little grimace.

"It is indeed a lonely spot," he remarked. "One can imagine anything
happening here. Did I not hear of a tragedy only the other day--a man
found dead?"

"If you have a taste for horrors, Prince," I remarked, "you can see the
spot from the edge of the cliff here."

The Prince moved eagerly forward.

"I disclaim all such weakness," he said, "but the little account which I
read, or did some one tell me of it?--ah, I forget; but it interested
me."

I pointed downwards to where the creek-riven marshes merged into the
sands.

"It was there--a little to the left of the white palings," I said. "The
man was supposed to have been cast up from the sea."

He measured the distance with his eye. I anticipated his remark.

"The tide is only halfway up now," I said, "and on that particular night
there was a terrible gale."

"Nevertheless," he murmured, half to himself, "it is a long way. Was
the man what you call identified, Mr. Ducaine?"

"No!"

"There were no letters or papers found upon him?"

"None."

The Prince looked at me sharply.

"That," he said softly, "was strange. Does it not suggest to you that
he may have been robbed?"

"I had not thought of it," I answered. "The verdict, I believe, was
simply Found drowned."

"Found drowned," the Prince repeated. "Ah! Found drowned.
By-the-bye," he added suddenly, "who did find him?"

"I did," I said coolly.

"You?" The Prince peered at me closely through the dim light. "That,"
he said reflectively, "is interesting."

"You find it so interesting," I remarked, "that perhaps you could help
to solve the question of the man's identity."

He seemed startled.

"I?" he exclaimed. "But, no. Why should you think that?"

I turned to join Lady Angela. He did not immediately follow.

"Why did you bring him?" I asked her softly. "You had some reason."

"He was making inquiries about you," she answered, "secretly and openly.
I thought you ought to know, and I could think of no other way of
putting you on your guard."

"The Prince of Malors!" I murmured. "He surely would not stoop to play
the spy."

She was silent, and moved a step or two farther away from the spot where
he still stood as though absorbed. His angular figure was clearly
defined through the twilight against the empty background of space. He
was on the very edge of the cliff, almost looking over.

"I know very little about him myself," she said hurriedly, "but I have
heard the others