him."

Rathbury accorded the journalist a look of admiration.

"Good!" he said. "And--who is he?"

"I'll tell you the story," answered Spargo, "and in a summary. This
morning a man named Webster, a farmer, a visitor to London, came to me
at the office, and said that being at the House of Commons last night
he witnessed a meeting between Marbury and a man who was evidently a
Member of Parliament, and saw them go away together. I showed him an
album of photographs of the present members, and he immediately
recognized the portrait of one of them as the man in question. I
thereupon took the portrait to the Anglo-Orient Hotel--Mrs. Walters
also at once recognized it as that of the man who came to the hotel
with Marbury, stopped with him a while in his room, and left with him.
The man is Mr. Stephen Aylmore, the member for Brookminster."

Rathbury expressed his feelings in a sharp whistle.

"I know him!" he said. "Of course--I remember Mrs. Walters's
description now. But his is a familiar type--tall, grey-bearded,
well-dressed. Um!--well, we'll have to see Mr. Aylmore at once."

"I've seen him," said Spargo. "Naturally! For you see, Mrs. Walters
gave me a bit more evidence. This morning they found a loose diamond on
the floor of Number 20, and after it was found the waiter who took the
drinks up to Marbury and his guest that night remembered that when he
entered the room the two gentlemen were looking at a paper full of
similar objects. So then I went on to see Mr. Aylmore. You know young