rs say," he said. "They suggest
that this man is an apache."

"You do not know him?" asked Sir Stanley after a pause.

"I have never seen him in my life," said the colonel.

Again Sir Stanley examined his finger-nails as though searching for some
flaw.

"Then you will be surprised to learn," he drawled at last, "that you sat
next to him in the cooling-room of the Yildiz Turkish Baths."

The colonel's heart missed a beat, but he did not flinch.

"You surprise me," he said. "I have only been to the Turkish baths once
during the past three months, and that was yesterday."

Sir Stanley nodded.

"According to my information, which was supplied to me by my very able
assistant, Mr. Stafford King, that was also the morning when Raoul was
seen to enter that building."

"And he sat next to me?" said the colonel incredulously.

"He sat next to you," said Sir Stanley, with evidence of enjoyment.

"Well, that is the most amazing coincidence," exclaimed the colonel, "I
have ever met with in my life! To imagine that that scoundrel sat
shoulder to shoulder with me--good heavens! It makes me hot to think
about it."

"I was afraid it would," said the First Commissioner.

He pressed the bell and his secretary came in.

"See if Mr. Stafford King is in the building, and tell him to come to
me, please," he said. "You see, colonel, we were hoping you would supply
us with a great deal of very useful information. We naturally thought it
was something more than a coincidence that this man and you should
foregather at a Turkish bath--a most admirable rendezvous, by the way."

"You may accept my word of honour," said Colonel Boundary impressively,
"that I had no more idea of that man's presence, or of his identity, or
of his very existence, than you had."

Stafford King came in at that moment, and the colonel, noting the
haggard face and the look of care in the dark-lined eyes, felt a certain
amount of satisfaction.

"I've just been telling the colonel about his meeting in the Turkish
baths," said Sir Stanley. "I suppose there is no doubt at all as to that
happening?"

"None whatever, sir," said Stafford shortly. "Both the colonel and this
man were seen by Sergeant Livingstone."

"The colonel suggests that it was a coincidence, and that he has never
spoken to the man," said Sir Stanley. "What do you say to that, King?"

Stafford King's lips curled.

"If the colonel says so, of course, it must be true."

"Sarcasm never w