ver people, but they are
not--telescopes," and he picked up the ladder.

Winter grinned. "You always make capital out of my blunders," he said.

"Pooh! My banking account is limited. Let us go. The moral atmosphere in
this room is vile."

Outside the Central Police Office they separated, Brett to pay some
long-neglected calls, Winter to hunt up Capella's movements and initiate
inquiries about Okasaki.

The detective came to Brett's chambers at five o'clock, in a great state
of excitement.

"Thank goodness you are at home, sir." he cried, when Smith admitted him
to the barrister's sanctum. "Capella is off to Naples."

Naples, the scene of his marriage! What did this journey portend? Naught
but the gravest considerations would take him so far away from home when
he knew that David and Helen were reunited.

"How did you discover this fact?" asked Brett, awaking out of a brown
study.

"Easily enough, as it happened. Ninety-nine per cent. of gentlemen's
valets are keen sports. Barbers and hotel-porters run them close. I do a
bit that way myself--"

The barrister groaned.

"Not often, sir, but this is holiday time, you see. Anyhow, I gave the
hall-porter, whom I know, the wink to come to a neighbouring bar during
his time off for tea. He actually brought Capella's man--William his name
is--with him. I told them I had backed the first winner to-day, an eight
to one chance, and that started them. I offered to put them on a certainty
next week, and William's face fell. 'It's a beastly nuisance,' he said,
'I'm off to Naples with my boss to-morrow.' 'Well,' said I, 'if you're not
going before the night train, perhaps I may be able--' But that made him
worse, because they leave by the 11 A.M., Victoria."

Brett began to pace the room. He could not make up his mind to visit
Naples in person. For one thing, he did not speak Italian. But Capella
must be followed. At last he decided upon a course of action.

"Winter," he said, "do you know a man we can trust, an Italian, or better
still, an Italian-speaking Englishman, who can undertake this commission
for us?"

"Would you mind ringing for Smith, sir?" replied the detective, who seemed
to be mightily pleased with himself.

Smith appeared.

"At the foot of the stairs you will find a gentleman named Holden," said
Winter. "Ask him to come up, please."

Holden appeared, a sallow personage, long-nosed and shrewd-looking. The
detective explained that Mr. Holden was an ex