e, so I sat down again and we went on talking. Then he
says, takin' up his glass: ''Ere's to your 'ealth, Mr. Thompson, and
success to the farm.' We both drank it an' went on talkin' till I felt
that sleepy I didn't know what to do. Then I dropped off, an' after that
I don't remember nothin' of what 'appened till I woke up in the Domain,
without my hat and coat, and found a policeman shakin' me by the
shoulder."

"The whole thing is as plain as daylight," cried Wetherell bitterly. "It
is a thoroughly organized conspiracy, having me for its victim. Oh, my
poor little girlie! What has my obstinacy brought you to!"

Seeing the old man in this state very nearly broke me down, but I
mastered myself with an effort and addressed a question to the
unfortunate coachman--

"Pull yourself together, Thompson, and tell me as correctly as you can
what this friend of yours was like."

I fully expected to hear him give an exact description of the man who
had followed us from Melbourne, but I was mistaken.

"I don't know, sir," said Thompson, "as I could rightly tell you, my
mind being still a bit dizzy-like. He was tall, but not by any manner of
means big made; he had very small 'ands 'an feet, a sort o' what they
call death's-'ead complexion; 'is 'air was black as soot, an' so was 'is
eyes, an' they sparkled like two diamonds."

"Do you remember noticing if he had a curious gold ring on his little
finger, like a snake?"

"He had, sir, with two eyes made of some black stone. That's just as
true as you're born."

"Then it was Nikola," I cried in an outburst of astonishment, "and he
followed us to Australia after all!"

Wetherell gave a deep sigh that was more like a groan than anything;
then he became suddenly a new man.

"Mr. Inspector," he cried to the police officer, "that man, or traces of
him, must be found before daylight. I know him, and he is as slippery as
an eel; if you lose a minute he'll be through your fingers."

"One moment first," I cried. "Tell me this, Thompson: when you drove up
to the _Canary Bird Hotel_ where did you say this man was standing?"

"In the verandah, sir."

"Had he his hat on?"

"Yes, sir."

"And then you went towards the bar, but it was crowded, so he took you
to a private room?"

"Yes, sir."

"And once there he began giving you the details of this farm he proposed
starting. Did he work out any figures on paper?"

"Yes, sir."

"On what?"

"On a letter or envelope; I'm not cer