can see now is
to call in the police. They must find out where that cab came from and
where it took Miss Ray. That's the important thing."

"Yes, to get hold of the cabman is the principal thing," said Nevill,
without any ring of confidence in his voice. "But till we learn the
contrary, we may as well presume she's safe. As for the police, for her
sake they must be a last resort."

"Let's go at once and interview somebody. But there's one hope. She may
have gone to Tlemcen to see that Kabyle maid of Mademoiselle Soubise,
for herself. Perhaps that's why she didn't encourage us to motor there.
She's jolly independent."

Nevill's face brightened. "When we've done what we can in Algiers, we
might run there ourselves in the car, just as I proposed before," he
said eagerly. "If nothing came of it, we wouldn't be wasting time, you
know. She warned you not to expect news for a fortnight, so there's no
use hanging about here in hopes of a letter or telegram. We can go to
Tlemcen and get back inside five days. What do you say?"

What Stephen might have said was, that they could save the journey by
telegraphing to Mademoiselle Soubise to ask whether Miss Ray had arrived
in Tlemcen. But the brightness in Nevill's eyes and the hopefulness in
his voice kept back the prosaic suggestion.

"I say, by all means let's go to Tlemcen," he answered. "To-morrow,
after we've found out what we can here about the cab, inquired at the
railway stations and so on. Besides, we can at least apply to the police
for information about Ben Halim. If we learn he's alive, and where he is
living, it may be almost the same as knowing where Miss Ray has gone."

XV

Nothing could be heard of Victoria at any place of departure for ships,
nor at the railway stations. Stephen agreed with Nevill that it would
not be fair to lay the matter in the hands of the police, lest in some
way the girl's mysterious "plan" should be defeated. But he could not
put out of his head an insistent idea that the Arab on board the
_Charles Quex_ might stand for something in this underhand business.
Stephen could not rest until he had found out the name of this man, and
what had become of him after arriving at Algiers. As for the name,
having appeared on the passenger list, it was easily obtained without
expert help. The Arab was a certain Sidi Maieddine ben el Hadj Messaoud;
and when Jeanne Soubise was applied to for information concerning him,
she was able to learn f