eliminaries.

"I am indeed glad to see you," said Brett, shaking Talbot's hand with
more demonstrativeness than was usual to one of his quiet temperament.

"Then how shall I find words to express myself?" was the reply, "for in
my case there is joined to the pleasure of making a much-desired
acquaintance the knowledge that to your efforts I am indebted for my
liberty and possibly for my reputation."

"We have much to say to each other," said the barrister. "I suppose you
have secured rooms in the hotel?" he continued, turning to Miss Talbot.

"Oh, yes, everything is settled," she cried. "The servants are looking
after our trunks. I simply would not wait a moment until I had seen you.
Please take us all somewhere at once where we can talk quietly."

Brett answered with a smile: "Lord Fairholme and I have a sitting-room
which we use in common, and which has already been the scene of many
earnest conferences. Let us go there."

CHAPTER XIII

THE RELEASE

"Now, who talks first?" Brett cried, once the door was fairly closed
behind them.

"I do," burst forth Fairholme. "My story will not take long to tell, and
if I do not get it off my chest, I shall simply explode."

"We must not have any more tragedies," said Brett, "so proceed."

"Well, thanks to your foresight, I found the two servants and your
ex-policeman waiting for me on the platform at Charing Cross. As I only
carried a handbag, I had no trouble with the Customs, and we walked
straight out of the station. In less than five minutes we were standing
outside the building which contained the invalid lady's flat. Your agent
told me that, so far as he knew, there were no other persons in the
place except the tenant and her two servants, an elderly French or
Italian married couple. Our collective wits could not devise a plausible
pretext for gaining access to the lady, so I determined to settle the
business in the brutal British fashion. We marched quietly up the stairs
to the second storey, and your assistant pointed out the right door.
There were only two flats on that landing, and the other one was
apparently empty. Your man had made a somewhat important discovery
since he wrote to you. This empty flat had been taken by the agent who
acted for the parties opposite, and although the place was not tenanted,
the landlord was, of course, satisfied, as the rent had been paid in
advance. This seemed to indicate that the place was left vacant simply
to prev