than Archer's name, which was below it.

He sat staring at the sheet, whistling softly through his teeth and
with his brow puckered into a frown, as he wondered whether the obvious
SUGGESTION that the brandy item had been added after the sheet had
been completed, was a sound deduction. He could think of no other
explanation, but he was loath to form a definite opinion on such slight
evidence.

He turned back through the blocks to see if they contained other similar
instances, and as he did so his interest grew. Quite a number of the
pages referring to mixed consignment had for their last item kegs of
French brandy. He scrutinized these entries with the utmost care. A few
seemed normal enough, but others showed indications which strengthened
his suspicions. In three more the ink was undoubtedly paler than the
remainder of the sheet, in five it was darker, while in several others
the handwriting appeared slightly different--more upright, more sloping,
more heavily or more lightly leaned on. When Hunt had examined all the
instances he could find stretching over a period of three months, he
was convinced that his deduction was correct. The brandy items had been
written at a different time from the remainder, and this could only mean
that they had been added after the certificate was complete.

His interest at last keenly aroused, he began to make an analysis of the
blocks in question in the hope of finding some other peculiarity common
to them which might indicate the direction in which the solution might
lie.

And first as to the consignees. Ackroyd & Holt evidently supplied a very
large number of licensed houses, but of these the names of only five
appeared on the doubtful blocks. But these five were confined to houses
in Hull, and each was a large and important concern.

"So far, so good," thought Hunt, with satisfaction. "If they're not
planting their stuff in those five houses, I'm a Dutchman!"

He turned back to the blocks and once again went through them. This
time he made an even more suggestive discovery. Only one lorry-man was
concerned in the transport of the doubtful consignments. All the lorries
in question had been in charge of a driver called Charles Fox.

Hunt remembered the man. He had driven three of the eight lorries Hunt
himself had examined, and he had been most civil when stopped, giving
the investigator all possible assistance in making his inspection.
Nor had he at any time betrayed embarrass