e Rad. He had
hurried to Grosvenor Square, only to find that emissaries of the
police had forestalled him in his duty.

All this he could not explain to the man Travers. It would have
sounded lame and barely plausible. Nowadays men do not walk outside
houses wherein their liege lady dwells, and, if they do, they do not
choose a foggy night for the sentimental dalliance. He was thankful,
therefore, that Travers put no further questions to him, and merely
said with a return to his original politeness:

"I am greatly obliged to you, sir. I don't think I need detain you any
longer. You said you had an engagement later on; won't you keep this
cab?"

Luke thanked him, but refused the offer of the cab.

"It is close by," he said.

"May I call on you to-morrow morning, sir?"

"If it is necessary."

"I am afraid so. You see we don't like to trouble Lord Radclyffe and
we must try and obtain knowledge of certain facts and verify others."

"Quite so. Well, to-morrow then."

"Thank you, sir. Your address is----?"

"Fairfax Mansions, Exhibition Road."

"Such a nice neighbourhood. No fog there to-night I think."

"I hope not. Good night."

"Good night, sir."

Luke made his escape from the cab. He was afraid of missing Louisa and
her father. His thoughts were somewhat in a whirl, and--being
overburdened with matters of paramount importance--were inclined to
dwell on trifles.

"I ought," he reflected, "to have taken that man's cab. It might be
difficult to get another and Colonel Harris hates waiting in a crowded
hall."

CHAPTER XVI

AND THE PUPPETS DANCED

And so he went to meet Louisa and Colonel Harris at the Danish
Legation, and found them a taxicab and generally saw to their
comparative comfort.

There was no restraint between the three of them. It was as natural to
them all to avoid speaking of important matters on the door step of a
neighbour's house, as it was to eat or drink or breathe. So Luke asked
if the dinner had been enjoyable and the reception crowded, and
Colonel Harris comfortably complained of both. He hated foreign
cooking, and society crushes, and had endured both to-night. No doubt
the terrible events of this night, as yet mere shadows--hardly
admitted to be real--were weighing on the kind old man's usual hearty
spirits.

But so versed were they all in the art of make believe that each one
individually was able to register in the innermost depths of an
anxious heart the firm co