e ordinary sense of the word. He has no need
to steal, and yet apparently cannot help doing so. I am sure that no
attempt has been made to pass those notes. They are doubtless resting
securely in his house at Kensington. He is, in fact, a kleptomaniac,
or a maniac of some sort. And now, monsieur, was my hint regarding the
silver spoons of any value to you?'

'Of the most infinite value, Mr. Dacre.'

'Then let me make another suggestion. I leave it entirely to your
bravery; a bravery which, I confess, I do not myself possess. Will
you take a hansom, drive to Mr. Innis's house on the Cromwell Road,
confront him quietly, and ask for the return of the packet? I am
anxious to know what will happen. If he hands it to you, as I expect
he will, then you must tell Mr. Gibbes the whole story.'

'Mr. Dacre, your suggestion shall be immediately acted upon, and I
thank you for your compliment to my courage.'

I found that Mr. Innis inhabited a very grand house. After a time he
entered the study on the ground floor, to which I had been conducted.
He held my card in his hand, and was looking at it with some surprise.

'I think I have not the pleasure of knowing you, Monsieur Valmont,' he
said, courteously enough.

'No. I ventured to call on a matter of business. I was once
investigator for the French Government, and now am doing private
detective work here in London.'

'Ah! And how is that supposed to interest me? There is nothing that I
wish investigated. I did not send for you, did I?'

'No, Mr. Innis, I merely took the liberty of calling to ask you to let
me have the package you took from Mr. Bentham Gibbes's frock-coat
pocket on the night of the twenty-third.'

'He wishes it returned, does he?'

'Yes.'

Mr. Innis calmly walked to a desk, which he unlocked and opened,
displaying a veritable museum of trinkets of one sort and another.
Pulling out a small drawer he took from it the packet containing the
five twenty-pound notes. Apparently it had never been opened. With a
smile he handed it to me.

'You will make my apologies to Mr. Gibbes for not returning it before.
Tell him I have been unusually busy of late.'

'I shall not fail to do so,' said I, with a bow.

'Thanks so much. Good-morning, Monsieur Valmont.'

'Good-morning, Mr. Innis,'

And so I returned the packet to Mr. Bentham Gibbes, who pulled the
notes from between their pasteboard protection, and begged me to
accept them.

4. _Lord Chizelrigg's