I tell you how you might help me this afternoon, if you don't mind;
go through any of the back numbers of _Country Life_ and those sort of
papers that you can find in the smoking-room, and see if you come across
my portrait with infant son or anything of that sort. It won't take you
ten minutes. I'll meet you in the lounge about tea-time. Thanks
awfully."

And the Fair Unknown, having graciously pressed Jerton into the search
for her lost identity, rose and left the room. As she passed the young
man's table she halted for a moment and whispered:

"Did you notice that I tipped the waiter a shilling? We can cross Lady
Ulwight off the list; she would have died rather than do that."

At five o'clock Jerton made his way to the hotel lounge; he had spent a
diligent but fruitless quarter of an hour among the illustrated weeklies
in the smoking-room. His new acquaintance was seated at a small
tea-table, with a waiter hovering in attendance.

"China tea or Indian?" she asked as Jerton came up.

"China, please, and nothing to eat. Have you discovered anything?"

"Only negative information. I'm not Lady Befnal. She disapproves
dreadfully of any form of gambling, so when I recognised a well-known
book maker in the hotel lobby I went and put a tenner on an unnamed filly
by William the Third out of Mitrovitza for the three-fifteen race. I
suppose the fact of the animal being nameless was what attracted me."

"Did it win?" asked Jerton.

"No, came in fourth, the most irritating thing a horse can do when you've
backed it win or place. Anyhow, I know now that I'm not Lady Befnal."

"It seems to me that the knowledge was rather dearly bought," commented
Jerton.

"Well, yes, it has rather cleared me out," admitted the identity-seeker;
"a florin is about all I've got left on me. The lobster Newburg made my
lunch rather an expensive one, and, of course, I had to tip that boy for
what he did to the Kestrel-Smith locks. I've got rather a useful idea,
though. I feel certain that I belong to the Pivot Club; I'll go back to
town and ask the hall porter there if there are any letters for me. He
knows all the members by sight, and if there are any letters or telephone
messages waiting for me of course that will solve the problem. If he
says there aren't any I shall say: 'You know who I am, don't you?' so
I'll find out anyway."

The plan seemed a sound one; a difficulty in its execution suggested
itself to Jerton.

"Of