we should watch for the keeping of the appointment at
the Hotel Luxembourg at Nimes on the following Monday.

"With whom is he keeping the appointment?" asked Senor Andrade.

"That I will disclose later," was my reply. "I know that the
appointment has been fixed, and if we watch, we shall, I feel assured,
gain some knowledge of considerable interest."

"As you wish," replied the Chief of Police, who now seemed convinced
by my manner that I was in possession of certain actual facts. "You
will meet Senor Rivero--eh?"

"Certainly," I said.

"Then I wish the pair of you the good fortune of arresting the
assassin Despujol," he said as we shook hands and parted.

I drove at once to Hambledon's hotel, where I found that he had just
retired to bed. As he stood in his pyjamas, surprised at my unexpected
visit at that hour, I told him what I had arranged.

"Then I will remain here and watch De Gex's departure," he said.

"Yes. But be very careful of yourself," I urged. "Keep your revolver
handy, for you never know when an attack may be made upon you. These
fellows, though great men in the eyes of the world, employ desperate
characters to do their dirty work."

"I'm quite alive to that fact, Hugh," replied my friend. "But we won't
give up till we punish those responsible for poor Miss Tennison's
state--will we?"

"No, we won't," I declared determinedly. "Of course we may be on a
wrong scent, but something seems to tell me that we are pretty hot on
the trail. The assassin Despujol would never have been employed by
them if they did not hold us in dread."

"Your journey to Montauban will prove whether you are right, Hugh," he
said, and then, after arranging that he should follow Suzor should De
Gex leave without him, and that he should at once wire me word to the
Poste Restante at Nimes, I left, and returning to the hotel packed my
suit-case and later met the bald-headed but famous detective.

The latter proved an amusing companion who, during the long night
journey to the Mediterranean, recounted to me many of his interesting
experiences. His French was better than his English, so we conversed
in the former tongue.

There was no sleeping carriage upon the train, therefore, after my
companion had spoken to the conductor, we made ourselves as
comfortable as we could in the first-class compartment which had been
reserved for us. At half-past three in the morning, with true Spanish
forethought, he produced some sandwich