‘Look here, M. Thévenet,’ continued Burnley, ‘we are evidently talking at cross purposes. Let me first explain more fully about the label. According to our information, which we have no reason to doubt, the address space had been neatly cut out and another piece of paper pasted behind, bearing the address in question. It seemed to us therefore, that some person had received the cask from you and, having altered the label, packed the body in it and sent it on. Now we are to understand that the cask was sent out by you. Why then should the label have been altered?’ ‘I’m sure I cannot tell.’ ‘May I ask what was in the cask when it left here?’ ‘Certainly. It was a small group of statuary by a good man and rather valuable.’ ‘I’m afraid, M. Thévenet, I haven’t got the matter clear yet. It would oblige us both very much if you would be kind enough to tell us all you know about the sending out of that cask.’ ‘With pleasure.’ He touched a bell and a clerk entered. ‘Bring me,’ he said, ‘all the papers about the sale of that group of Le Mareschal’s to M. Felix of London.’ He turned again to his visitors. ‘Perhaps I had better begin by explaining our business to you. It is in reality three businesses carried on simultaneously by one firm. First, we make plaster casts of well-known pieces. They are not valuable and sell for very little. Secondly, we make monuments, tombstones, decorative stone panels and the like for buildings, rough work, but fairly good. Lastly we trade in really fine sculpture, acting as agents between the artists and the public. We have usually a considerable number of such good pieces in our showroom. It was one of these latter, a 1400 franc group, that was ordered by M. Felix.’ ‘Felix ordered it?’ burst in Burnley, ‘but there, pardon me. I must not interrupt.’ The clerk returned at this moment and laid some papers on his principal’s desk. The latter turned them over, selected one, and handed it to Burnley. ‘Here is his letter, you see, received by us on the morning of the 30th of March, and enclosing notes for 1500 francs. The envelope bore the London postmark.’ The letter was written by hand on one side of a single sheet of paper and was as follows:-- ‘141 West Jubb Street, ‘Tottenham Court Road, ‘London, W.C., _29th March, 1912._ ‘Messrs Dupierre et Cie., ‘Rue Provence, ‘Rue de la Convention, ‘Grenelle, Paris. ‘GENTLEMEN.--I am anxious to purchase the group of statuary in the left-hand corner back of your Boulevard des Capucines showroom, looking from the street. The group is of three female figures, two seated and one standing. There can be no doubt about the one I mean, as it is the only such in the left of the window. ‘Please forward immediately to the above address.