package?"

"No," said Barbara, "I don't think so. Wait a minute, though,
Nur-el-Din's maid must have come in very shortly after for I
remember the opened the door when Captain Strangwise came to tell
me daddy was waiting to take me home."

"Do you remember if Nur-el-Din actually mentioned the package in
the presence of the maid!"

"As far as I can recollect just as the maid opened the door to
Captain Strangwise, Nur-el-Din was impressing on me again to take
great care of the package. I don't think she actually mentioned
the box but I remember her pointing at my bag where I had put the
package."

"The maid didn't see Nur-el-Din give you the box?"

"No, I'm sure of that. The room was empty save for us two. It was
only just before Captain Strangwise knocked that I noticed Marie
arranging Nur-el-Din's dresses. She must have come in afterwards
without my seeing her."

"Well then, this girl, Marie, didn't see the dancer give you the
box but she heard her refer to it. Is that right?"

"Yes, and, of course, Captain Strangwise..."

"What about him?"

"He must have heard what Nur-el-Din was saying, too!"

Desmond rubbed his chin.

"I say, you aren't going to implicate old Strangwise, too, are
you?" he asked.

Barbara did not reflect his smile.

"He seems to know Nur-el-Din pretty well," she said, "and I'll
tell you something else, that woman's afraid of your friend, the
Captain!"

"What do you mean?" asked Desmond.

"I was watching her in the glass last night as he was talking to
her while you and I and daddy were chatting in the corner. I
don't know what he said to her, but she glanced over her shoulder
with a look of terror in her eyes. I was watching her face in the
glass. She looked positively hunted!"

The taxi stopped. Desmond jumped out and helped his companion to
alight.

"Au revoir." she said to him, "never fear, you and I will meet
very soon again!"

With that she was gone. Desmond looked at his watch. It pointed
to a quarter to six.

"Now I wonder what time the leave-train starts tonight," he said
aloud, one foot on the sideboard of the taxi.

"At 7.45, sir," said a voice.

"Desmond glanced round him. Then he saw it was the taxi-driver
who had spoken.

"7.45, eh?" said Desmond. "From Victoria, I suppose?"

"Yes, sir," said the taxi-man.

"By Jove, I haven't much time," ejaculated the officer "and there
are some things I want to get before I go back across the
Channel. And I shall h