n accurate description of my attitude in the matter it certainly
left something to be desired, but it seemed to have a highly
satisfactory effect upon Sir George. He took a step towards me, and
gravely and rather pompously shook me by the hand.

"Sir," he said, "permit me to congratulate you both on your conduct
and on the dramatic establishment of your innocence. It will be my
pleasant duty as Home Secretary to see that every possible reparation
is made to you for the great injustice that you have suffered."

Lammersfield, who had gone back to his seat at the table, again
interrupted.

"You agree with me, don't you, Frinton, that, pending any steps you
and the Prime Minister choose to take in the matter, Mr. Lyndon may
consider himself a free man?"

Sir George seemed a trifle embarrassed. "Well--er--to a certain
extent, most decidedly. I have informed Scotland Yard that he has
voluntarily surrendered himself to the Secret Service, so there will
be no further attempt to carry out the arrest. I--I presume that Mr.
Casement and Mr. Latimer will be officially responsible for him?"

The former gave a reassuring nod. "Certainly, Sir George," he
observed.

"I am entirely in your hands, sir," I put in. "There are one or two
little things I wanted to do, but if you prefer that I should consider
myself under arrest--"

"No, no, Mr. Lyndon," he interrupted; "there is no necessity for
that--no necessity at all. Strictly speaking, of course, you are still
a prisoner, but for the present it will perhaps be best to avoid any
formal proceedings. I understand that both Lord Lammersfield and Mr.
Casement consider it advisable to keep the whole matter as quiet as
possible, at all events until the return of the Prime Minister. After
that we must decide what steps it will be best to take."

"I am very much obliged to you," I said. "There is one question I
should like to ask if I may."

He took off his spectacles and polished them with his
pocket-handkerchief. "Well?" he observed encouragingly.

"I should like to know whether Savaroff's daughter is in custody--the
girl who gave the police their information about me."

"Ah!" he said, with some satisfaction, "that is a point on which you
all appear to have been misled. I have just enlightened Mr. Casement
in the matter. The information on which the police acted was not
supplied by a girl." He paused. "It was given them by your cousin and
late partner, Mr. George Marwood."

"Wh