ost confidential tones. "Only it
must remain a secret between you and me. I did it--because I have a
sense of humour."

"I hate publicity," said Mr. Ricardo acidly.

"On the other hand you have four thousand francs," protested the
detective. "Besides, what else should I do? If I name myself, the very
people we are seeking to catch--who, you may be sure, will be the first
to read this advertisement--will know that I, the great, the
incomparable Hanaud, am after them; and I do not want them to know
that. Besides"--and he spoke now in a gentle and most serious
voice--"why should we make life more difficult for Mlle. Celie by
telling the world that the police want her? It will be time enough for
that when she appears before the Juge d'Instruction."

Mr. Ricardo grumbled inarticulately, and read through the advertisement
again.

"Besides, your description is incomplete," he said. "There is no
mention of the diamond earrings which Celia Harland was wearing when
she went away."

"Ah! so you noticed that!" exclaimed Hanaud. "A little more experience
and I should be looking very closely to my laurels. But as for the
earrings--I will tell you, Mlle. Celie was not wearing them when she
went away from the Villa Rose."

"But--but," stammered Ricardo, "the case upon the dressing-room table
was empty."

"Still, she was not wearing them, I know," said Hanaud decisively.

"How do you know?" cried Ricardo, gazing at Hanaud with awe in his
eyes. "How could you know?"

"Because"--and Hanaud struck a majestic attitude, like a king in a
play--"because I am the captain of the ship."

Upon that Mr. Ricardo suffered a return of his ill-humour.

"I do not like to be trifled with," he remarked, with as much dignity
as his ruffled hair and the bed-clothes allowed him. He looked sternly
at the newspaper, turning it over, and then he uttered a cry of
surprise.

"But this is yesterday's paper!" he said.

"Yesterday evening's paper," Hanaud corrected.

"Printed at Geneva!"

"Printed, and published and sold at Geneva," said Hanaud.

"When did you send the advertisement in, then?"

"I wrote a letter while we were taking our luncheon," Hanaud explained.
"The letter was to Besnard, asking him to telegraph the advertisement
at once."

"But you never said a word about it to us," Ricardo grumbled.

"No. And was I not wise?" said Hanaud, with complacency. "For you would
have forbidden me to use your name."

"Oh, I don't go so far a