Superintendent Mansus had a little office in Scotland Yard proper,which, he complained, was not so much a private bureau, as awaiting-room to which repaired every official of the policeservice who found time hanging on his hands. On the afternoon ofMiss Holland's surprising adventure, a plainclothes man of "D"Division brought to Mr. Mansus's room a very scared domesticservant, voluble, tearful and agonizingly penitent. It was a moodnot wholly unfamiliar to a police officer of twenty yearsexperience and Mr. Mansus was not impressed.

　　"If you will kindly shut up," he said, blending his naturalpoliteness with his employment of the vernacular, "and if you willalso answer a few questions I will save you a lot of trouble. Youwere Lady Bartholomew's maid weren't you?""Yes, sir," sobbed the red-eyed Mary Ann.

　　"And you have been detected trying to pawn a gold bracelet, theproperty of Lady Bartholomew?"The maid gulped, nodded and started breathlessly upon a recital ofher wrongs.

　　"Yes, sir - but she practically gave it to me, sir, and I haven'thad my wages for two months, sir, and she can give that foreignerthousands and thousands of pounds at a time, sir, but her poorservants she can't pay - no, she can't. And if Sir William knewespecially about my lady's cards and about the snuffbox, whatwould he think, I wonder, and I'm going to have my rights, for ifshe can pay thousands to a swell like Mr. Kara she can pay meand - "Mansus jerked his head.

　　"Take her down to the cells," he said briefly, and they led heraway, a wailing, woeful figure of amateur larcenist.

　　In three minutes Mansus was with T. X. and had reduced the girl'sincoherence to something like order.

　　"This is important," said T. X.; "produce the Abigail.""The - ?" asked the puzzled officer.

　　"The skivvy - slavey - hired help - get busy," said T. X.

　　impatiently.

　　They brought her to T. X. in a condition bordering upon collapse.

　　"Get her a cup of tea," said the wise chief. "Sit down, Mary Ann,and forget all your troubles.""Oh, sir, I've never been in this position before," she began, asshe flopped into the chair they put for her.

　　"Then you've had a very tiring time," said T. X. "Now listen - ""I've been respectable - ""Forget it!" said T. X., wearily. "Listen! If you'll tell methe whole truth about Lady Bartholomew and the money she paid toMr. Kara - ""Two thousand pounds - two separate thousand and by all accounts-""If you will tell me the truth, I'll compound a felony and let yougo free."It was a long time before he could prevail upon her to clear herspeech of the ego which insisted upon intruding. There were gapsin her narrative which he bridged. In the main it was abelievable story. Lady Bartholomew had lost money and hadborrowed from Kara. She had given as security, the snuffboxpresented to her husband's father, a doctor, by one of the Czarsfor services rendered, and was "all blue enamel and gold, andforeign words in diamonds." On the question of the amount LadyBartholomew had borrowed, Abigail was very vague. All that sheknew was that my lady had paid back two thousand pounds and thatshe was still very distressed ("in a fit" was the phrase the girlused), because apparently Kara refused to restore the box.

　　There had evidently been terrible scenes in the Bartholomewmenage, hysterics and what not, the principal breakdown havingoccurred when Belinda Mary came home from school in France.

　　"Miss Bartholomew is home then. Where is she?" asked T. X.

　　Here the girl was more vague than ever. She thought the younglady had gone back again, anyway Miss Belinda had been very muchupset. Miss Belinda had seen Dr. Williams and advised that hermother should go away for a change.

　　"Miss Belinda seems to be a precocious young person," said T. X.

　　"Did she by any chance see Mr. Kara?""Oh, no," explained the girl. "Miss Belinda was above that sortof person. Miss Belinda was a lady, if ever there was one.""And how old is this interesting young woman?" asked T. X.

　　curiously.

　　"She is nineteen," said the girl, and the Commissioner, who hadpictured Belinda in short plaid frocks and long pigtails, and hadmoreover visualised her as a freckled little girl with thin legsand snub nose, was abashed.

　　He delivered a short lecture on the sacred rights of property,paid the girl the three months' wages which were due to her - hehad no doubt as to the legality of her claim - and dismissed herwith instructions to go back to the house, pack her box and clearout.

　　After the girl had gone, T. X. sat down to consider the position.

　　He might see Kara and since Kara had expressed his contrition andwas probably in a more humble state of mind, he might makereparation. Then again he might not. Mansus was waiting and T.

　　X. walked back with him to his little office.

　　"I hardly know what to make of it," he said in despair.

　　"If you can give me Kara's motive, sir, I can give you asolution," said Mansus.

　　T. X. shook his head.

　　"That is exactly what I am unable to give you," he said.

　　He perched himself on Mansus's desk and lit a cigar.

　　"I have a good mind to go round and see him," he said after awhile.

　　"Why not telephone to him?" asked Mansus. "There is his 'phonestraight into his boudoir."He pointed to a small telephone in a corner of the room.

　　"Oh, he persuaded the Commissioner to run the wire, did he?" saidT. X. interested, and walked over to the telephone.

　　He fingered the receiver for a little while and was about to takeit off, but changed his mind.

　　"I think not," he said, "I'll go round and see him to-morrow. Idon't hope to succeed in extracting the confidence in the case ofLady Bartholomew, which he denied me over poor Lexman.""I suppose you'll never give up hope of seeing Mr. Lexman again,"smiled Mansus, busily arranging a new blotting pad.

　　Before T. X. could answer there came a knock at the door, and auniformed policeman, entered. He saluted T. X.

　　"They've just sent an urgent letter across from your office, sir.

　　I said I thought you were here."Ht handed the missive to the Commissioner. T. X. took it andglanced at the typewritten address. It was marked "urgent" and"by hand." He took up the thin, steel, paper-knife from the deskand slit open the envelope. The letter consisted of three or fourpages of manuscript and, unlike the envelope, it was handwritten.

　　"My dear T. X.," it began, and the handwriting was familiar.

　　Mansus, watching the Commissioner, saw the puzzled frown gather onhis superior's forehead, saw the eyebrows arch and the mouth openin astonishment, saw him hastily turn to the last page to read thesignature and then"Howling apples!" gasped T. X. "It's from John Lexman!"His hand shook as he turned the closely written pages. The letterwas dated that afternoon. There was no other address than"London.""My dear T. X.," it began, "I do not doubt that this letter willgive you a little shock, because most of my friends will havebelieved that I am gone beyond return. Fortunately orunfortunately that is not so. For myself I could wish - but I amnot going to take a very gloomy view since I am genuinely pleasedat the thought that I shall be meeting you again. Forgive thisletter if it is incoherent but I have only this moment returnedand am writing at the Charing Cross Hotel. I am not staying here,but I will let you have my address later. The crossing has been avery severe one so you must forgive me if my letter sounds alittle disjointed. You will be sorry to hear that my dear wife isdead. She died abroad about six months ago. I do not wish totalk very much about it so you will forgive me if I do not tellyou any more.

　　"My principal object in writing to you at the moment is anofficial one. I suppose I am still amenable to punishment and Ihave decided to surrender myself to the authorities to-night. Youused to have a most excellent assistant in Superintendent Mansus,and if it is convenient to you, as I hope it will be, I willreport myself to him at 10.15. At any rate, my dear T. X., I donot wish to mix you up in my affairs and if you will let me dothis business through Mansus I shall be very much obliged to you.

　　"I know there is no great punishment awaiting me, because mypardon was apparently signed on the night before my escape. Ishall not have much to tell you, because there is not much in thepast two years that I would care to recall. We endured a greatdeal of unhappiness and death was very merciful when it took mybeloved from me.

　　"Do you ever see Kara in these days?

　　"Will you tell Mansus to expect me at between ten and half-past,and if he will give............