dett, Isobel," I said, "who looks after us here, and
who is going to take charge of you. She will show you your room. I'm
sorry that you will find it so tiny, but you can see that we are a
little cramped here!"

Isobel rose at once.

"You should have seen our cells at St. Argueil," she exclaimed, smiling.
"Some of us who were tall could scarcely stand upright. May I come with
you, Mrs. Burdett?"

Mrs. Burdett's tone and answer relieved me of one more anxiety. The door
closed upon them. We three men were alone.

"Is this," Mabane asked curiously, "a practical joke, or a part of your
plot? What does it all mean? Where on earth did you come across the
child? Who is she?"

I took a cigarette from my case and lit it.

"The responsibility for the whole affair," I declared, "remains with
Arthur."

The boy whistled softly. He looked at me with wide-open eyes.

"Come," he declared, "I like that. Why, I have never seen the girl
before in my life, or anyone like her. Where do I come in, I should like
to know?"

"It was you," I said, "who started me off to Charing Cross."

"You mean to say that you picked her up there?" Mabane exclaimed.

"I will tell you the whole story," I answered. "She comes with the halo
of tragedy about her. Listen!"

Then I told them of the things which had happened to me during the last
few hours.

CHAPTER VI

I certainly could not complain of any lack of interest on the part of my
auditors. They listened to every word of my story with rapt attention.
When I had finished they were both silent for several moments. Mabane
eyed me curiously. I think that at first he scarcely knew whether to
believe me altogether serious.

"The man who was with the girl," Arthur asked at last--"this Major
Delahaye, or whatever his name was--is he dead?"

"He was alive two hours ago," I answered.

"Will he recover?"

"I believe that there is just a bare chance--no more," I answered. "He
had a weak heart, and the shock was almost enough to kill him."

"And your friend--the man who shot him--where is he?" Mabane asked. "Is
he in custody?"

I shook my head.

"He disappeared," I answered, "as though by magic. You see, we were
sitting at the table next the door, and he had every opportunity for
slipping out unnoticed."

"It was at the Cafe Grand, you said, wasn't it?" Arthur asked.

I nodded.

"How about the commissionaire, then?"

"He saw the man come out, but he took no particular notice o