“There is no occasion whatever to disturb her,” said Thorndyke. “We have merely called to restore this bag, which seemed to have been lost;” and with this he held it out towards her. She grasped it eagerly, with a cry of surprise, and as the mouth fell open, she peered into it. “Why,” she exclaimed, “they don’t seem to have taken anything, after all. Where did you find it, sir?” “In the porch of a church in Spelton Street,” Thorndyke replied, and was turning away when the servant said earnestly: “Would you kindly give me your name and address, sir? Miss Bonney will wish to write and thank you.” “There is really no need,” said he; but she interrupted anxiously: “If you would be so kind, sir. Miss Bonney will be so vexed if she is unable to thank you; and besides, she may want to ask you some questions about it.” “That is true,” said Thorndyke (who was restrained only by good manners from asking one or two questions, himself). He produced his card-case, and having handed one of his cards to the maid, wished her “good evening” and retired. “That bag had evidently been pinched,” I remarked, as we walked back towards the Fulham Road. “Evidently,” he agreed, and was about to enlarge on the matter when our attention was attracted to a taxi, which was approaching from the direction of the main road. A man’s head was thrust out of the window, and as the vehicle passed a street lamp, I observed that the head appertained to an elderly gentleman with very white hair and a very fresh-coloured face. “Did you see who that was?” Thorndyke asked. “It looked like old Brodribb,” I replied. “It did; very much. I wonder where he is off to.” He turned and followed, with a speculative eye, the receding taxi, which presently swept alongside the kerb and stopped, apparently opposite the house from which we had just come. As the vehicle came to rest, the door flew open and the passenger shot out like an elderly, but agile, Jack-in-the-box, and bounced up the steps. “That is Brodribb’s knock, sure enough,” said I, as the old-fashioned flourish reverberated up the quiet street. “I have heard it too often on our own knocker to mistake it. But we had better not let him see us watching him.”