of a secret kind. On the very
first day that Gaydon sat at his window a man, who seemed from his dress
to be of a high consideration, came sauntering along that sordid
thoroughfare, where he seemed entirely out of place, like a butterfly
on the high seas. To Gaydon's surprise he stopped at the door, gave a
cautious look round, and rapped quickly with his stick. At once the door
of that uninhabited house was opened. The man entered, the door was
closed upon him, and a good hour by Gaydon's watch elapsed before it was
opened again to let him out. In the afternoon another man came and was
admitted with the same secrecy. Both men had worn their hats drawn down
upon their foreheads, and whereas one of them held a muffler to his
face, the other had thrust his chin within the folds of his cravat.
Gaydon had not been able to see the face of either. After nightfall he
remarked that such visits became more frequent. Moreover, they were
repeated on the next day and the next. Gaydon watched, but never got any
nearer to a solution of the mystery. At the end of the sixth day he was
more puzzled and interested than ever, for closely as he had watched he
had not seen the face of any man who had passed in and out of that door.

But he was to see a face that night.

At nine o'clock a messenger from Edgar, the secretary, brought him a
package which contained a letter and the passport for these six days
delayed. The letter warned him that Edgar himself would come to fetch
him in the morning to his audience with James. The passport gave
authority to a Flemish nobleman, the Count of Cernes, to make a
pilgrimage to Loretto with his wife and family. The name of Warner had
served its turn and could no longer be employed.

As soon as the messenger had gone, Gaydon destroyed Edgar's letter, put
the passport safely away in his breast, and since he had not left his
room that day, put on his hat. Being a prudent man with a turn for
economy, he also extinguished his lamp. He had also a liking for fresh
air, so he opened the window, and at the same moment the door of the
house opposite was opened. A tall burly man with a lantern in his hand
stepped out into the street; he was followed by a slight man of a short
stature. Both men were wrapped in their cloaks, but the shorter one
tripped on a break in the road and his cloak fell apart. His companion
turned at once and held his lantern aloft. Just for a second the light
therefore flashed upon a face,