eally a traitor, then he would pay dearly for
it. Three times within the last ten years there had been traitors in the
great criminal organization. One was a Dutchman; the second was a Greek;
and the third a Swiss. Each died--for dead men tell no tales.

The Sparrow ordered some _cafe noir_ from his housekeeper and produced
a particularly seductive brand of liqueur, which mademoiselle
took--together with a cigarette.

Then she left, he giving her the parting injunction:

"It is probable that you will go to Marseilles and meet young Henfrey. I
will think it all over. You will have a note from me at the Grand Hotel
before noon to-morrow."

TWENTY-SEVENTH CHAPTER

THE INQUISITIVE MR. SHRIMPTON

An hour later Hugh stood in The Sparrow's room, and related his exciting
adventure in Marseilles and on the high road.

"H'm!" remarked the man with the gloved hand. "A very pretty piece of
business. The police endeavoured to mislead you, and you, by a very
fortunate circumstance, suspected. That cigarette, my dear young friend,
stood you in very good stead. It was fortunate that I gave it to you."

"By this time the driver of the car has, of course, recovered and told
his story," Hugh remarked.

"And by this time the police probably know that you have come to Paris,"
remarked The Sparrow. "Now, Mr. Henfrey, only an hour ago I learnt
something which has altered my plans entirely. There is a traitor
somewhere--somebody has given you away."

"Who?"

"At present I have not decided. But we must all be wary and watchful,"
was The Sparrow's reply. "In any case, it is a happy circumstance that
you saw through the ruse of the police to get you to Cette. First the
Madrid police were put upon your track, and then, as you eluded them,
the Marseilles police were given timely information--a clever trap," he
laughed. "I admire it. But at Marseilles they are even more shrewd than
in Paris. Maillot, the _chef de la Surete_ at Marseilles, is a really
capable official. I know him well. A year ago he dined with me at the
Palais de la Bouillabaisse. I pretended that I had been the victim of a
great theft, and he accepted my invitation. He little dreamed that I was
Il Passero, for whom he had been spreading the net for years!"

"You are really marvellous, Mr. Peters," remarked Hugh. "And I have to
thank you for the way in which you have protected me time after time.
Your organization is simply wonderful."

The man with the black gl