y who had access to his papers, somebody who managed to
steal that photo of mine from Mrs. Marlow for a few days or until they
could reproduce it. What I want to find now is--an idea of that somebody.
And--I'll get it!--I'll move heaven and earth to get it! But--other
matters. You say your folks at the Yard are going to follow up that
Perrigo woman's clue? They think it important, then?"

"In the case of the Frenchwoman, yes," answered Chettle. He thrust his
hand into a side-pocket and brought out a crumpled paper. "Here's a proof
of the bill they're getting out," he said. "They set to work on that as
soon as they'd got the information. That'll be up outside every
police-station in a few hours, and it's gone out to the Press, too."

Allerdyke took the proof, still damp from the machine, and looked it
over. It asked, in the usual formal language, for any information about a
young man, dark, presumably a foreigner, who, about the middle of March,
was in the habit of taking two pug dogs, generally bedecked with blue
ribbons, into Kensington Gardens.

"There ought to be some response to that, you know, Mr. Allerdyke,"
remarked Chettle. "Somebody must remember and know something about that
young fellow. But, upon my soul, as I said to Blindway just now, I don't
know whether that bill's a mere advertisement or a--death warrant!"

"Death warrant!" exclaimed Allerdyke. "What d'you mean?"

Chettle chuckled knowingly.

"Mean," he said. "Why, this--if that young fellow who led pugs about, and
talked to Mamselle Lisette in Kensington Gardens, is another of the cat's
paws that this gang evidently made use of, I should say that when the
gang sees he's being searched for, they'll out him, just as they outed
her and Lydenberg. That's what I mean, Mr. Allerdyke--they'll do him in
themselves before anybody else can get at him! See?"

Allerdyke saw. And when the detective had gone, he threw himself into a
chair, lighted one of his strongest cigars, drew pen, ink, and paper to
him, and began to work at his problem with a grim determination to evolve
at any rate a clear theory of its possible solution.

CHAPTER XXIV

CONCERNING CARL FEDERMAN

Next morning, as Allerdyke was leaving the hotel with the intention of
going down to Gresham Street, one of the hall-porters ran after and
hailed him.

"You're wanted at the telephone, sir," he said. "Call for you just
come through."

Allerdyke went back, to find himself hailed by