and, the
negotiations having been by letter. Mr. Holland's agent had assumed
responsibility for the flat, and Mr. Holland's agent was easily
discoverable in a clerk in the employment of a well-known firm of
surveyors and auctioneers, who had also received his commission by
letter.

When the police searched the flat they found only one thing which helped
them in their investigations. The hall porter said that, as often as
not, the flat was untenanted, and only occasionally, when he was off
duty, had Mr. Holland put in an appearance, and he only knew this from
statements which had been made by other tenants.

"It comes to this," said John Minute grimly; "that nobody has seen Mr.
Holland but you, Frank."

Frank stiffened.

"I am not suggesting that you are in the swindle," said Minute gruffly.
"As likely as not, the man you saw was not Mr. Holland, and it is
probably the work of a gang, but I am going to find out who this man is,
if I have to spend twice as much as I have lost."

The police were not encouraging.

Detective Inspector Nash, from Scotland Yard, who had handled some of
the biggest cases of bank swindles, held out no hope of the money being
recovered.

"In theory you can get back the notes if you have their numbers," he
said, "but in practice it is almost impossible to recover them, because
it is quite easy to change even notes for five hundred pounds, and
probably you will find these in circulation in a week or two."

His speculation proved to be correct, for on the third day after the
crime three of the missing notes made a curious appearance.

"Ready-Money Minute," true to his nickname, was in the habit of
balancing his accounts as between bank and bank by cash payments. He had
made it a practice for all his dividends to be paid in actual cash, and
these were sent to the Piccadilly branch of the London and Western
Counties Bank in bulk. After a payment of a very large sum on account of
certain dividends accruing from his South African investments, three of
the missing notes were discovered in the bank itself.

John Minute, apprised by telegram of the fact, said nothing; for the
money had been paid in by his confidential secretary, Jasper Cole, and
there was excellent reason why he did not desire to emphasize the fact.

CHAPTER VIII

SERGEANT SMITH CALLS

The big library of Weald Lodge was brilliantly lighted and nobody had
pulled down the blinds. So that it was possible for any man w