nts, I was to meet him in Grave
Street and lead him round about till I was certain he was not followed."

"Then you were the black-bearded man who fired at me!" exclaimed Foyle.
"I might have guessed it."

"And so you were the navvy!" said Ivan. "I didn't know that, but I at
once made up my mind it was dangerous to meddle with Fairfield if he was
watched. I gave him the slip, went back to Mr. Grell, and typed out a
note to you. You got it?"

"Yes. I got it. Where did the paper you used come from?"

Ivan's brow contracted into a frown of deep thought. "I forget--no--I
got it from Mr. Grell. He tore off a half-sheet from a letter."

Foyle was thinking of the finger-prints he had found on that notepaper.
Ivan plunged again into his narrative. "After that the Princess came,
and Condit. She had fixed up an arrangement with the people living in
the house that they were to declare her their daughter if inquiries were
made. I don't know if she slept there after, but she did that night. We
worked out a cipher in order to attempt to communicate secretly with
either Sir Ralph Fairfield or Lady Eileen Meredith. As I have said, the
lack of money was our trouble, and we had to get some--somehow. Condit
went away, and I persuaded Mr. Grell to go with him and spend the night
at a gambling-joint in Smike Street. I remained. You see, we guessed you
might want to examine the house, but we weren't certain. We were right.
As you know, I only got away over the roofs just in time, and the
Princess slipped away while you were engaged.

"After that it was a game of hide-and-seek. We decided that it was too
dangerous to keep your detective a prisoner, and sent him back in a
motor-car we hired. It was easy enough to make a false number to slip
over the real one, so that it couldn't be traced.

"It was my idea after that that Mr. Grell should become a watchman on
the river until we could get away by embarking before the mast. We tried
the advertisement method of communication and failed.

"The Princess undertook to see Lady Eileen--with what result you know.
You know all that has happened since. I do not regret what I have done.
If the killing of you or any other man would have saved Grell, I would
not have hesitated."

"Thanks," said Foyle drily. "You had a good try more than once. Now, are
you willing to have your statement taken down by a shorthand writer--so
far as it refers to events in London?"

"I'll repeat it when you like," ans