le was looking in my direction, so taking
my chance I rose quickly to my feet and stepped forward behind the
shelter of the nearest pillar. Here I was met by another waiter who
handed me my hat and stick, while his impassive colleague, pocketing
the two pounds, advanced to the door and opened it before me with a
polite bow. I felt rather like the hero of a melodrama making his exit
after the big scene.

Once in the street, the full realization of what I had just been
through came to me with a sort of curious shock. It seemed an almost
incredible thing that a man should make an attempt to drug or poison
another in a public restaurant, but, unless I was going off my head,
that was what had actually occurred. Of course I might possibly have
been mistaken in what I saw in the glass, but the readiness with which
Mr. Latimer (somehow the name seemed vaguely familiar to me) had
accepted my hint rather knocked that theory on the head. It showed
that he, at all events, had not regarded such a contingency as being
the least bit incredible.

I began to try and puzzle out in my mind what bearings this amazing
incident could have on my own affairs. I was not even sure as yet
whether the man with the scar had been really spying on my movements
or whether my seeing him twice on the night of my arrival in Town
had been purely a matter of coincidence. If he was a friend of
McMurtrie's, it seemed to stand to reason that' Mr. Bruce Latimer
was not. Even in such a weird sort of syndicate as I had apparently
stumbled against it was hardly probable that the directors would
attempt to poison each other in West End restaurants.

The question was should I accept the invitation pencilled across the
card? I was anxious enough in all conscience to find out something
definite about McMurtrie and his friends, but I certainly had no wish
to mix myself up with any mysterious business in which I was not quite
sure that they were concerned. For the time being my own affairs
provided me with all the interest and excitement that I needed.
Besides, even if the man with the scar was one of the gang, and had
really tried to poison or drug his companion, I was scarcely in a
position to offer the latter my assistance. Apart altogether from
the fact that I had given my promise to the doctor, it was obviously
impossible for me to explain to a complete stranger how I came to be
mixed up with the matter. An escaped convict, however excellent his
intentions may