ctly established. This is not a prison, it's a
sanatorium. Colonel Hawker is here for gout and Major Barstowe for
neuritis, got it in India. You will like them. There are several others
who make up my household--you can come on down with me now--are you a
billiard player?"

"Yes, I can play--but, see here, before we go down, where is this
place?--I don't even know what part of the country it's in."

"Sandbourne-on-sea," replied Hoover, leading the way from the room.

Now in London on the night before, something had happened. Dr. Simms, at
a dinner-party, given by Doctor Took of Bethlem Hospital had, relative
to the imagination of lunatics, given an instance:

"Only to-day," said Simms, "I had a case in point. A man gave me as his
supposed address, one thousand one hundred and ninety one, Walnut
Street, Philadelphia."

"But there is a Walnut Street, Philadelphia," said Took, "and it's ten
miles long, and the numbers run up well towards that."

Half an hour later, Simms got into his carriage.

"Savoy Hotel, Strand," said he to the coachman.

CHAPTER XXII

AN INTERLUDE

Simms in his electric brougham passed through the gas-lit streets in the
direction of the Strand, glancing at the night pageant of London, but
seeing nothing.

I love to linger over Simms, but what pages of description could
adequately describe him; buxom, sedate, plump and soothing, with the
appearance of having been born and bred in a frock-coat, above all
things discreet; you can fancy him stepping out of his brougham, passing
into the hall of the hotel and presenting his card to the clerk with a
request for an interview with the manager. The manager being away, his
deputy supplied his place.

"Yes, an American gentleman of the name of Jones had stayed in the hotel
and on the night of the first of June had met with 'an accident' on the
underground railway. The police had taken charge of the business. What
address had he given when booking his room? An address in Philadelphia.
Walnut Street, Philadelphia."

"Thanks," said Simms, "I came to enquire because a patient of mine
fancied, seeing the report, that it might be a relative. She must have
been mistaken, for her relative resides in the city of New York. Thank
you--quite so--good evening."

In the hall Simms hesitated for a moment, then he asked a page boy for
the American bar, found it and ordered a glass of soda water.

There were only one or two men in the bar and as Simms