as I followed them along
the softly carpeted corridor. "We're up against that infernal Benton
again because of old Moody's blunder. I never expected he'd be caught,
of all men. Benton is now looking for Moody's guiding hand."

"Well, I hope he won't get very far," Duperre replied.

"We must make certain that he doesn't, Vincent, or it will go
badly--very badly--with us! That's what I want to discuss with you."

Of the result of the consultation I, of course, remained in ignorance,
but next morning Rayne sent for me and said he had decided to meet his
friend Tracy at the Unicorn Hotel at Ripon.

"I telephoned him to the Station Hotel at York during the night," he
added. "He'll have a lady with him. I want you to drive me over to
Ripon and drive the lady back here."

So an hour later we set out across country and arrived in Ripon in
time for lunch.

Gerald Tracy I had met before, a big, stout, round-faced man of
prosperous appearance, bald-headed and loud of speech. That he was a
crook I had no doubt, but what his actual _metier_ was I could not
discover. He met us on the threshold of the old-fashioned hotel in
that old-fashioned Yorkshire town, and with him was a well-dressed
young woman, Italian or Spanish, I saw at a glance.

When Tracy introduced her to Rayne she was apparently much impressed,
replying in very fair English. Her name, I learnt, was Signorina
Lacava, and she was Italian.

We all lunched together but no business was discussed. Rayne expressed
a hope that the signorina's journey from Milan had been a pleasant
one.

"Quite," the handsome black-eyed girl replied. "I stayed one day in
Paris."

"The signorina has made a conquest in Milan," laughed Tracy. "Farini,
the commissario of police, has fallen in love with her!"

Rayne smiled, and turning to her, said:

"I congratulate you, signorina. Your friendship may one day stand you
in very good stead."

That the young woman was someone of great importance in the criminal
combine was apparent from the fact that she had been actually
introduced to its secret head.

It struck me as curious when, after leaving Tracy and Rayne together,
I was driving the signorina across the moors to Overstow, that while
he hesitated to allow Tracy to go there, yet it was safe for the young
Italian woman.

I knew that Benton was still making eager inquiries, and I also knew
that Rayne was full of gravest apprehensions. Rudolph Rayne was
playing a double game!