rd
would doubtless have told you his part long before this, had I not
specially asked him not to. Now, sir, the time has come to put the facts
before you. Perhaps as Mr. Hilliard's story comes before mine in point
of time, he should begin."

Hilliard thereupon began. He told of Merriman's story in the Rovers'
Club, his own idea of smuggling based on the absence of return cargoes,
his proposition to Merriman, their trip to France and what they
learned at the clearing. Then he described their visit to Hull, their
observations at the Ferriby wharf, the experiment carried out with the
help of Leatham, and, finally, what Merriman had told him of his second
visit to Bordeaux.

Willis next took up the tale and described the murder of Coburn, his
inquiries thereinto and the identification of the assassin, and his
subsequent discoveries at Ferriby, ending up by stating the problem
which still confronted him, and expressing the hope that the chief
in dealing with the smuggling conspiracy would co-operate with him in
connection with the murder.

The latter had listened with an expression of amazement, which towards
the end of the inspector's statement changed to one of the liveliest
satisfaction. He gracefully congratulated both men on their
achievements, and expressed his gratification at what had been
discovered and his desire to co-operate to the full with the inspector
in the settling up of the case.

The three men then turned to details. To Hilliard's bitter
disappointment it was ruled that, owing to his being known to at least
three members of the gang, he could take no part in the final scenes,
and he had to be content with the honor of, as it were, a seat on the
council of war. For nearly an hour they deliberated, at the end of
which time it had been decided that Stopford Hunt, one of the Customs
Department's most skillful investigators, should proceed to Hull and
tackle the question of the distribution of the brandy. Willis was to
go to Paris, interest the French authorities in the Bordeaux end of the
affair, and then join Hunt in Hull.

Stopford Hunt was an insignificant-looking man of about forty. All his
characteristics might be described as being of medium quality. He was
five feet nine in height, his brown hair was neither fair nor dark, his
dress suggested neither poverty nor opulence, and his features were of
the type known as ordinary. In a word, he was not one whose appearance
would provoke a second glance