ard, however, little dreamed how great was Dorise's love for
Hugh, and how deeply she regretted having written that hasty letter to
Shapley.

Yet one of Hugh's friends had met him in Madrid in company with what was
described as a pretty young French girl!

What was the secret of it all? Was Hugh really guilty of the attempt
upon the notorious Mademoiselle? If not, why did he not face the charge
like a man?

Such were her thoughts when, an hour later, her mother's car took her
out to Kensington to lunch with her old school friend who was on the
point of being married to a man who had won great distinction in the Air
Force, and whose portrait was almost daily in the papers.

Would she ever marry Hugh, she wondered, as she sat gazing blankly out
upon the London traffic. She would write to him, but, alas! she knew
neither the name under which he was going, nor his address.

And a telephone message to Mr. Peters's house had been answered to the
effect that the man whose hand was gloved was abroad, and the date of
his return uncertain.

TWENTY-EIGHTH CHAPTER

THE SPARROW'S NEST

Mademoiselle Lisette met her two guests at Vian's small but exclusive
restaurant in the Rue Daunou, and all three had a merry meal together.
Afterwards The Sparrow smoked a good cigar and became amused at the
young girl's chatter.

She was a sprightly little person, and had effectively brought off
several highly successful coups. Before leaving his cosy flat in the Rue
des Petits Champs, The Sparrow had sat for an hour calmly reviewing
the situation in the light of what Lisette had told him and of Hugh's
exciting adventure on the Arles road.

That he had successfully escaped from a very clever trap was plain, but
who was the traitor? Who, indeed, had fired that shot which, failing to
kill Yvonne, had unbalanced her brain so that no attention could be paid
to her wandering remarks?

He had that morning been on the point of trying to get into touch with
his friend Howell, but after Lisette's disclosures, he was very glad
that he had not done so. His master-mind worked quickly. He could sum up
a situation and act almost instantly where other men would be inclined
to waver. But when The Sparrow arrived at a decision it was unalterable.
All his associates knew that too well. Some of them called him stubborn,
but they had to agree that he was invariably right in his suspicions and
conclusions.

He had debated whether he should tell Hug