That it was he who had been making inquiry of the landlord there was no doubt. In what manner the French police had gained knowledge of the woman Olliffe's address I knew not, and why he was in England watching her, was equally a mystery. One fact was evident--namely, that the Paris Surete had some serious charge against her; and further, that she must be all unconscious of the presence of the renowned police-agent. Should I discover any hint or gain anything by giving her warning? I asked myself. No; she was far too clever for that. If, as I had suspected, she had had any hand in poor Guy's death, then it was only right that the inquiries and action of the police should not be interfered with. Again, was it not a highly suspicious circumstance that, with her husband--the man King, who posed as her brother--together with a stranger, she had returned home at that early hour in a car, a few hours after a car had left the King's Wood, half a mile from my own house? I passed through the village unobserved, and out again up the steep hill, until I came to that low wall behind which lay the part surrounding Ridgehill Manor--that same wall from which a few weeks before I had obtained my first sight of the house of the adventuress. Fortunately, the night had become cloudy, threatening rain, and the moon was hidden. So, mounting the wall, I entered the park and walked across towards the broad lawn in front of the manor. A dry ditch separated the lawn from the park to prevent cattle from approaching, and this I presently negotiated, at last standing upon the lawn itself. Near by, I saw a weeping ash, and beneath its bell-like branches I paused and there waited. From where I stood I could see into the big lighted drawing-room, the blinds of which were up, but there was no one within, though the French windows stood open. I could hear voices--of the servants, most probably--and the clatter of dishes being washed after dinner. But the night was very still; not a leaf stirred in the dark belt of firs which lay on my left, and which presently afforded me better shelter, allowing me to approach nearer the house. The night-mists were rising, and the air had become chilly. Certainly this woman of many adventures, even though she were a convicted criminal, managed to live amid delightful surroundings. As the evening wore on I caught a glimpse of her crossing the room in a black low-cut dinner-dress edged with silver--a truly handsome gown. She swept up to the piano, and next moment there fell upon my ear the music of one of the latest waltzes of musical comedy. Then her husband, cigar in hand and in well-cut evening-dress, came to the French window, looked out upon the night, and retired again.