ins--a Bradford lady. He gave another to a friend of my own, another
amateur photographer, Wilson Firth--gave him it in my presence at the
Midland Hotel one day, when we were all three having a cigar together in
the smoking-room there. Wilson Firth's a bit of a rival of mine in the
amateur photographic line--we each try to beat the other, you understand.
Now, then, James pulled one of these snapshots out and handed it over to
Wilson with a laugh. 'There,' he says, 'that's our Marshall's latest
performance--you'll have a job to do aught better than that, Wilson, my
lad,' he says. So that accounts for two. And--this is the third!"

"And the question, Mr. Allerdyke, the big question--a most important
question!--is, how did it come into this man Lydenberg's possession?"
said the detective anxiously. "If we can find that out--"

"I've been thinking," interrupted Allerdyke. "There's this about it, you
know: James and this Lydenberg came over together from Christiania to
Hull in the _Perisco_. They talked to one another--that's certain. James
may have given it to Lydenberg. But the thing is--is that likely?"

"No!" replied Chettle, with emphatic assurance. "No, sir! And I'll tell
you why. If your cousin had given this photo to Lydenberg, as he might,
of course, have given it to a mere passing acquaintance, because that
acquaintance took a fancy to it, or something of that sort, Lydenberg
would in all reasonable probability have just slipped in into his
pocket-book, or put it loose amongst his letters and papers. But, as we
see, however Lydenberg became possessed of this photo, he took unusual
pains and precautions about it. You see, he cut it down, most carefully
and neatly, to fit into the cover of his watch--he took the trouble to
carry it where no one else would see it, but where he could see it
himself at a second's notice--he'd nothing to do but to snap open that
cover. No, sir, your cousin didn't give that photo to Lydenberg. That
photo was sent to Lydenberg, Mr. Allerdyke--sent! And it was sent for one
purpose only. What? That he should be able to identify Mr. James
Allerdyke as soon as he set eyes on him!"

Allerdyke nodded his head--in complete understanding and affirmation. He
was thinking the same thing--thinking, too, that here was at least a
clue, a real tangible clue.

"Aye!" he said. "I agree with you. Then, of course, the one and only
thing to do is--"

"To find out who the person was that your cousin gave