d. Jevons was a strange fellow. He rushed hither
and thither, telling no one his business or his motives.

About the hour he had named he was ushered into my room. He had made a
complete change in his appearance, wearing a tall hat and frock coat,
with a black fancy waistcoat whereon white flowers were embroidered.
By a few artistic touches he had altered the expression of his
features too--adding nearly twenty years to his age. His countenance
was one of those round, flexible ones that are so easily altered by a
few dark lines.

"Well, Ambler?" I said anxiously, when we were alone. "What have you
discovered?"

"Several rather remarkable facts," was his philosophic response. "If
you care to accompany me I can show you to-night something very
interesting."

"Care to accompany you?" I echoed. "I'm only too anxious."

He glanced at his watch, then flinging himself into the chair opposite
me, said, "We've an hour yet. Have you got a drop of brandy handy?"

Then for the first time I noticed that the fresh colour of his cheeks
was artificial, and that in reality he was exhausted and white as
death. The difficulty in speaking that I had attributed to excitement
was really due to exhaustion.

Quickly I produced the brandy, and gave him a stiff peg, which he
swallowed at a single gulp. His eyes were no longer sleepy-looking,
but there was a quick fire in them which showed me that, although
suppressed, there burned within his heart a fierce desire to get at
the truth. Evidently he had learned something since I left him, but
what it was I could not gather.

I looked at the clock, and saw it was twenty minutes past six. He
noticed my action, and said:

"If we start in an hour we shall have sufficient time."

Ambler Jevons was never communicative. But as he sat before me his
brows were knit in deep thought, his hands chafed with suppressed
agitation, and he took a second brandy-and-soda, an unusual
indulgence, which betrayed an absent mind.

At length he rose, carefully brushed his silk hat, settled the hang of
his frock-coat before the glass, tugged at his cravat, and then,
putting on his light overcoat, announced his readiness to set out.

About half-an-hour later our cab set us down in Upper Street,
Islington, close to the Agricultural Hall, and, proceeding on foot a
short distance, we turned up a kind of court, over the entrance of
which a lamp was burning, revealing the words "Lecture Hall."

Jevons produced tw