emain unnoticed in some corner?'

'No; Johnson and myself examined every inch of the premises.'

'Have you the numbers of the notes?'

'Yes; I got them from the Bank next morning. Payment was stopped, and
so far not one of the five has been presented. Of course, one or more
may have been cashed at some shop, but none have been offered to any
of the banks.'

'A twenty-pound note is not accepted without scrutiny, so the chances
are the thief may find some difficulty in disposing of them.'

'As I told you, I don't mind the loss of the money at all. It is the
uncertainty, the uneasiness caused by the incident which troubles me.
You will comprehend how little I care about the notes when I say that
if you are good enough to interest yourself in this case, I shall be
disappointed if your fee does not exceed the amount I have lost.'

Mr. Gibbes rose as he said this, and I accompanied him to the door
assuring him that I should do my best to solve the mystery. Whether he
sprang from pickles or not, I realised he was a polished and generous
gentleman, who estimated the services of a professional expert like
myself at their true value.

I shall not set down the details of my researches during the following
few days, because the trend of them must be gone over in the account
of that remarkable interview in which I took part somewhat later.
Suffice it to say that an examination of the rooms and a close
cross-questioning of Johnson satisfied me he and the two waiters were
innocent. I became certain no thief had made his way through the
window, and finally I arrived at the conclusion that the notes were
stolen by one of the guests. Further investigation convinced me that
the thief was no other than Lionel Dacre, the only one of the six in
pressing need of money at this time. I caused Dacre to be shadowed,
and during one of his absences made the acquaintance of his man
Hopper, a surly, impolite brute, who accepted my golden sovereign
quickly enough, but gave me little in exchange for it. While I
conversed with him, there arrived in the passage where we were talking
together a huge case of champagne, bearing one of the best-known names
in the trade, and branded as being of the vintage of '78. Now I knew
that the product of Camelot Freres is not bought as cheaply as British
beer, and I also had learned that two short weeks before Mr. Lionel
Dacre was at his wits' end for money. Yet he was still the same
briefless barrister he had