d very
little acquaintance with people who are mentally deficient, otherwise
you would know that those unfortunate fellow-creatures of ours who are
so afflicted are very frequently as unrecognizable from their speech as
from their actions."

He led the way to the lift door, but T. B. declined its service.

"I would rather walk down," he said.

He wanted to be better acquainted with this house, to have a larger
knowledge of its topography than the ascent and descent by means of an
electric lift would allow him. Dr. Fall offered no objection, and led
the way down the red carpeted stairs.

"I am well acquainted with people of unsound mind," T. B. went on,
"especially that section of the insane whose lunacy takes the form of
dropping their aitches."

"You are being sarcastic at my expense," said the other, suddenly
turning to him with a lowered brow. "I think it is only right to tell
you that, in addition to being Mr. Moole's secretary, I am a doctor."

"That is also no news to me," smiled T. B. "You are an American doctor
with a Pennsylvania degree. You came to England in eighteen hundred and
ninety-six, on board the _Lucania_. You left New York hurriedly as the
result of some scandal in which you were involved. It is, in fact, much
easier to trace your movements since the date of your arrival than it is
to secure exact information concerning Mr. Moole, who is apparently
quite unknown to the American Embassy."

The large face of the secretary flushed to a deep purple.

"You are possibly exceeding your duty," he said, gratingly, "in
recalling a happening of which I was but an innocent victim."

"Possibly I am," agreed T. B.

He bowed slightly to the man, and descended the broad steps to the
unkempt lawn in front of the house. He was joined at the gate by the two
men he had brought down. One of these was Ela.

"What did you find?" asked that worthy man.

"I found much that will probably be useful to us in the future," said T.
B., as he stepped into the fly, followed by his subordinate.

He turned to the third detective.

"You had better wait here," he said, "and report on who arrives and who
departs. I shall be back within a couple of hours."

The man saluted, and the fly drove off.

"I have one more call to make," said T. B. Smith, "and I had better make
that alone, I think. Tell the flyman to drop me at Little Bradley
Rectory."

Lady Constance Dex was not unprepared for the visit of the detective.
She