an civilly
conducted him to the Rue de Rivoli. Thence he was not long in reaching
the Grand Hotel, where he found the astonished _cocher_ of his first
vehicle still safeguarding his bag and arguing fiercely with a porter
that he had unquestionably obeyed the Englishman's instructions.

Tired though he was, Brett did not fail to scrutinize the list of
arrivals at the hotel on the preceding Tuesday. He instantly found the
entry he sought. The arrival of "Mr. and Mrs. John Talbot, London," was
chronicled in the register with uncompromising boldness. Hastily
comparing the writing in Talbot's letter with that of the visitors'
book, Brett was at first staggered by their similarity, but he quickly
recognized the well-known signs which indicate that a man who himself
writes a bold and confident hand has been copying the signature of
another with the object of reproducing it freely and with reasonable
accuracy. There are always perceptible differences in the varying
pressure of the pen and the distribution of the ink.

Allowance had evidently not been made for the fact that Englishmen
almost invariably write their names very badly in Continental hotel
registers, owing to their inability to use foreign pens. The man who not
only forged Mr. Talbot's name, but also supplied him with a wife,
laboured under no such disadvantage. Indeed, Talbot himself would
probably not have written his own name so legibly.

"That is all right," said Brett wearily, traversing a corridor to gain
his room. "Now, I wonder if there is any connexion between
Hussein-ul-Mulk and the Rue Barbette."

CHAPTER VII

THE HOUSE IN THE RUE BARBETTE

Brett was called at ten o'clock. After reinvigorating himself with a
bath and a hearty breakfast, he was ready to meet Captain Gaultier, who
arrived promptly at 11.30.

In the spacious foyer of the Grand Hotel it was impossible to say who
might be looking at them.

"Come to my room," said Brett. "There we will be able to talk without
interruption."

Once comfortably seated, Brett resumed the conversation where he had
broken it off in the train overnight.

"You say you know Hussein-ul-Mulk," he commenced.

"Yes," replied the King's messenger, "and what is more, I have
discovered his residence since we parted. It seems that one of the
attaches at the Embassy met him recently and thought it advisable to
keep in touch with the Young Turkish party, of which Hussein-ul-Mulk is
a shining light. So he ask