ugh the gathering as he brought
the man's face into view. Evidently they were past masters of the
art of acting, these Apaches, for one might have sworn that every
man and every woman of them was taken aback by the fellow's presence.

"Mother of Miracles! who shall the man be?" exclaimed Marise.
"Messieurs, I know him not. I have not seen him in all my life
before. Cochon, speak up! Who are you, that you come in like this and
get a respectable widow in trouble, dog? Eh?"

The man made a motion first to his ears, then to his mouth, then fell
to making movements in the sign language, but spoke never a word.

"La, la! he is a deaf mute, m'sieur," said Ducroix. "He hears not
and speaks not, poor unfortunate."

"Oh, doesn't he?" said Narkom with an ugly laugh. "He spoke well
enough a couple of hours back, I promise you. My young friend here
and I heard him when he paid off the fisherman who had carried him
over to Dover just before he sneaked aboard the packet to come back
with Margot and the Mauravanian."

The eyes of the Apaches flew to the man's face with a sudden keen
interest which only they might understand; but he still stood,
wagging his great head either drunkenly or idiotically, and pointing
to ears and mouth.

"Lay hold of him--run him in!" said Narkom, whirling him across into
the arms of a couple of stalwart Sergeants de Ville. "I'll go before
the magistrate and lay a charge against him in the morning that will
open your eyes when you hear it. One of a bloodthirsty, dynamiting
crew, the dog! Lay fast hold of him! don't let him get away on your
lives! God! to have lost that woman! to have lost her after all!"

It was a sore blow, certainly, but there was nothing to do but to
grin and bear it; for to seek Margot at any of the inns which might
communicate with the sewer trap, or to hunt for her and a motor boat
on the dark water's surface, was in very truth like looking for a
needle in a haystack, and quite as hopeless. He therefore, decided
to go, for the rest of the night, to the nearest hotel; and waiting
only to see the pedler carried away in safe custody, and promising to
be on hand when he was brought up before the local magistrate in the
morning, took Dollops by the arm and dejectedly went his way.

* * * * *

The morning saw him living up to his promise; and long before the
arrival of the magistrate or, indeed, before the night's harvest
of prisoners was