xt room."

And, indeed, the waiter entering just then with coffee, Marcelle's
voice reached them sharply from the corridor:

"Now, you boy, be careful with that hat-box! Do you think you are an
express man, or what?"

CHAPTER VI

NINE-THIRTY

Chance is often a skilled stage manager, and chance had arranged a
really effective scene in the hall of the Central Hotel. The Earl of
Valletort seemed to be somewhat unwilling to take up any of the
gauntlets so readily thrown down by Devar and the Curtis family, and,
for a few seconds, the ring of reporters was held spellbound by a
situation which promised most excellently with regard to the
all-important question of "copy."

Then the police captain, after waiting for Steingall to take the lead,
nudged his silent colleague, and said gruffly:

"This thing cannot be gone into here. Those who can bring forward
testimony of any value ought to come with Mr. Steingall and myself to
the precinct station-house."

"Why lose time which cannot be overtaken later?" urged the Earl,
appealing to Steingall, since it was the detective who had spoken to
him in the first instance.

"We appear to be at cross purposes," said Steingall. "How did you two
gentlemen get to know that a murder had been committed?"

"Murder!" gasped Count Vassilan.

"We are not talking of a murder, but of a most scandalous abduction,
which will provide only one of a number of most serious charges against
this person, Curtis," cried the Earl.

Vassilan seized him by the arm excitedly.

"Don't you understand, dear friend," he muttered in French. "The
rascal must have killed de Courtois in order to gain possession of the
marriage certificate."

"It will save trouble, sir, if you speak English here," said Steingall.
Then he turned to the hotel clerk.

"Place a room at our disposal at once. Lord Valletort is quite right.
We have not a second to waste."

A murmur of protest arose from the pressmen, though it was obvious that
the police could not conduct the inquiry in the midst of an
ever-growing crowd of residents and servants.

"Say, Steingall," whispered the reporter who had spoken for the others
earlier, "can't you let us into this? We'll suppress anything you
wish--I'll guarantee that, absolutely without reservation."

"_I_ have no objection, but these high-toned strangers may not like
it," said the detective quietly.

The Earl, when the point was referred to him, made no difficulty
w