. My agent ascertained from the cabman who
drove him that Gros Jean had hired the vehicle outside the Gare de Lyon.
Otherwise nothing stirring."

At seven o'clock came developments.

"Three Turkish gentlemen have quitted No. 11, Rue Barbette, but the
Frenchman is still there. As it might be necessary to follow another
person leaving this house, I stationed another watcher with my
assistant, and this second man followed the Turks to a restaurant in
the Grand Boulevard. So far as he could judge, they seemed to be
excited and apprehensive. They drank some wine and conversed together
in low tones. At 6.15 they quitted the cafe and rapidly jumped into
an empty _fiacre_, being driven off in the direction of the Opera.
So unexpectedly did they leave their seats that before my agent could
hire another cab they had disappeared in the traffic, and although he
drove after them as rapidly as possible, he failed to again catch
sight of them. I have reprimanded him for his negligence, although he
did right in coming at once to me to report his failure. In accordance
with your instructions, I have ordered the watchers at the Cafe Noir
and in the Rue Barbette to be in this office at 8.15 p.m."

"Now I wonder," said Brett, "why the Turks left the Frenchman alone in
No. 11. It is odd, to say the least of it. Since the dramatic discovery
of the spurious diamonds this morning they must be even more in the
dark than I am. It must be looked into, but I cannot attend to it now.
At this moment, if I am not mistaken, the centre of interest is the Cafe
Noir."

The two men occupied a sitting-room on the first floor of the hotel, and
their respective bedrooms flanked it on each side. Brett explained that
he could not tackle the table d'hote dinner, so he made a hasty meal in
their sitting-room and then excused himself whilst he retired to his
bedroom to change his clothing.

He was absent some twenty minutes, and Fairholme amused himself by
glancing over the copies of the day's London newspapers which had
recently arrived. Suddenly the door of Brett's bedroom opened, and a
decrepit elderly man appeared, a shabby-genteel individual, disfigured
by drink and crumpled up by rheumatism.

"Who the devil----" began Fairholme.

But he was amazed to hear Brett's familiar voice asking--

"Do you think the disguise sufficiently complete?"

"Complete!" shouted Fairh