ou a portion of the distance."

They had now reached Hyde Park Corner, and, hailing a hansom, Brett told
the driver to stop outside the Carlton Hotel. The man whipped up his
horse and drove in the direction of Constitution Hill, evidently
intending to avoid the congested traffic of Piccadilly and take the
longer, but more pleasant, route through the Green Park and the Mall.

"By the way," said Brett, "did the driver of the hansom which conveyed
Mr. Talbot and his companion from Albert Gate on Monday night tell you
which road he followed?"

"Yes," said the detective, "he went this way."

Brett rubbed his hands, with a queer expression of thoughtful pleasure
on his keen face.

"Ah," he said, "I like that. It is well to be on the scent."

He did not explain to his professional _confrere_ that it was a positive
stimulant to his abounding energy and highly-strung nerves to find that
he was actually following the path taken by the criminal whom he was
pursuing. The mere fact lent reality to the chase. For a mile, at any
rate, there could be no mistake, though he might expect a check at the
Carlton. Arrived there, Brett alighted.

"Are you going to make any inquiries in the hotel, sir?" said Mr.
Winter.

"Why should I?" said Brett. "You have already ascertained from the
management that no person even remotely resembling any of the parties
concerned is staying at the hotel."

"Yes, confound it, I know I did," cried the other, "but I never told you
so."

"That is all right," laughed Brett. "Come and see me at my chambers
this evening when the inquest is finished. Perhaps by that time we may
be able to determine our plan of action."

Once left to himself, Brett did not enter the hotel. Indeed, he hardly
glanced at that palatial structure, having evidently dismissed it from
his mind as being in no way connected with the tragedy he was
investigating. He made it an invariable rule in conducting inquiries of
this nature to adopt the French method of "reconstituting" the incidents
of a crime, so far as such a course was possible in the absence of the
persons concerned. He reasoned that a very plausible explanation of the
unexpected appearance of the three strangers in the Albert Gate mansion
on Monday night had been given to Jack Talbot. This young gentleman, it
might be taken for granted, had not been selected by the Foreign Office
to carry to a successful issue such an important and delicate matter as
that entrusted to