gentleman at the other end of the wire exactly what I have said. Of
course you really don't mean anything of the sort. By virtue of some
special and inside knowledge of certain facts communicated to the Home
Secretary, you may have persuaded him to promise that, provided the
ends of justice are not defeated thereby, every precaution will be
taken to keep the main lines of the inquiry secret until the whole
position can be laid before the law officers of the Crown. The Home
Secretary may have gone that far, Mr. Forbes, but not one inch
farther, and you know it."

The two antagonists, so singularly disproportionate in size, were yet
so perfectly matched in the vastly more important qualities of brain
and nerve that the contest lost all sense of inequality. Theydon felt
himself of no account in this duel. He was like an urchin watching
open-mouthed a combat of gladiators.

Forbes, not without a perceptible effort, choked down his wrath and
recovered his poise.

"You have gaged the state of affairs accurately enough," he said,
speaking more calmly. "May I, then, recommend you to consult your
direct superiors before carrying your investigations any furthur,
Mr.--"

"Furneaux-- Charles Francois Furneaux."

"Just so, Mr. Charles Francois Furneaux."

"I give you my full name, because one of the peculiar features of this
case is the inability of some persons mixed up in it to recall names,