"Where from?" Laura asked.

"Hamblin House."

"Is that anywhere near the south coast?" the girl demanded excitedly.

"It's not far away," Quest replied quickly. "Why?"

"I'll tell you why," Laura explained. "I was as sure of it as any one
could be. Craig passed me in Southampton Water this morning, being rowed
out to a steamer. Not only that but he recognized me. I saw him draw back
and hide his face, but somehow I couldn't believe that it was really he. I
was just coming down the gangway and I nearly fell into the sea, I was so
surprised."

Quest was already turning over the pages of a time-table.

"What was the steamer?" he demanded.

"I found out," Laura told him. "I tell you, I was so sure of it's being
Craig that I made no end of enquiries. It was the _Barton_, bound for
India, with first stop at Port Said."

"When does she sail?" Quest asked.

"To-night--somewhere about seven," Laura replied.

Quest glanced at the clock and threw down the time-table. He turned
towards the door. They all followed him.

"I'm for Southampton," he announced. "I'm going to try to get on board
that steamer before she sails. Lenora, you'd better go upstairs and lie
down. They'll give you a room here. Don't you stir out till I come back.
Professor, what about you?"

"I shall accompany you," the Professor declared. "The discomforts of
travelling without luggage are nothing compared with the importance of
discovering this human fiend."

"Luggage--pshaw!" Laura exclaimed. "Who cares about that?"

"And nothing," Lenora declared firmly, as she caught at Quest's arm,
"would keep me away."

"I'll telephone to Scotland Yard, in case they care to send a man down,"
Quest decided. "We must remember, though," he reminded them, "that it will
very likely be a wild-goose chase."

"It won't be the first," Laura observed grimly, "but Craig's on board that
ship all right."...

They caught a train to Southampton, where they were joined by a man from
Scotland Yard. The little party drove as quickly as possible to the docks.

"Where does the _Barton_ start from?" Quest asked the pier-master.

The man pointed a little way down the harbor.

"She's not in dock, sir," he said. "She's lying out yonder. You'll barely
catch her, I'm afraid," he added, glancing at the clock.

They hurried to the edge of the quay.

"Look here," Quest cried, raising his voice, "I'll give a ten pound note
to any one who gets me out to the _Barton_ before she s