ped. 'So you are here,' says Sir Ralph, a bit angrily. 'Yes,
sir,' says the other, and he had become sulky. 'This is my man,' says
Sir Ralph to me, 'and I would like a word with him alone, if you don't
mind.' Of course, I left 'em alone. In a quarter of an hour they came
out, and Sir Ralph told me that there had been a little
misunderstanding--that neither of them wished to see you after all."

"Thank you, Shapton," said the superintendent, resting his chin on his
hand. "Ask Mr. Green if he can spare a moment, will you?"

In the interval that elapsed before the chief inspector came, Foyle did
some quick thinking. Criminal investigation is always full of unexpected
developments, and this seemed to him to offer possibilities. It was
clear to him that a man had come to Scotland Yard to give some
information, and that Fairfield had followed post-haste to shut the
man's mouth. For the moment he put aside all speculation as to the
baronet's motive. The question was, who was the man he had taken away?
Who would be likely to know something? It must be some one intimately
associated with the baronet, some one who probably lived with him. There
was only one man--his servant.

The line of reasoning became clear. What would a servant know which he
would recognise as of obvious importance? Fairfield might have received
a letter from Grell, but if he did not wish to let the police know of
it, he would scarcely have been careless enough to leave it where his
man might have obtained access to it. The second solution was more
probable. Suppose Grell had paid a visit to Fairfield and the man had
recognised him?

Foyle was not led away by theories. He knew that the most ingenious
deductions often led to failure. But in this case he had nothing to lose
by putting the matter to the test. He had not taken off his hat or coat,
and when Green came in he was ready to put his plan into execution. In a
few words he told what had happened and his conclusions.

"What I want you to do, Green, is to ring up Fairfield and get him out
of the way on some pretext. Keep him here till I come back. I'm going to
have a talk with that servant. If you can't get him on the 'phone,
you'll have to go round and get him out somehow. I want a good man whom
he doesn't know to come to the Albany with me. Give me a chance to get
there before you ring up."

"Very good, sir. Maxwell is free. I'll tell him you want him."

In a quarter of an hour Maxwell, an unobtru