"No," said Jennings decisively, "it is strange you should come to me
with this news. One of my men has lately been here, and he tells me
that a man was arrested near Rexton last night for passing false money.
He had on him a bottle of petroleum and some rags."

"Ah!" said Caranby, quite serene, "so you think--"

"There can be no doubt about it, my lord. This man set fire to the
house. People don't carry bottles of petroleum about for nothing."

"But why should he set fire deliberately to my house?"

"At the instance of the Saul family?"

Lord Caranby sat bolt upright. "What do you mean?"

"Humph! It is rather a long story. But this man who was caught used a
particular kind of scent called Hikui. Maraquito uses it also, and her
aunt, Mrs. Herne."

"Mrs. Herne? She is not Maraquito's aunt."

"She told me herself that she was."

"And I tell you that Emilia, who is dead, was the only aunt Maraquito
ever had. Why does Mrs. Herne say this?"

"That is what I am trying to find out. She said that you did not know
the whole history of the Saul family."

"I know quite enough," said Caranby gloomily, "the members were
abominably wicked. Maraquito's father died after he was discharged
from jail for coining; and the mother also."

"Well, my lord, this man, who apparently fired your house, was trying
to pass false coins. He uses the same scent as Maraquito does, leaving
mysterious Mrs. Herne out of the question."

"Well, and what do you deduce from that?"

"I believe that there is a gang of coiners in existence, of which this
man, Clancy, Hale, Maraquito and Mrs. Herne are members. All use the
scent Hikui, which probably is a sign amongst them. In what way it is
utilized I cannot say, unless they meet one another in the dark, and
recognize their confreres by the scent."

"I see. It might be so. But why should this man burn my house?"

Jennings shrugged his shoulders. "I can hardly say. I think the
coiners used that house as a factory. But since it is burnt down, that
seems impossible. This man may have fired it out of revenge, on
account of some row with the gang."

"Or else," said Caranby deliberately, "knowing that you were going to
search the house, perhaps it was fired to destroy all traces of the
factory. Do you connect this with Selina's death?"

"I do. I believe that she learned of the existence of the factory, and
that she threatened to denounce Clancy, Hale and Mrs. Herne. Then,