en a sharp and commanding voice spoke from the outer room.

"Donahue! Cassidy! What the devil does this mean?"

Archie had a momentary impression that an angel had fluttered down to
his rescue. If this was the case, the angel had assumed an effective
disguise--that of a police captain. The new arrival was a far smaller
man than his subordinates--so much smaller that it did Archie good to
look at him. For a long time he had been wishing that it were possible
to rest his eyes with the spectacle of something of a slightly less
out-size nature than his two companions.

"Why have you left your posts?"

The effect of the interruption on the Messrs. Cassidy and Donahue
was pleasingly instantaneous. They seemed to shrink to almost normal
proportions, and their manner took on an attractive deference.

Officer Donahue saluted.

"If ye plaze, sorr--"

Officer Cassidy also saluted, simultaneously.

"'Twas like this, sorr--"

The captain froze Officer Cassidy with a glance and, leaving him
congealed, turned to Officer Donahue.

"Oi wuz standing on th' fire-escape, sorr," said Officer Donahue, in
a tone of obsequious respect which not only delighted, but astounded
Archie, who hadn't known he could talk like that, "accordin' to
instructions, when I heard a suspicious noise. I crope in, sorr, and
found this duck--found the accused, sorr--in front of the mirror,
examinin' himself. I then called to Officer Cassidy for assistance. We
pinched--arrested um, sorr."

The captain looked at Archie. It seemed to Archie that he looked at him
coldly and with contempt.

"Who is he?"

"The Master-Mind, sorr."

"The what?"

"The accused, sorr. The man that's wanted."

"You may want him. I don't," said the captain. Archie, though relieved,
thought he might have put it more nicely. "This isn't Moon. It's not a
bit like him."

"Absolutely not!" agreed Archie, cordially. "It's all a mistake, old
companion, as I was trying to--"

"Cut it out!"

"Ob, right-o!"

"You've seen the photographs at the station. Do you mean to tell me you
see any resemblance?"

"If ye plaze, sorr," said Officer Cassidy, coming to life.

"Well?"

"We thought he'd bin disguising himself, the way he wouldn't be
recognised."

"You're a fool!" said the captain.

"Yes, sorr," said Officer Cassidy, meekly.

"So are you, Donahue."

"Yes, sorr."

Archie's respect for this chappie was going up all the time. He seemed
to be able to take years off the