nd?"

"The whole thousand; nom d'un p'tit bonhomme! The whole thousand!
Acting, as I have said, upon the information in this always priceless
letter, I confronted Madame Jean and the manager of the bank with each
other. Morbleu! 'This,' he said, 'is Mira Leroux of London!'"...

"What!" cried Cumberly, seemingly quite stupefied by this last
revelation.

Max spread wide his palms, and the flexible lips expressed sympathy with
the doctor's stupefaction.

"It is as I tell you," he continued. "This Madame Jean had been posing
as Mrs. Leroux, and in some way, which I was unable to understand,
her signature had been accepted by the Credit Lyonnais. I examined the
specimen signature which had been forwarded to them by the London County
and Suburban Bank, and I perceived, at once, that it was not a case of
common forgery. The signatures were identical"...

"Therefore," said Cumberly, and he was thinking of Henry Leroux, whom
Fate delighted in buffeting--"therefore, the Credit Lyonnais is not
responsible?"

"Most decidedly not responsible," agreed Max. "So you see I now have
two reasons for coming to London: one, to visit the London County and
Suburban Bank, and the other to find... Mr. King. The first part of
my mission I have performed successfully; but the second"... again he
shrugged, and the lines of his mouth were humorous.

Dr. Cumberly began to walk up and down the carpet.

"Poor Leroux!" he muttered--"poor Leroux."

"Ah! poor Leroux, indeed," said Max. "He is so typical a victim of this
most infernal group!"

"What!" Dr. Cumberly turned in his promenade and stared at the
detective--"he's not the only one?"

"My dear sir," said Max, gently, "the victims of Mr. King are truly as
the sands of Arabia."

"Good heavens!" muttered Dr. Cumberly; "good heavens!"

"I came immediately to London," continued Max, "and presented myself at
New Scotland Yard. There I discovered that my inquiry was complicated by
a ghastly crime which had been committed in the flat of Mr. Leroux; but
I learned, also, that Mr. King was concerned in this crime--his name had
been found upon a scrap of paper clenched in the murdered woman's hand!"

"I was present when it was found," said Dr. Cumberly.

"I know you were," replied Max. "In short, I discovered that the Palace
Mansions murder case was my case, and that my case was the Palace
Mansions case. Eh bien! the mystery of the Paris draft did not detain me
long. A call upon the manager