ng the evanescent collar, eh?"

Staff nodded curtly.

"Plagued nuisance," commented Iff. "And me wanting to go to sleep the
worst I ever did."

"Don't let this keep you up," said Staff.

"But," Iff remonstrated, "you can't receive a lady in here with me
asleep on your divan."

"I don't intend to," Staff told him bluntly. "I'm going to meet the taxi
at the door, get into it with her, and take that infernal necklace
directly to Miss Landis, at her hotel."

"The more I see of you," said Mr. Iff, removing his coat, "the more
qualities I discover in you to excite my admiration and liking. As in
this instance when with thoughtfulness for my comfort"--he tore from his
neck the water-soaked rag that had been his collar--"you combine a
prudent, not to say sagacious foresight, whereby you plan to place the
Cadogan collar far beyond my reach in event I should turn out to be a
gay deceiver."

By way of response, Staff found his hat and placed it handily on the
table, went to his desk and took from one of its drawers a small
revolver of efficient aspect, unloaded and reloaded it to satisfy
himself it was in good working order--and of a sudden looked round
suspiciously at Mr. Iff.

The latter, divested of his clothing and swathed in a dressing-gown
several sizes too large for him, fulfilled his host's expectations by
laughing openly at these warlike preparations.

"I infer," he said, "that you wouldn't be surprised to meet up with
Cousin Arbuthnot before sunrise."

"I'm taking no chances," Staff announced with dignity.

"Well, if you should meet him, and if you mean what you act like, _and_
if that gun's any good, _and_ if you know how to use it," yawned Mr.
Iff, "you'll do me a favour and save me a heap of trouble into the
bargain. _Good_ night."

He yawned again in a most business-like way, lay down, pulled a blanket
up round his ears, turned his back to the light and was presently
breathing with the sweet and steady regularity of a perfectly sound and
sincere sleeper.

To make his rest the more comfortable, Staff turned off all the lights
save that on his desk. Then he filled a pipe and sat down to envy the
little man. The very name of sleep was music in his hearing, just then.

The minutes lagged on leaden wings. There was a great hush in the old
house, and the street itself was quiet. Once or twice Staff caught
himself nodding; then he would straighten up, steel his will and spur
his senses to attention, waiti