was neatly type-written upon the other side, and his gross,
empurpled face was seen to change, to assume a patchy greyness.

The superscription was:

"To Baron Hague, Sir Leopold Jesson, Messrs. Julius Rohscheimer,
John Jacob Oppner, and Antony Elschild.

_"Second Notice"_

He clutched the arms of his chair, and stood up. A dead silence had
fallen.

"Where"--Rohscheimer moistened his lips--"did this come from?"

A moment more of silence, then:

"Sir Leopold passed it to me," came Salome Hohsmann's frightened voice.

Rohscheimer stared at Jesson. Jesson turned and stared at Miss Hohsmann.

"You are mistaken," he replied slowly. "I have not had the card in my
hand!"

Miss Hohsmann's fine, dark eyes grew round in wonder.

"But, Sir Leopold!" she cried. "I _took_ it from your hand!"

Jesson's face was a study in perplexity.

"I can only say," contributed Sheard, who sat upon the other side of the
girl, "that I saw Miss Hohsmann looking at the card and I asked to be
allowed to examine it. I then passed it on to Mrs. Lacey. I may
add"--smiling--"that it does not emanate from the _Gleaner_ office, and
is in no way official!"

"Mrs. Lacey passed it along to me," came Oppner's parched voice.

"But," Sir Leopold's incisive tones cut in upon the bewildering
conversation, "Miss Hohsmann is in error in supposing that she received
the card from me. I have not handled it--neither, I believe, has Lady
Vignoles?" He turned to the latter.

She shook her head.

"No, sir," she said transatlantically, "I saw Mr. Rohscheimer take it
from Mary" (Lady Mary Evershed).

"I mean to say, Sheila"--Lord Vignoles leant forward in his chair and
looked along to his wife--"I mean to say, _I_ had it from Miss Charlotte
Hohsmann, on my left."

Rohscheimer's protruding eyes looked from face to face. Wonder was
written upon every one.

"Where the----" Mrs. Rohscheimer coughed.

The great financier sat down. Let us conclude his sentence for him:

_Where had the ominous "second notice" come from?_

Amid a thrilling silence, the guests sought, each in his or her own
fashion, for the solution to this truly amazing conundrum. The order may
be seen from a glance at the foregoing list of guests. It has only to be
remembered that they were seated around a large oval table and their
relative positions become apparent.

"It appears to me," said Sir Leopold Jesson, "that the mystery has its
root here. Miss Hohsmann is unde