servants, there was not a woman amongst them! Several guests were
staying in the house, including a middle-aged lady, called Madame,
whose position I could not exactly place, though she appeared to be in
charge of the establishment, in charge also of Lola.

Towards ten o'clock next morning the footman came to tell me that Mr.
Rayne wanted to see me at once in the library.

"He's in one of his queer moods this morning," the young man said, "so
you had better be careful. His letters have upset him, I think."

I thanked the lad for his hint, but on my way to the library, a room I
had not yet been in, I missed my bearings, entered a room under the
impression that it might be the library, and had hardly done so when
the sound of men's voices in a room adjoining came to me--the door
between the rooms stood partly open.

"Are you certain, Rudolph," one of the men was saying, "that this new
chauffeur of yours is the man for the job?"

"Have I ever made a mistake in summing up a man?" I heard Rayne
answer. "I always trust my judgment when choosing a new hand."

Where, before, had I heard the first speaker's voice? I knew that
voice quite well, yet, try as I would, I could not for the life of me
place it.

"Yes," the first speaker replied; "but, remember, in this case we are
running an enormous risk. If the least hitch should occur----"

They lowered their voices until their talk became inaudible, and
presently I heard one of them go out of the room. After waiting a
minute longer I left the room and went along the short passage, which
I now knew must lead to the room where I had heard them talking.

Rayne was alone, standing on the hearthrug with his back to the big,
open firegrate.

"Did you send for me, sir?" I inquired.

"I did, Hargreave," he replied in a friendly tone. "I sent for you
because I want you to go to Paris to-night. You will take with you the
suit-case you still have in your possession, and as you will go by a
trading steamer from Newcastle, the voyage will take you some days.
The suit-case contains valuable documents, so you must on no account
let it out of your sight, even for a minute, from the time you leave
here until you hand it over personally to the gentleman I am sending
you to--Monsieur Duperre. He is staying at the Hotel Ombrone, that
very smart and exclusive place in the Rue de Rivoli. He will give you
a receipt, which you will bring back to me here at once, coming then
by the ordinary ro