Miss Esme Falconer, as usual only too well worth seeing from fur hat to
modish shoe.

"Ain't that the limit," commented the grinning Van Blarcom; "us three
turning up again, all together like this? Well, I guess she won't have
to call a policeman to stop you talking to her. You know enough this
time to steer pretty clear of her. Isn't that so?"

But I had wheeled upon him; the coincidence was too striking!

"Look here!" I demanded, "are you following that young lady? Is that
your business on this side?"

"No!" he denied disgustedly, retreating a step. "Never saw her from the
time we docked till this minute; never wanted to see her! Anyhow, what's
the glare for? Suppose I was?"

"It's rather strange, you'll admit." I was regarding him fixedly. "You
seemed to have a good deal of information about her on the ship. Yet
when that affair occurred at Gibraltar, you were as dumb as an oyster.
Why didn't you tell the captain and the English officers the things you
knew?"

"Well, I had my reasons," he replied defiantly. "And at that, I don't
see as you've got anything on me, Mr. Bayne. You're no fool. You put
two and two together quick enough to know darned well who planted those
papers in your baggage; so if you thought it needed telling, why didn't
you tell it yourself?"

"I don't know who put them there," I denied hastily, "except that he was