Better bring
three--Van Koon won't be long."

But the minutes passed and Van Koon was still absent. Ten minutes more
went, and still he did not come. And Fullaway pulled out his watch with
an air of annoyance.

"Too bad of Van Koon," he said. "Time's going, and I know Delkin lunches
at two o'clock. Come on, Allerdyke," he continued, rising, "we'll go over
to Delkin. If Van Koon comes, he'll find us. He's probably gone off with
that other man, though--he's an absent-minded chap in some things, and
too much given to the affair of the moment. Come on--I'll introduce you."

The Chicago millionaire, once put in possession of Allerdyke's name,
looked at him with manifest curiosity, and motioned him and Fullaway to
take seats with himself and his two companions.

"We were just talking of your case, Mr. Allerdyke," he said quietly. "The
Princess, of course, has told me about you. Fullaway, I don't know if you
know this gentleman--his name's well enough known, anyway. This gentleman
is Mr. Chilverton, the famous New York detective. Chilverton--Mr.
Fullaway, Mr. Allerdyke."

Fullaway and Allerdyke both looked at the man in the Homburg hat with
great interest as they shook hands with him. Fullaway at any rate knew of
his world-wide reputation; Allerdyke faintly remembered that he had heard
of him in connection with some great criminal affair.

"Been telling Mr. Chilverton about our business, Mr. Delkin?" asked
Fullaway pleasantly. "Asking his expert advice?"

"I've told him no more than what he could read for himself in the
newspapers," answered Delkin. "He's got stuff of his own to attend to,
here in London. About our affair now, as you call it, Fullaway. It's not
my affair, or I guess I'd have been more into it by this time. The
Princess here thinks things are going real slow, and so do I. What do you
think, Mr. Allerdyke!"

"It's a case in which things go slow of sheer necessity," replied
Allerdyke. "It's a case of widespread ramifications--to use a long word.
But--we keep having developments, Mr. Delkin. There's been one this
morning. We came to see you about it--and perhaps you'll let Fullaway
tell!--he'll put things into fewer words than I should."

"Sure!" answered the millionaire. "Go ahead, Fullaway--we're all
interested."

Fullaway briefly told the story of the discovery at the hotel in the
Docks that morning, and explained the deductions which had been made from
it. He detailed the connection of Ebers, alia