een coming into town, and none had seen it go out;
nevertheless it, with all its passengers, had vanished. While the others
went through a high-sounding French menu at the hotel first on the
guide-book list, Ropes and I did detective work. It was he, really, who
picked up the trail of the Lecomte, when we had walked back to the street
it must have entered first; and even for Ropes this would have proved an
impossible feat if our automobiles had not been the only two which had
passed since the heavy rains. "I've got the pattern of those non-skids
printed on my brain, sir, since yesterday," said he. "What I don't know
about 'em, isn't worth knowing."

So he pounced upon the thick, straight, dotted line in the mud, and,
losing it often, but always picking it out again, we turned and wound till
the trail stopped in front of a private house. Later, it went on; but it
was evident that the car had paused. The mud was much trampled, and
probably luggage had been taken down.

We presumed, therefore, that those we sought were within; but the next
thing was to find the resting-place of the Lecomte, lest it should
disappear and leave us in the lurch, ignorant of its destination. Luckily
for us, the worst was over. The trail led to a stable not far away, and as
the doors stood wide open we had the joyous relief of seeing the car being
cleansed of its rich coat of mud. The chauffeur was superintending, his
back turned to the doors, and we walked quickly on lest he should spy a
leather coat and guess that his own game was being played upon him.

"Now you can rest easy, sir," said Ropes. "That car won't leave this town
without my knowing; and it'll go hard if I aren't able to tell you in the
course of the next hour whether it's due to start to-day or to-morrow."

I laughed gratefully. "Thank you, Ropes," said I. "I shan't ask how you
mean to get your information. When you say you can do a thing, I know it's
as good as done."

"It's for me to thank you, sir--for everything," he replied, flushing with
pleasure.

Then we went back to the hotel. And whether Ropes lunched or not I cannot
say; but I did, with a good appetite, Dick and my adopted family lingering
at the table to hear my news.

In three-quarters of an hour Sherlock Holmes kept his word by sending in a
short note, addressed (as I had suggested) to Waring. "Honoured Sir," it
ran, "Lecomte remains night. Master and friends stopping with his
relatives. Will let you know tim