and his eyes
were of so dark a brown as to appear black also. When he smiled he
revealed a row of very large white teeth, and his smile was correctly
Mephistophelean. He smoked a hundred and twenty Egyptian cigarettes
per diem, and the first and second fingers of either hand were
coffee-coloured.

"Good-evening, Inspector," he said courteously. "You come at an
opportune moment." He lighted a fresh cigarette. "I was detained here
unusually late to-night or this news would not have reached us till
the morning." He laid his finger upon a yellow form. "There is an
unpleasant development in 'The Scorpion' case."

"So I gather, sir. That is what brought me back to the Yard."

The Assistant Commissioner glanced up sharply.

"What brought you back to the Yard?" he asked.

"The news about Max."

The assistant Commissioner leaned back in his chair. "Might I ask,
Inspector," he said, "what news you have learned and how you have
learned it?"

Dunbar stared uncomprehendingly.

"Sowerby 'phoned me about half an hour ago, sir. Did he do so without
your instructions?"

"Most decidedly. What was his message?"

"He told me," replied Dunbar, in ever-growing amazement, "that the
body brought in by the River Police last night had been identified
as that of Gaston Max."

The Assistant Commissioner handed a pencilled slip to Dunbar. It read
as follows:--

"Gaston Max in London. Scorpion, Narcombe. No report since 30th ult.
Fear trouble. Identity-disk G. M. 49685."

"But, sir," said Dunbar--"this is exactly what Sowerby told me!"

"Quite so. That is the really extraordinary feature of the affair.
Because, you see, Inspector, I only finished decoding this message
at the very moment that you knocked at my door!"

"But----"

"There is no room for a 'but,' Inspector. This confidential message
from Paris reached me ten minutes ago. You know as well as I know that
there is no possibility of leakage. No one has entered my room in