He had as complete a list as could be obtained of the lodging-houses in the neighbourhood, every early morning coffee stall in Kensington and Bayswater had been kept under surveillance, also the newspaper shops. The tube stations at Notting Hill Gate, Holland Park, Shepherd’s Bush, and Queen’s Road, Bayswater, had been watched, and the result, up to this had been the arrest of one man who had easily proved his identity and the fact of his innocence. The bother was that Klein’s description as to dress could not be given. Only the fact that he was pale, clean-shaven, of the middle height and spoke with a German accent. “How fortunate,” cried Hellier; “you are the very person I wished most to see.” “Mr Hellier, I believe,” replied the other, who did not seem at all enthusiastic at the meeting. “What can I do for you?” “Will you walk a few paces down the street?” “Certainly.” “It’s this way,” said Hellier. “I read in the papers this morning of a crime.” “Which?” “The murder of Mr Goldberg.” “Yes, yes.” “You remember what I said to you last night?” “Perfectly.” “Well, it occurred to me that this was the crime we were waiting for.” “I was unaware that I was waiting for any crime,” said the other. “Well, you remember my predicting that a crime of this nature would occur?” “An easy prediction in London, where we have a murder every second day.” “Not strangulation without an apparent motive.” “Well, well; what do you wish to say about it?” “Well, convinced in my own mind that the author of this crime was also the criminal in the Gyde and Lefarge cases, I determined to come up here and look about.” “To play the rôle of an amateur detective, in short.” “Yes, but please don’t misunderstand me. My object is not curiosity. I will be frank with you. I love Mademoiselle Lefarge, and I can never hope to marry her till her father’s name is cleared.” “You wish to marry this lady and cannot do so till her father’s name is cleared. Is that what I understand you to say?” “Yes.” “Well, shall I tell you how you can best help to clear her father’s name?” “Yes.” “Go home and forget about it all; leave the matter in the hands of professional men who know how to act. Nothing interferes so much with us as interference.” “Perhaps, but you know chance sometimes gives a clue where intelligence fails to find any. What would you say if I told you that I believed I had seen Klein, the man you are looking for, this morning?” Freyberger started, but recovered himself instantly. “I would say that I believed you to be mistaken.” “Yet I have seen a man whose face closely resembled that portrait you showed us last night.” “Where?” “In St Ann’s Road, close to St James’s Road. I strolled along it by chance this morning, after visiting the scene of the murder, and, coming out of one of the houses, I saw this man.” “Yes?” “I followed him to the High Street. There he got on to a motor-omnibus and I lost him.” “You lost him!”