And here is the most remarkable of the statements that were made. The signalman, Henry George Wallis, states that after the gold special had passed and he had brought his signals back to danger, he had noticed a strange disturbance on the dial of the electrical apparatus by which the gates were opened or closed and it was discovered the next morning when he endeavoured to open the gates to allow an army traction engine to pass that the gates refused to work. That happening, however, was very thoroughly investigated on the following day. Michael had dined and supped with Moya and Fonso Blaxton and they had had a riotous and wholly joyous evening. He had returned to his flat at half past eleven, calling en route at the Yard, for he was still very uneasy about Kate’s threat and he was anxious also to find out if there had been any discovery made in connection with the outrage of the morning. The case was not in his hands since the crime had been committed within the jurisdiction of the city police and the city Criminal Investigation Department had control of the investigations. T.B. was at the office and had no news to give. Michael went home and to bed. He was aroused at half past twelve by telephone. It was the voice of T.B. Smith. “They’ve done it, Mike. Come down at once.” “What have they done?” asked Michael with a sinking heart. “They’ve pinched the blooming train!” said T.B. vulgarly. A special train had been made up for the police and Michael was on the platform of Catford Bridge station by half past one, and was reading the reports which had been transmitted by the various signalmen. To add to the mystery, a mineral train from Seahampton which had followed the gold special at half an hour’s interval, but at a slower pace, had come straight through without noticing anything unusual. It had crossed the down empty at Tolbridge and that was the only other train that was met until it reached the suburbs of London where the night traffic was more general. Sir Ralph was one of the party that went down to Catford Bridge and a very distressed and worried man he was. “I asked that fellow Flanborough to come,” he wailed, “and what do you think the selfish beast said? He said it was my responsibility. Can you imagine anything more brutal?” “Is the gold insured?” Sir Ralph shook his head. “Not wholly. It was fully insured as far as Seahampton,” he said grimly. “After that the responsibility is partly mine and partly Flanborough’s and partly the underwriters’. Isn’t it too awful for words?” T.B. came into the waiting room at that moment, clad in oilskins and sou’wester. “You had better take complete charge of this case, Mike,” he said. “Sir Ralph will give you any assistance, I’m sure.” “Can I have a break-down train?” “I can bring one down here in twenty minutes,” said Sir Ralph. “Is it equipped with searchlights?” Sir Ralph consulted an official. “We’ve naphtha flares. Will they do?”