Madeleine. What made me particularly notice the man was the fact that
although it was an unusually warm night, he was closely muffled in a big
white silk handkerchief. It was swathed about his throat, his chin, his
mouth; it reached, in fact, right up to his eyes. An odd thing, on such a
warm night--Ashton, who was in evening dress, had his light overcoat
thrown well back. He was talking very volubly as they passed me--the
other man was listening with evident attention."

"Would you know the man if you saw him again?" asked Viner.

"I should most certainly know him if I saw him dressed and muffled in the
same way," asserted Mr. Armitstead. "And I believe I could recognize him
from his eyes--which, indeed, were all that I could really see of him. He
was so muffled, I tell you, that it was impossible to see if he was a
clean-shaven man or a bearded man. But I did see his eyes, for he turned
them for an instant full on the light of the restaurant. They were
unusually dark, full and brilliant--his glance would best be described as
flashing. And I should say, from my impression at the time, and from what
I remember of his dress, that he was a foreigner--probably an Italian."

"You didn't see this man at your hotel?" asked Mr. Pawle.

"No--I never saw him except on this one occasion," replied Mr.
Armitstead. "And I did not see Ashton after that. I left Paris very early
the next morning, for Rouen, where I had some business. You think this
matter of the man in the muffler important?"

"Now that you've told us what you have, Mr. Armitstead, I think it's of
the utmost importance and consequence--to Hyde," answered Mr. Pawle. "You
must see his solicitor--he's Mr. Viner's solicitor too--and offer to give