[Illustration: "'Well,' she asked, 'are you ready?'" (Chap. vi.) _The Sign of Silence_] [_Frontispiece_ ] THE SIGN OF SILENCE BY WILLIAM LE QUEUX _Author of_ _"If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc._ WARD, LOCK & CO., LIMITED LONDON, MELBOURNE AND TORONTO 1917 "THE MASTER OF MYSTERY" WILLIAM LE QUEUX'S NOVELS _WORLD'S OPINIONS._ EUROPE. "Mr. William Le Queux retains his position as 'The Master of Mystery.' ... He is far too skilful to allow pause for thought; he whirls his readers from incident to incident, holding their attention from the first page to the close of the book."--_Pall Mall Gazette._ "There is no better companion on a railway journey than Mr. William Le Queux."--_Daily Mail._ "Mr. William Le Queux is 'The Master of Mystery.' His reputation is world-famed."--_Le Matin_ (Paris). "Mr. William Le Queux's romances are always enthralling. He is the Master of the Mystery-story."--_Berliner Tageblatt_ (Berlin). "Mr. William Le Queux is the most entrancing and thrilling English novelist of to-day."--_Neue Freie Presse_ (Vienna). ASIA. "We always enjoy Mr. Le Queux's novels. His mysteries are perfect."--_Englishman_ (Calcutta). "Mr. William Le Queux has justly earned the title of 'The Master of Mystery.'"--_Hong Kong Telegraph._ AFRICA. "As a weaver of mysteries, Mr. William Le Queux has surely no equal. To dash about Europe in his company, hot on the heels of an enigma, is a pastime both exciting and exhilarating."--_Johannesburg Star._ AMERICA. "Mr. William Le Queux's popularity is steadily increasing. No writer has brought mystery and adventure to such a high degree of art. He never fails to enthral and entertain us."--_New York Herald._ "Mr. William Le Queux's work is always excellent, and always exciting."--_San Francisco Examiner._ "Not without good cause has Mr. Le Queux earned his very apt title, 'The Master of Mystery.'"--_El Diario_ (Buenos Ayres). AUSTRALIA. "Mr. Le Queux is always fresh and original, and one can rely on being interested and amused by his stories."--_Sydney Morning Herald._ "For mystery and sensation Mr. Le Queux cannot be beaten."--_Melbourne Argus._ "Mr. Le Queux's large public are never satisfied. They always crave for more from his pen."--_Christchurch Weekly Press_ (New Zealand). CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I.--INTRODUCES A GENTLEMAN 7 II.--THE SCENT 20 III.--DESCRIBES THE TRYSTING-PLACE 35 IV.--"DEAR OLD DIG" 45 V.--"TIME WILL PROVE" 54 VI.--THE PIECE OF CONVICTION 63 VII.--FATAL FINGERS 71 VIII.--CONTAINS FURTHER EVIDENCE 80 IX.--DESCRIBES THE YELLOW SIGN 89 X.--CHERCHEZ LA FEMME 97 XI.--IN WHICH AN ALLEGATION IS MADE 108