darme."

In his amazement at her demand he had not heard Fairholme's rapid
approach behind him. He was now swung unceremoniously out of the way and
the earl jumped forward to seize Edith in his arms.

"My darling girl," he cried, "where have you been? We almost gave you up
for lost. Where is your hat? Where did you get that shawl?" And all the
time he was hugging her so fiercely that it was absolutely impossible
for her to say a single word. At length she disengaged herself.

"Don't be so ridiculous," she said, "but let me come in and close the
door. The hall-porter will think we are cracked."

She summarised the hall-porter's sentiments most accurately. He
explained the transaction to the manager with most eloquent pantomime,
and the two marvelled greatly at the weird proceedings of their strange
guests.

"Ah," said the manager at length, "now that mademoiselle has returned,
perhaps they will go to bed."

At that instant Brett's voice was heard upon the stairs. He wanted the
telephone again.

Edith had rapidly detailed her adventures to her astonished auditors,
and Brett seemed to resolve on some plan of action with the lightning
rapidity peculiar to him.

Owing to the late hour he got through to Paris without much difficulty,
and then he returned to the sitting-room, where Edith was rehearsing in
greater detail all that had happened since she left them at the hotel
door. Brett explained to his companions the motives of his second
telephonic message.

"I am convinced," he said, "that Gros Jean is in communication with his
daughter. For this reason I did not wish the police to put in an
appearance at the Cafe Noir until to-morrow night, or rather to-night,
for we have long entered upon another day. I wished to have a reasonable
time for quiet inquiry at Marseilles before mademoiselle could be
apprised of our presence here. Miss Talbot's remarkable discovery has,
however, wholly changed my plans. Mlle. Beaucaire and her lover have set
off for some unknown destination, and the best chance we have of
discovering it is to secure the immediate arrest of her father.
Possibly, being taken by surprise at this hour of the morning, some
document may be found on him which will reveal his daughter's
destination. It occurs to me that she half expected him to arrive by a
late train. Again, when the fishing-smack puts into port, the girl will
probably adopt some method of communicating with him, and that
communication must