man must go with him. If they bring back
Ravengar, he is to be taken to No. 6, Blair Street, shown upstairs, and
brought along the bridge-passage into the building. It will be quite
dark, and he will never guess. If necessary, he must be brought to me by
force, once he is inside. Have two or three porters in attendance to see
to that. But if it's managed properly, he'll come without a suspicion,
and he'll be finely surprised when he finds that the long passage ends
in just this room. Come back to me as soon as you've attended to that.'

'Yes, sir,' said Simon, quite mystified, but none the less enchanted to
see Hugo so actively the old Hugo.

In ten minutes he had returned, and was beginning to relate new facts
which he had learnt while downstairs.

'Stop!' said Hugo. 'Don't worry me with needless details. I know enough.
And don't ask me any questions. We can't hope to remedy the state of
affairs to-day. Nevertheless, we can do something for to-morrow. I must
have Mr. Bentley, the drapery manager, brought here before six o'clock.
He must be found.'

'He is found, sir. He has shot himself in his house in Pimlico Road.'

Hugo started.

'Ah!' was all he said at first. He added dryly: 'Good! And Brown?'

'I have no news of him, sir. He's vanished.'

'Telephone down to the press department that Mr. Aked must come up to
see me at seven o'clock precisely, and, in the meantime, he must secure
an extra half-page in all to-morrow's papers.'

'Yes, sir.'

'And after closing-time the entire staff must assemble, the men in the
carpet-rooms, and the women in the central restaurant--or what's left
of it. I shall speak to them. Have notices put in the common-rooms.'

'Yes, sir.'

'And send me all the buyers from the drapery department. They must go
round and buy every silvered fox-stole in London to-night, at no matter
what price.'

'Certainly, sir.'

'And telephone to Y.Z. that I shall be down there as soon as I can about
these things.'

He touched the pile of yellow envelopes. Y.Z. was the name always given
to the detectives' private room.

'Precisely, sir.'

'That's all.'

Simon Shawn gathered that his master had a very definite clue to the
origin of the unique and fatal events of that day, and that all dark
places were about to be made light with a blinding light.

CHAPTER XV

RAVENGAR IN CAPTIVITY

'Ravengar, what a fool you are!'

The dome was in darkness. Hugo, who stood concealed near the