ccadilly
Circus, and started after the man who had purchased the box of powder in
the barber shop, he realized to the full the hopelessness of his task.
The man had left the shop at least two minutes before Dufrenne came
out--perhaps more, and another minute had been consumed by the latter in
telling his story. Three minutes' start, in a crowded street at night,
was a handicap which the detective could scarcely hope to overcome.

He hurried along in the general direction the fellow had taken, trying
to form in his mind a clear picture of his appearance. In the dim light
before the shop he had not been able to observe him closely, nor had
there, indeed, appeared any very good reason for doing so; he had
thought the man but a belated customer of the place and had barely
glanced at him.

His experience in summing up at a glance the general characteristics of
those he met, however, stood him in good stead--he remembered that the
man had worn a long brown overcoat, a derby hat, and carried in his hand
a small satchel. The latter, which Dufrenne had failed to mention,
indicated a traveler--the man's words to Seltz, on purchasing the box of
powder, seemed to confirm it. The man had walked, apparently, instead of
taking a cab. Charing Cross station was but a short distance away. What
more natural, Duvall reasoned, than that the man he was following, was
on his way to take a train?

Following this line of reasoning, the detective walked hastily in the
direction of Charing Cross, dodging in and out among the passers-by, and
eying keenly everyone he met, in the hope that he might discover the man
with the satchel. He was, however, doomed to disappointment. After
spending over fifteen minutes in Charing Cross station, watching the
crowds at the booking offices, the telegraph and telephone booths and
the restaurant, he concluded that he had been mistaken in his course of
reasoning and reluctantly turned his steps once more toward the shop of
M. Perrier. There was, of course, still the chance that his deductions
had been wrong. Seltz might still have the snuff box in his possession,
and the man with the satchel be merely a harmless individual who used
rice powder after shaving. He almost reproached himself for having
wasted so much time, and hurried along through Piccadilly Circus, in a
state of considerable perplexity.

As he came up to the shop, he saw Dufrenne standing before the window,
his eyes glued to the pane. Something i