along over, and speed things up. I phoned Scotland Yard and the
Admiralty first thing. The Admiralty rather choked me off, but Scotland
Yard were very civil--said they would make inquiries, even sent a man
round this morning to get her photograph. I'm off to Paris to-morrow,
just to see what the Prefecture is doing. I guess if I go to and fro
hustling them, they ought to get busy!"

The energy of Mr. Hersheimmer was tremendous. They bowed before it.

"But say now," he ended, "you're not after her for anything? Contempt of
court, or something British? A proud-spirited young American girl might
find your rules and regulations in war time rather irksome, and get up
against it. If that's the case, and there's such a thing as graft in
this country, I'll buy her off."

Tuppence reassured him.

"That's good. Then we can work together. What about some lunch? Shall we
have it up here, or go down to the restaurant?"

Tuppence expressed a preference for the latter, and Julius bowed to her
decision.

Oysters had just given place to Sole Colbert when a card was brought to
Hersheimmer.

"Inspector Japp, C.I.D. Scotland Yard again. Another man this time. What
does he expect I can tell him that I didn't tell the first chap? I hope
they haven't lost that photograph. That Western photographer's place was
burned down and all his negatives destroyed--this is the only copy in
existence. I got it from the principal of the college there."

An unformulated dread swept over Tuppence.

"You--you don't know the name of the man who came this morning?"

"Yes, I do. No, I don't. Half a second. It was on his card. Oh, I know!
Inspector Brown. Quiet, unassuming sort of chap."

CHAPTER VI. A PLAN OF CAMPAIGN

A veil might with profit be drawn over the events of the next half-hour.
Suffice it to say that no such person as "Inspector Brown" was known to
Scotland Yard. The photograph of Jane Finn, which would have been of
the utmost value to the police in tracing her, was lost beyond recovery.
Once again "Mr. Brown" had triumphed.

The immediate result of this set back was to effect a rapprochement
between Julius Hersheimmer and the Young Adventurers. All barriers went
down with a crash, and Tommy and Tuppence felt they had known the young
American all their lives. They abandoned the discreet reticence of
"private inquiry agents," and revealed to him the whole history of
the joint venture, whereat the young man declared himself "tickled