als of the visitor. The very last words that I
heard him speak as he left the house were to assure her that no such
operation could be undertaken at such short notice in that way."

Logan paused, looking around at us a little wearily.

"And what aroused your suspicions?" said Smith.

"My suspicions were aroused at the very moment of Sir Baldwin's
departure, for as I came out onto the steps with him I noticed a
singular thing."

"And that was?" snapped Smith.

"Directly Sir Baldwin had entered the cab the woman got out," replied
Logan with some excitement in his manner, "and reclosing the door
took her seat beside the driver of the vehicle--which immediately
moved off."

Nayland Smith glanced significantly at me.

"The cab trick again, Petrie!" he said; "scarcely a doubt of it." Then,
to Logan: "Anything else?"

"This," replied the secretary: "I thought, although I could not be
sure, that the face of Sir Baldwin peered out of the window for a
moment as the cab moved away from the house, and that there was
strange expression upon it, almost a look of horror. But of course as
there was no light in the cab and the only illumination was that from
the open door, I could not be sure."

"And now tell Mr. Smith," said Weymouth, "how you got confirmation of
your fears."

"I felt very uneasy in my mind," continued Logan, "for the whole
thing was so irregular, and I could not rid my memory of the idea of
Sir Baldwin's face looking out from the cab window. Therefore I rang
up the consultant whose name our visitor had mentioned."

"Yes?" cried Smith eagerly.

"He knew nothing whatever of the matter," said Logan, "and had no such
case upon his books! That of course put me in a dreadful state of mind,
but I was naturally anxious to avoid making a fool of myself and
therefore I waited for some hours before mentioning my suspicions to
any one. But when the morning came and no message was received I
determined to communicate with Scotland Yard. The rest of the mystery
it is for you, gentlemen, to unravel."

CHAPTER XVI

I TRACK ZARMI

"What does it mean?" said Nayland Smith wearily, looking at me through
the haze of tobacco smoke which lay between us. "A well-known man like
Sir Baldwin Frazer is decoyed away--undoubtedly by the woman Zarmi;
and up to the present moment not so much as a trace of him can be
found. It is mortifying to think that with all the facilities of New
Scotland Yard at our disposal we cannot