tart, however, the butler
approached me.

"I beg your pardon, my lord," said he, "but Bauer didn't return with
your lordship. Is he coming back?"

"No," said I. "Bauer was grossly impertinent on the journey, and I
dismissed him."

"Those foreign men are never to be trusted, my lord. And your lordship's
bag?"

"What, hasn't it come?" I cried. "I told him to send it."

"It's not arrived, my lord."

"Can the rogue have stolen it?" I exclaimed indignantly.

"If your lordship wishes it, I will mention the matter to the police."

I appeared to consider this proposal.

"Wait till I come back," I ended by saying. "The bag may come, and I
have no reason to doubt the fellow's honesty."

This, I thought, would be the end of my connection with Master Bauer. He
had served Rupert's turn, and would now disappear from the scene. Indeed
it may be that Rupert would have liked to dispense with further aid from
him; but he had few whom he could trust, and was compelled to employ
those few more than once. At any rate he had not done with Bauer, and I
very soon received proof of the fact. My house is a couple of miles from
the station, and we have to pass through a considerable part of the old
town, where the streets are narrow and tortuous and progress necessarily
slow. We had just entered the Konigstrasse (and it must be remembered
that I had at that time no reason for attaching any special significance
to this locality), and were waiting impatiently for a heavy dray to
move out of our path, when my coachman, who had overheard the butler's
conversation with me, leant down from his box with an air of lively
excitement.

"My lord," he cried, "there's Bauer--there, passing the butcher's shop!"

I sprang up in the carriage; the man's back was towards me, and he was
threading his way through the people with a quick, stealthy tread. I
believe he must have seen me, and was slinking away as fast as he could.
I was not sure of him, but the coachman banished my doubt by saying,
"It's Bauer--it's certainly Bauer, my lord."

I hardly stayed to form a resolution. If I could catch this fellow or
even see where he went, a most important clue as to Rupert's doings
and whereabouts might be put into my hand. I leapt out of the carriage,
bidding the man wait, and at once started in pursuit of my former
servant. I heard the coachman laugh: he thought, no doubt, that anxiety
for the missing bag inspired such eager haste.

The numbers of the h