coincidence, sure! Two men murdered within twenty-four hours, and
I seem to have been the last person who knew them, to speak to
either. Tell you what, Mr. Jacks, if this goes on I shall get a
bit scared. I think I shall let the London business alone and go
on over to Paris."

The Inspector smiled.

"I fancy your nerves," he remarked, "are quite strong enough to
bear the strain. However, I am sure you will not mind telling me
exactly why Mr. Richard Vanderpole, Secretary to the American
Embassy here, should have come to see you on Thursday night."

"Why, that's easy," Mr. Coulson replied. "You may have heard of
my firm, The Coulson & Bruce Company of Jersey City. I'm at the
head of a syndicate that's controlling some very valuable patents
which we want to exploit on this side and in Paris. Now my people
don't exactly know how we stand under this new patent bill of Mr.
Lloyd George's. Accordingly they wrote across to Mr.
Blaine-Harvey, putting the matter to him, and asking him to give
me his opinion the moment I arrived on this side. You see, it was
no use our entering into contracts if we had to build the plant
and make the stuff over here. We didn't stand any earthly show of
making it pay that way. Well, Mr. Harvey cabled out that I was
just to let him know the moment I landed, and before I opened up
any business. Sure enough, I called him up on the telephone, an
hour or so after I got here, and this young man came round. I can
tell you he was all right, too,--a fine, upstanding young fellow,
and as bright as they make em. He brought a written opinion with
him as to how the law would affect our proceedings. I've got it