ale I had heard;
but I am a business man, and did not want to be exactly "done" in the
eye. I followed my man through the fog, out into the streets. He walked
silently by my side for a time. I had not a notion where I was.

"'Suddenly I turned to him with some question, and realized in a moment
that my gentleman had given me the slip. Finding, probably, that I would
not part with my money till I _had_ seen the starving wife and children,
he left me to my fate, and went in search of more willing bait.

"'The place where I found myself was dismal and deserted. I could see no
trace of cab or omnibus. I retraced my steps and tried to find my way
back to the station, only to find myself in worse and more deserted
neighbourhoods. I became hopelessly lost and fogged. I don't wonder that
two and a half hours elapsed while I thus wandered on in the dark and
deserted streets; my sole astonishment is that I ever found the station
at all that night, or rather close to it a policeman, who showed me the
way.'

"'But how do you account for Kershaw knowing all your movements?' still
persisted his Honour, 'and his knowing the exact date of your arrival
in England? How do you account for these two letters, in fact?'

"'I cannot account for it or them, your Honour,' replied the prisoner
quietly. 'I have proved to you, have I not, that I never wrote those
letters, and that the man--er--Kershaw is his name?--was not murdered by
me?'

"'Can you tell me of anyone here or abroad who might have heard of your
movements, and of the date of your arrival?'

"'My late employes at Vladivostok, of course, knew of my departure, but
none of them could have written these letters, since none of them know a
word of English.'

"'Then you can throw no light upon these mysterious letters? You cannot
help the police in any way towards the clearing up of this strange
affair?'

"'The affair is as mysterious to me as to your Honour, and to the police
of this country.'

"Francis Smethurst was discharged, of course; there was no semblance of
evidence against him sufficient to commit him for trial. The two
overwhelming points of his defence which had completely routed the
prosecution were, firstly, the proof that he had never written the
letters making the assignation, and secondly, the fact that the man
supposed to have been murdered on the 10th was seen to be alive and
well on the 16th. But then, who in the world was the mysterious
individual who had a