were his cat's-paws only
knew Monsieur and Madame Duperre--under other names--but of Rudolph
Rayne's very existence they were nearly all ignorant. Money was, I
learnt, freely paid for various "jobs" by agents engaged by the man I
had once known as Captain Deinhard, or else by certain receivers of
stolen goods in London and on the Continent, who were forewarned that
jewels, bonds or stolen bank-notes would reach them in secret, and
that payment must be made and no questions asked.

Late one evening Duperre returned unexpectedly in a hired car from
Thirsk. We had finished dinner, and I chanced to be with Rayne in the
library, yet longing to get to the old-fashioned drawing-room with its
sweet odor of potpourri, where Lola was, I knew, sitting immersed in
the latest novel.

"Hallo, Vincent! Why, I thought you were still in Aix-les-Bains!"
cried Rayne, much surprised, and yet a trifle excited, which was quite
unusual for him.

"There's a nasty little hitch!" replied the other, still in his heavy
traveling coat. Then, turning to me, he said: "Hargreave, old chap,
will you leave for a moment or two? I want to speak to Rudolph."

"Of course," I said. I was by that time used to those confidential
conversations, and I walked along the corridor and joined Lola.

"I'm very troubled, Mr. Hargreave," the girl suddenly exclaimed in a
low, timid voice after we had been chatting a short time. "I overheard
father whispering something to Madame Duperre to-day."

"Whispering something!" I echoed. "What was that?"

"Something about Mr. Martyn, that American gentleman he met in
Edinburgh," she replied. "Father was chuckling to himself, saying that
he had taken good precautions to prevent him proving an alibi. Father
seemed filled with the fiercest anger against him. I'm sure he's an
awfully nice man, though we hardly know him. What can it mean?"

An alibi? I reflected. I replied that it was as mysterious to me as to
her. Like herself I lived in a clouded atmosphere of rapidly changing
circumstances, mysterious plots and unknown evil deeds--truly a world
of fear and bewilderment.

Some days later I had driven up to London in the Rolls with Duperre,
leaving Rayne and Lola at home, Duperre's wife being away somewhere on
a visit. We took up our quarters at Rayne's chambers, and next day
idled about London together. Just before we went out to dinner Martyn
called, and after taking a drink Duperre went out with him, remarking
to me th