My chief glanced at me. It was the same objection that he had made himself. “We can’t hear anything of a leopard skin,” Charles pursued. “You may remember, sir, that you expressed the opinion that the leopardess costume would turn out to be a private one. And the only Zenobia costume we can trace was furnished a year ago.” I stole a glance at the consultant. His keen eyes were no longer on me. “To whom was it furnished?” he asked quietly. The Inspector took out a note-book and opened it. “To the Lady Violet Bredwardine, Grosvenor Place.” At last the name had been pronounced, the name that I had so much dreaded to hear on the lips of the police. Fortunately I had known that it was coming. I had braced my nerves to meet the shock, and I managed to preserve an air of complete indifference while I faced the speaker. “Well?” Tarleton spoke a little sharply. Captain Charles looked at him in mild wonder. “Well?” the specialist repeated impatiently. “What have you ascertained about Lady Violet Bredwardine?” Charles was plainly put out by the question. “Her ladyship is the daughter of the Earl of Ledbury. She is quite young--hardly of age. Sir Hercules McNaught has met her in society.” His manner conveyed that there was some impropriety in making Lady Violet’s name the subject of discussion. The day before I had been inclined to feel some contempt for the worthy Captain, but now I was only grateful for his stolid front. My chief took a very different view, unfortunately. “And is that all you have thought it worth while to find out? A peerage would have told us as much as that. I have no doubt that Sir Hercules has met many members of the Domino Club in society. It doesn’t follow that they are to be excluded from the investigation.” This time the Inspector did not attempt to conceal his mortification. “I beg your pardon, Sir Frank. Do you mean that Lady Violet Bredwardine is a member of the Domino Club? I hadn’t the slightest reason to suppose so.” It was the consultant’s turn to show surprise. He stared at me. “Surely her name was on the list I asked you to furnish to Captain Charles? I have a distinct recollection of it.” I received the question, for which I had been waiting, with perfect coolness. “I seem to recollect it too, sir.” The Inspector was already turning over the pages of his note-book. He looked up at us in triumph. “I made a copy of the list exactly as I received it, Sir Frank, and the name is not here. I am prepared to swear that her ladyship’s name was not included.” Tarleton turned to me. “Will you be good enough to bring me the list I gave you to copy. It looks as though some slip had been made.”