And you usually travelled with your master, I suppose?"

"Nearly always. We were frequently in Paris, Berlin, Rome, or Madrid,
and naturally I learnt a good deal about his business. His most
intimate friend was Mr. De Gex. Do you happen to know him?"

I gritted my teeth, and replied in the affirmative.

"A very charming man," the valet declared. "He was always very good to
the servants. I used to look after him when he visited us here in
Amsterdam."

"Did you ever meet a friend of his--a Frenchman named Suzor?" I asked.

"Yes, once. When we stayed with Mr. De Gex at Florence. He was a
fellow guest with my master."

"And an Italian doctor named Moroni?"

Folcker shook his head, as he replied:

"I have no recollection of an Italian doctor. We were in Florence only
two weeks."

"Of course you know Mr. De Gex's butler, a man named Horton?" I asked.

"No, the man I know is named Farmer. I haven't been to Stretton Street
for over a year."

It would therefore appear that Horton was a new servant.

"But have you any idea how your master died?" was my next query.

"None--only something tells me that he fell victim to a plot for his
assassination."

"Why?"

"Because he more than once told me that if he died certain persons
would derive great benefits."

"Who? His friends?"

"I suppose so."

"Including De Gex?"

The thin-faced man shook his head, saying:

"Ah! That I cannot tell, sir. But I know that Mr. De Gex owed the
Baron a very considerable sum over a financial deal regarding some oil
wells in Roumania. Only a few months ago he mentioned to Mr. Grant,
one of his friends, in my presence, that he hoped De Gex would very
soon settle with him. In fact he seemed annoyed at the delay in the
payment."

This statement caused me to reflect deeply.

Was it really possible that the Dutch Baron's death had been due to
the machinations of this mystery-man of Europe? The fact that he owed
the dead man money would serve as sufficient motive! I did not
overlook the deeply-laid plot against myself, one that must have sent
me swiftly into my grave had it not been for my providential escape.

The whole amazing facts, my meeting with Suzor in the express between
York and King's Cross, the trap set for me at Stretton Street, and my
astounding adventures afterwards, all flashed through my mind. Oswald
De Gex was a most unscrupulous person who had climbed to fame and
fortune over the ruined homes and bodies of his vic