Naturally Mr. and Mrs. Shawe did not care about interrupting their honeymoon¹ by a visit to town, especially on an errand connected with criminal matters. But the necessity of taking such a journey was very great, seeing that Perry Toat assured them how the arranged interview with Madame Coralie and her husband would probably clear up matters in a surprising way. Apparently² the detective knew much more than she was prepared to admit, for once or twice she looked at the young couple in an odd way. Ralph saw her stealthy glances, but did not ask her in the presence of his wife what they meant. Warned by experience, he hesitated to be too abrupt³ in his questioning. He did not know what astonishing fact might be told.  
But the young man did express surprise when he examined the photograph of Madame Coralie. It was the woman herself without doubt, for her face, although looking much younger, was too strongly marked to be mistaken. She was dressed as a nurse, and looked quite pretty, as her figure was more shapely and the garb⁴ became her. Of course, the birthmark was not revealed by the photographic process, or if it had been--Ralph was not sufficiently⁵ an expert to know--was eliminated carefully, so that the subject of the portrait might appear at her best.
 
"Where did you get this?" asked Ralph, when the trio walked back to the Three Fishers to get ready for the midday journey.
 
"I have been hunting for it for a long time," replied Perry Toat, replacing the photograph in her pocket, "and at length procured⁶ it from an old servant of Colonel Ilse, who had been in the house when Madame Coralie acted as nurse to Mrs. Ilse. She called herself Mrs. Askew⁷ then."
 
"Askew, Askew!" muttered Shawe, musingly⁸. "And her true name is Arkwright."
 
"She used a false name with the same initial letter because of the marks on her linen⁹, no doubt," said Miss Toat. "Of course, this portrait was taken more than twenty years ago, but there is sufficient resemblance for me to recognise it as that of Madame Coralie."
 
"But as she always wears a yashmak--"
 
"You forget my midnight exploration of the Pink Shop, when I saw Madame Coralie in bed without the yashmak and by the light of my bull's-eye lantern," said the detective, quickly.
 
"Then you are sure that she is the nurse who stole the child?"
 
"Quite sure. It appears she was jealous of Mrs. Ilse, as she was in love with the Colonel at the time, although she had no grounds to go upon. He was not the Colonel then, of course."
 
"He is pleased at your discovery, I expect?" said Audrey.
 
Perry Toat cast one of her stealthy glances at the young wife. "Very pleased indeed," she assented¹⁰ cordially, "since the discovery of Madame Coralie as the nurse may give him back his daughter."
 
At the Three Fishers Audrey found a curt¹¹ note from her father saying that he was coming down to see her that afternoon, as he had obtained her address from Lady Sanby. Sir Joseph had learnt all about the wedding and how Lady Sanby had acted as the fairy godmother. Perhaps for this reason he was willing to be reconciled to his daughter. But a letter from Miss Rosy¹² Pearl to Ralph, which had arrived by the same post, put a different complexion¹³ on the affair. Miss Pearl wrote saying that she had prevailed on Sir Joseph to become friends again with Audrey, and that she would come herself with the millionaire to Weed-on-the-Sands to witness the reconciliation¹⁴. "Fortunately I am not engaged at any music-hall for two weeks," wrote the dancer, "so I can stay at the Three Fishers for the night and cultivate the society of your wife. I may tell you that if she were not at Weed-on-the-Sands I would not be able to come down with Sir Joseph, as in my profession one can never be too careful."
 
Ralph laughed at this display of Miss Pearl's uneasy virtue¹⁵. "I am afraid that she will not find us here," he said to Audrey.
 
"Not this afternoon," replied the girl, quickly, "but we can return by the late train. I should like to become reconciled with papa."
 
"I think Lady Sanby has something to do with Sir Joseph's desire to be on speaking terms with us," said Ralph, a trifle drily. "No doubt she gave him a good talking to. However, I shall leave a note saying that we shall return by--When can we return, Miss Toat?"
 
The detective thought for a moment or so. "We leave here by the half-past twelve train," she said, looking at the watch attached to her wrist, "and get to London at half-past two o'clock. We shall reach my office in Buckingham Street at three, and there I expect to find Madame Coralie and Eddy¹⁶ Vail waiting for us. The interview will likely be a long one--say two or three hours. You can catch the six o'clock train, and there is also one at eight, if you prefer to dine in London."
 
"We will take the six train back," said Audrey, quickly, "as I don't want to keep my father waiting longer than I can help."
 
"To say nothing of Miss Pearl," said Ralph, with a shrug¹⁷. "She would be horrified¹⁸ if we did not arrive at the Three Fishers until eight o'clock, and she found herself alone with her future husband at that disgraceful hour. By the way, Miss Toat," he went on, quickly, for he saw that Audrey was about to rebuke¹⁹ him for his flippant speech, "does Colonel Ilse know that--"
 
"He knows that this interview is taking place," interrupted the detective, rapidly, "and he will be present at it, so that Madame Coralie may be forced to tell him where his long-lost daughter is to be found. Of course, we have the affair of the murder to deal with also; but it is just as well to get the whole matter finished off at once."
 
"I, for one, shall be delighted," said Shawe, with emphasis. "I am very, very tired of the whole sordid²⁰ business."
 
"I think you must have been when you wrote that anonymous²¹ letter," said Miss Toat, with a sly smile.
 
Ralph laughed. "It was very clever of you to trace the writing of it to me," he remarked coolly. "However, my wife now understands why I wrote it."
 
Here Audrey intimated her opinion that they would lose the train if they did not start at once for the station. The other agreed, and a brisk walk soon took them on to the platform. Shortly they were on their way to the junction²², and there transferred their three selves to the main express. During the journey they talked a great deal about the case, as they had a compartment²³ to themselves. Ralph saw, although Audrey did not, that Miss Toat was keeping back something which she was anxious to tell, and wondered what it could be.
 
When the train left the junction it steamed through............