er comes upon us!"

I looked at him as at one who dreams dreams, but he did not flinch.

"You meet the man in Paris?" I went on.

"To-night I shall be with him," he answered; "within three days I win
all or lose all: for his secret will be mine. If I fail, it is for you
to follow up the thread which I have unravelled by three years' hard
work----"

"What sort of person do you say he is?" I continued, and he replied--

"You shall see for yourself. Dare you risk coming with me--I meet him
at eight o'clock?"

"Dare I risk!--pooh, there can't be much danger."

"There is every danger!--but, so, the girl is waking!"

It was true; Mary looked up suddenly as we thundered past the
fortifications of Paris, and said, as people do say in such
circumstances, "Why, I believe I've been asleep!" Roderick shook
himself like a great bear, and asked if we had passed Chantilly; the
Perfect Fool began his banter, and roared for a cab as the lights of
the station twinkled in the semi-darkness. I could scarce believe, as I
watched his antics, that he was the man who had spoken to me of great
mysteries ten minutes before. Still less could I convince myself that
he had not many days to live. So are the fateful things of life hidden
from us.

CHAPTER II.

I MEET CAPTAIN BLACK.

The lights of Paris were very bright as we drove down the Boulevard des
Capucines, and drew up at length at the Hotel Scribe, which is by the
Opera House. Mary uttered a hundred exclamations of joy as we passed
through the city of lights; and Roderick, who loved Paris, condescended
to keep awake!

"I'll tell you what," he exclaimed, after a period of profound
reflection, "the beauty of this place is that no one thinks here,
except about cooking, and, after all, cooking is one of the first
things worthy of serious speculation, isn't it? Suppose we plan a nice
little dinner for four?"

"For two, my dear fellow, if you please," said Hall, with mock of
state--he was quite the Perfect Fool again. "Mr. Mark Strong
condescends to dine with me, and in that utter unselfishness of
character peculiar to him insists on paying the bill--don't you, Mr.
Mark?"

I answered that I did, and, be it known, I was the Mark Strong referred
to.

"The fact is, Roderick," I explained, "that I made a promise to meet
one of Mr. Hall's friends to-night, so you and Mary must dine alone.
You can then go to sleep, don't you see, or take Mary out and buy her
something."

"