ith an open cellar-flap. I
knew it was a plant, and so I pretended it had succeeded.'

'He made me think his ankle was that sprained he couldn't walk. He
wouldn't trust even me, sir,' said Lily.

'Gaboriau,' Albert explained briefly. 'I knew I was watched, and I told
Lily to tell the milkman I couldn't walk. It was all over Radipole Road
at eight o'clock this morning. And so, while parties unknown thought I
was fast on a sofa, I slipped out by the back-door as soon as I'd sent
Lily here to warn you about the annual sale, in case of necessity. I
must say I thought I should be twenty-four hours in front of Hawke's
men, but I expect they changed their plans. I brought Lily along with me
at the last moment. She's read Gaboriau, too, sir, and she's mighty
handy.'

'I am aware of it,' said Hugo.

'Anyhow, we got in here first, by the side-door on the balcony. Hawke's
man must have come in about an hour after us, and you just after him.
That's how I reckon it.'

'You went into the drawing-room, didn't you?' Hugo asked.

'Just looked in.'

'And played with the clock?'

Here he glanced sternly at Lily.

'I shook it to start it, sir, to see if it would go,' Lily admitted.

'I reckon you turned out Hawke's man, sir?' Albert queried.

'It amounted to that,' said Hugo. 'But these phonograph records--what
are they?'

'I don't know what they are,' said Albert, descending from the bed, 'but
I know that Mr. Ravengar wanted them very badly. It seems Mr. Tudor was
a great hand at phonographs and gramophones. Like me, sir.'

'Yes, sir; we've got a beauty. My uncle gave it us,' Lily put in. 'Oh,
Alb! your arm's all burst out again.'

The bandage was, in fact, slightly discoloured.

'Oh, that's nothing, my dear,' said Albert.

He pushed up a pile of discs from in front of the safe, and displayed
them to Hugo.

'Can we try them here?' Hugo demanded, in a voice suddenly and
profoundly eager.

'Certainly, sir. Here's the machine. You undo this catch, and then
you--'

Albert was mounted on his latest hobby, and in a few minutes, although
he could only use one arm, the phonograph, which stood on the table near
the safe, was ready for its work of reproduction. Albert started it.

'Follow me, follow me!'

It began to sing the famous ditty in the famous voice of Miss Edna May.

'Stop that!' cried Hugo, and Albert stopped it.

The next two discs proved to be respectively a series of stories of Mr.
R.G. Knowles and 'The