egan to interest Desmond. His proposal was
put forward so modestly that one would have thought the last
thing he believed possible was that the Chief should acquiesce in
his suggestion. Yet Desmond had the feeling that the detective
was far from being so disinterested as he wished to seem. It
struck Desmond that the case was more complicated than Mr.
Marigold admitted and that the detective knew it. Had Mr.
Marigold discovered that the Chief knew a great deal more about
this mysterious affair than the detective knew himself? And was
not his attitude of having already solved the problem of the
murder, his treatment of the Chief as a dilettante criminologist
simply an elaborate pose, to extract from the Chief information
which had not been proffered?

The Chief glanced at his watch.

"Right," he said, "I think I'd like to go along."

"I have a good deal to do here still," observed Mr. Marigold,
"so, if you don't mind, I won't accompany you. But perhaps, sir,
you would like to see me this afternoon?"

The Chief swung round on his heel and fairly searched Mr.
Marigold with a glance from beneath his bushy eyebrows. The
detective returned his gaze with an expression of supreme
innocence.

"Why, Marigold," answered the Chief, "I believe I should. Six
o'clock suit you?"

"Certainly, sir," said Mr. Marigold.

Desmond stood by the door, vastly amused by this duel of wits.
The Chief and Mr. Marigold made a move towards the door, Desmond
turned to open it and came face to face with a large framed
photograph of the Chief hanging on the wall of Miss Mackwayte's
bedroom.

"Why, Chief," he cried, "you never told me you knew Miss
Mackwayte!"

The Chief professed to be very taken aback by this question.
"Dear me, didn't I, Okewood?" he answered with eyes laughing,
"she's my secretary!"

CHAPTER VI. "NAME O'BARNEY"

"Miss Mackwayte telephoned to ask if I could go and see, her,"
said the Chief to Desmond as they motored back to White hall,
"Marigold gave me the message just as we were coming out. She
asked if I could come this afternoon. I'm going to send you in my
place, Okewood. I've got a conference with the head of the French
Intelligence at three, and the Lord knows when I shall get away.
I've a notion that you and Miss Mackwayte will work very well
together."

"Certainly," said Desmond, "she struck me as being a very
charming and clever girl. Now I know the source of your
information about my movements last n