in full swing, and with one accord Tommy was
called upon for a full and complete explanation.

"You've been too darned close about the whole business," Julius accused
him. "You let on to me that you were off to the Argentine--though I
guess you had your reasons for that. The idea of both you and Tuppence
casting me for the part of Mr. Brown just tickles me to death!"

"The idea was not original to them," said Mr. Carter gravely. "It was
suggested, and the poison very carefully instilled, by a past-master in
the art. The paragraph in the New York paper suggested the plan to him,
and by means of it he wove a web that nearly enmeshed you fatally."

"I never liked him," said Julius. "I felt from the first that there was
something wrong about him, and I always suspected that it was he who
silenced Mrs. Vandemeyer so appositely. But it wasn't till I heard that
the order for Tommy's execution came right on the heels of our interview
with him that Sunday that I began to tumble to the fact that he was the
big bug himself."

"I never suspected it at all," lamented Tuppence. "I've always thought
I was so much cleverer than Tommy--but he's undoubtedly scored over me
handsomely."

Julius agreed.

"Tommy's been the goods this trip! And, instead of sitting there as dumb
as a fish, let him banish his blushes, and tell us all about it."

"Hear! hear!"

"There's nothing to tell," said Tommy, acutely uncomfortable. "I was an
awful mug--right up to the time I found that photograph of Annette, and
realized that she was Jane Finn. Then I remembered how persistently she
had shouted out that word 'Marguerite'--and I thought of the pictures,
and--well, that's that. Then of course I went over the whole thing to
see where I'd made an ass of myself."

"Go on," said Mr. Carter, as Tommy showed signs of taking refuge in
silence once more.

"That business about Mrs. Vandemeyer had worried me when Julius told me
about it. On the face of it, it seemed that he or Sir James must have
done the trick. But I didn't know which. Finding that photograph in the
drawer, after that story of how it had been got from him by Inspector
Brown, made me suspect Julius. Then I remembered that it was Sir James
who had discovered the false Jane Finn. In the end, I couldn't make up
my mind--and just decided to take no chances either way. I left a note
for Julius, in case he was Mr. Brown, saying I was off to the Argentine,
and I dropped Sir James's letter with t