, of course; yet it seemed to me----"

"Mary," interrupted Haredale, "don't tell me that you believe the
romantic stories circulating about the man!"

"What stories, Dick?"

"Why, about his holding the Seal of Suleyman, whatever that may be----"

"But Mrs. Elschild says he _does_!"

Haredale started.

"How can she possibly know?"

A flush tinged Lady Mary's clear complexion for a moment, and left it
paler than it was wont to be. She despised a woman who could not
preserve a secret (and therefore must have had a poor opinion of her
sex), yet she had nearly allowed her own tongue to betray her. Whatever
Mrs. Elschild had told her had been told in confidence, and under the
seal of friendship.

"Perhaps she does not know. Someone may have told her."

"It's all over London," said Haredale; "in the clubs, everywhere! I
wonder you have not heard it before. There seems to be an organised
attempt to glorify this man, who, after all, is no more than an
up-to-date highwayman. Someone has spread the absurd story that he is of
Jewish royal blood; whereas the royal line of the Jews must have been
extinct for untold generations!"

"Why must it? You have just said that the Jews are an Eastern people.
And all Eastern peoples are subtle and secretive. I invariably lose half
of my self-importance in Egypt, for instance. There is something in the
eye of the meanest _fellah_ which is painfully like patronage!"

Haredale shrugged his shoulders.

"What a thing it is," he said humorously, "to be born with black hair,
flashing eyes and an olive skin! One can then be any kind of mountebank
or robber, and yet rest assured of the ladies' homage."

They walked on in silence for awhile. Then--

"Heaven knows what happened to Rohscheimer," said Haredale abruptly, "to
have frightened him into writing such a stupendous cheque! I may hear,
later, but thus far he is too sore to touch upon the matter!"

"My father has visited him."

"At last--yes! Do you remember when Rohscheimer offered me five hundred
pounds if I could induce the Marquess to come to dinner? Gad! He came
perilously near to a just retribution that day! I think if I had been in
uniform I should have run him through!"

"These extraordinary donations of course are the sequel to the
mysterious business of the card and the unseen hand?"

"Certainly. Severac Bablon is at the bottom of the whole business. I
described the device, introducing two triangles, do you remember, w