answered.

"Then, if you please, who are you?"

"What!" exclaimed Audrey. "You're in the village of Moze itself and you ask
who I am. Everybody knows me. My name is Audrey Moze, of Flank Hall, Moze,
Essex. Any child in Moze Street will tell you that. Inspector Keeble knows
as well as anybody."

Madame Piriac proceeded steadily with the inquiry into the carpet. Audrey
felt her heart beating.

"Unmarried?" pursued the detective.

"Most decidedly," said Audrey with conviction.

"Then what's the meaning of that ring on your finger, if you don't mind my
asking?" the detective continued.

Certainly Audrey was flustered, but only for a moment.

"Mr. Hurley," said she; "I wear it as a protection from men of all ages who
are too enterprising."

She spoke archly, with humour; but now there was no answering humour in the
features of Mr. Hurley, who seemed to be a changed man, to be indeed no
longer even an Irishman. And Audrey grew afraid. Did he, after all, know of
her share in the Blue City enterprise? She had long since persuaded herself
that the police had absolutely failed to connect her with that affair, but
now uncertainty was born in her mind.

"I must search the house," said the detective.

"What for?"

"I have to arrest a woman named Jane Foley," answered Mr. Hurley, adding
somewhat grimly: "The name will be known to ye, I'm thinking.... And I have
reason to believe that she is now concealed on these premises."

The directness of the blow was terrific. It was almost worse than the blow
itself. And Audrey now believed everything that she had ever heard or read
about the miraculous ingenuity of detectives. Still, she did not regard
herself as beaten, and the thought of the yacht lying close by gave her a
dim feeling of security. If she could only procure delay!...

"I'm not going to let you search my house," she said angrily. "I never
heard of such a thing! You've got no right to search my house."

"Oh yes, I have!" Mr. Hurley insisted.

"Well, let me see your paper--I don't know what you call it. But I know you
can't do anything-without a paper. Otherwise any bright young-man might
walk into my house and tell me he meant to search it. Keeble, I'm really
surprised at _you_."

Inspector Keeble blushed.

"I'm very sorry, miss," said he contritely. "But the law's the law. Show
the lady your search-warrant, Mr. Hurley." His voice resembled himself.

Mr. Hurley coughed. "I haven't got a search-warrant ye