ack to your flat, it will be in the company of my very own
little pet detective."

Mrs. Carstairs broke into adjurations and arguments. According to her, I
misjudged my cousin's motives; and if I brought a detective, it would be
an insult. But I checked her by explaining that my man would not give
himself away--he would pose as a friend of mine. I would select a
suitable person for the part. With that I jumped out of the taxi, and
the dear old lady was too wise to argue. She drove sadly home, and I
went into the nearest shop which looked likely to own a directory. In
that volume I found another firm of detectives with an equally
celebrated name. I taxied to their office, explained something of my
business, and picked out a person who might pass for a pal of a
(socialist) princess. He and I then repaired to Berkeley Square, and Sir
James and the Pemberton person (also Mr. Carstairs) had not been waiting
_much_ more than half an hour when we arrived.

I don't know what my "forty-fourth cousin four times removed" thought
about my dashing in with a strange Mr. Smith who apparently had nothing
to do with the case. And I didn't care. No, not even if he imagined the
square-jawed bull-dog creature to be a choice specimen of my circle at
Bath. In any case, my Mr. Smith was a dream compared with his Pemberton.
As to himself, however--Sir Jim--I had to acknowledge that he was far
from insignificant in personality. If there were to be any battle of
wits or manners between us, I couldn't afford to despise him.

When I had met him before, I was too utterly overwhelmed to study, or
even to notice him much, except to see that he was a big, red-headed
fellow, who loomed unnaturally large when viewed against the light. Now
I classified him as resembling a more-than-life-size statue--done in
pale bronze--of a Red Indian, or a soldier of Ancient Rome. The only
flaws in the statue were the red hair and the fiery blackness of the
eyes.

My Mr. Smith, as I have explained, wasn't posing as a detective, but he
was engaged to stop, look, listen, for all he was worth, and tell me his
impressions afterward--just as, no doubt, Mr. Pemberton was to tell Sir
James _his_.

We talked over the robbery in conclave; we amateurs suggesting theories,
the professionals committing themselves to nothing so premature. Why, it
was too early to form judgments, since the detective on the spot had not
yet been able to report upon fingerprints or other clues! T