ferent light, and
with so many evident aspersions on my veracity, that I hardly knew them
again.

The two brothers made a further close inspection of the rooms, and then
held a consultation on the hearthrug in whispers.

Though the words were unintelligible, the fact that the officer of the
Z Division had been partaking liberally of whisky soon became apparent
from the all-pervading odour of that stimulant diffused throughout the
apartment.

They finished at last, and I heard the London man's final word of
advice--

"I should put me 'and on 'im at any rate."

CHAPTER IV

I AM DETAINED

I was the "'im" referred to evidently.

Our inspector buttoned up his blue overcoat.

"Perhaps you'll be kind enough to walk down with us to the station, Mr.
. . . er--Anstruther," he said; "we can have a little talk down there
and straighten things out a bit."

His subterfuge did not in the least deceive me.

"Do I understand," I asked, "that you propose to detain me?"

The inspector raised his shoulders perplexedly, and his brother smiled
a fat smile over his shoulder.

"That'll depend how you explain matters to our chief," he said
deprecatingly; "at any rate we'd better get along."

This was a hint I could not disregard. He led the way up the
staircase, and his stout brother, through force of habit, closed in
behind, far too close to be pleasant, owing to the diffused aroma of a
mixture of various brands of inferior whisky, arising from his hard
breathing as he ascended the stairs. We walked two and two down
Monmouth Street, I with the inspector, the doctor and the London
detective improving their acquaintance in the rear.

Two streets off we dropped the officer of the Z Division, who betook
himself once more to the "Compasses" to continue his "fifty up" with
his friend the landlord, and the doctor joined us. I had the pleasure
of listening to his conversation with the inspector, conducted across
me, without having the pleasure of being included in it.

We walked all three down into the town, and then straight into the
Police Station, only a few doors off my hotel.

The inspector and the doctor went into a private room to confer with
some superior official while I was left to sit by the fire in the outer
office.

Presently the inspector came out.

"We've decided to detain you, Mr. Anstruther," he said, "until we can
find out a little more about this affair. Just come over here."

"Look here, Mr. In