"Ah, my dear m'sieur, of that you will know soon enough," replied the detective, again stroking his beard. "I fear that, if your ignorance of the truth is not feigned, the revelations forthcoming will--well, greatly astonish you." "But surely Mademoiselle is not a criminal!" I cried, staring at him in dismay. "Wait and hear the evidence against her." "I will not believe it." "Ah! because you are enamoured of her--eh, Monsieur Kemball?" exclaimed the great detective, with a shrewd twinkle in his large brown eyes. "A man is always loath to believe that his well-beloved can do wrong. _Bien_! I urge you to wait and see what the revelations bring forth--to carefully weigh over the hideous story before giving further thought to her." "I need no advice. Monsieur," I protested angrily. "If you make allegations, you should surely tell me their nature." "That is for you to discover," he answered, with a crafty smile. "You have refused to assist me; therefore I, in turn, refuse to satisfy your curiosity." "You have arrested me because I happen to be on friendly terms with this man and his daughter. Therefore surely I may be told the offence alleged against them," I protested in anger. "The fact you have revealed--namely, that Shaw and Melvill Arnold were friends--is quite sufficient to prove what I really suspected. The man's identity is made entirely plain, even though you refused to give me information." "They are my friends," I remarked resentfully. "Perhaps they will be so no longer when you know the actual truth concerning them," he said, smiling grimly. "And what is this terrible charge against them, pray?" "Have I not already told you that you will know quite soon enough?" was the prompt reply of the renowned detective, whose name was as a household word in France; and his two companions smiled. The telephone bell rang, and one of them took up the receiver and listened. Then he handed it to Tramu, who, from his words, I gathered, was speaking with the commissary of police at the Gare du Lyon, in Paris, asking that an incoming train should be carefully watched. "Thank you. Advise me as soon as it arrives," he added, and placing the receiver down, he rang off. Again he returned to the attack, endeavouring to discover from me where in England Shaw had hidden himself. But I was just as evasive as he was himself. I was fighting for the woman I loved. I told him vaguely that they lived in the North of England in order to mislead him, but I declared I did not know their actual place of residence. But he only smiled incredulously, replying-- "Monsieur is enamoured of Mademoiselle. I have watched you both for two days past, and I know that you are aware of her address in England."