down with scarcely a
groan. A servant, hearing the fall, came hurrying back.

"Your master is drunk and he has fallen down," Horser said. "Put him to
bed--give him a sleeping draught if you've got one."

The servant bent over the unconscious man.

"Hadn't I better fetch a doctor, sir?" he asked. "I'm afraid he's hurt."

"Not he!" Horser answered contemptuously. "He's cut his cheek a little,
that's all. Put him to bed. Say I shall be round again by nine o'clock."

Horser put on his coat and left the house. The morning sunlight was
flooding the streets. Away down town Mr. Sabin was dozing in his
high-backed chair.

CHAPTER IX

Felix, after an uneventful voyage, landed duly at Liverpool. To his
amazement the first person he saw upon the quay was Mr. Sabin, leaning
upon his stick and smoking a cigarette.

"Come, come, Felix!" he exclaimed. "Don't look at me as though I were a
ghost. You have very little confidence in me, after all, I see."

"But--how did you get here?"

"The Campania, of course. I had plenty of time. It was easy enough for
those fellows to arrest me, but they never had a chance of holding me."

"But how did you get away in time?"

Mr. Sabin sighed.

"It was very simple," he said. "One day, while one of those wonderful
spies was sleeping on my doormat I slipped away and went over to
Washington, saw the English Ambassador, convinced him of my bonafides,
told him very nearly the whole truth. He promised if I wired him that I
was arrested to take my case up at once. You sent the despatch, and he
kept his word. I breakfasted on Saturday morning at the Waldorf, and
though a great dray was driven into my carriage on the way to the boat,
I escaped, as I always do--and here I am."

"Unhurt!" Felix remarked with a smile, "as usual!"

Mr. Sabin nodded.

"The driver of my carriage was killed, and Duson had his arm broken,"
he said. "I stepped out of the debris without a scratch. Come into the
Customs House now and get your baggage through. I have taken a coupe on
the special train and ordered lunch."

Before long they were on the way to London. Mr. Sabin, whilst luncheon
was being served, talked only of the lightest matters. But afterwards,
when coffee was served and he had lit a cigarette, he leaned over
towards Felix.

"Felix," he said, "your sister is dear to you?"

"She is the only creature on earth," Felix said, "whom I care for. She
is very dear to me, indeed."

"Am I right," Mr. Sa