d. The girl was apparently the man's daughter or niece. Their
relative ages warranted the surmise, and her quick explanation of how
she came to be talking to a stranger indicated that she recognized his
authority, while Foster thought she had been disturbed when she heard
his step. It was strange that she should urge him to post the packet,
and he would sooner have done so, but it was not a long journey to
Newcastle and he must keep his promise. Then he saw a tram-car coming
and dismissed the matter.

Going back to his hotel, he found there was an evening train and
decided to leave by it. Edinburgh had attractions, but he could come
back and was anxious to get rid of the packet, moreover he grudged the
time he spent away from the Garth. There were not many passengers at
the station and he found an empty compartment, where he read a
newspaper until he got tired and lifting a corner of the blind looked
out. Here and there a light rushed back through the darkness and
vanished as the express sped south with a smoothness that was a
contrast to the jolting he had been used to in Canada. Indeed, except
for the roar when they ran across a bridge and the confused flashing
past of lamps as they swept through a station, he could hardly have
imagined himself on board a train. There was, however, not much to be
seen, and he took out the packet.

It looked somewhat bulkier and he examined it carefully, but the cover
did not seem to have been removed. It could not have been replaced by
another, because the original address was there and he knew Carmen's
hand; then there was a seal, which he did not think could have been
tampered with. Besides, the man had only had it for a minute or two,
and if he had opened it, would probably have taken something out
instead of putting something in. Foster decided that he was mistaken
about its size and returned it to his pocket.

Then he wanted a cigarette and took out the case he had got in the fur
coat. Since he had left the coat in Montreal, the case was the only
record of his adventure on the train, and he wondered whether he would
ever be able to restore it to its owner and speculated languidly about
the man. As the latter knew his name, it was strange that he had not
communicated with him at the Windsor, as he had promised. He had
obviously not been attacked, because there had been nothing about it in
the Canadian newspapers. The thing was puzzling, but after all it did
not