Toppin explained that about the movements of the parties he had been commissioned to follow there had been nothing suspicious until they left the Halles. They had driven to the Central Markets and had come away again, and it was only when they were returning from that point that he discovered grounds for suspicion in their behaviour. The cab was evidently pursuing a circuitous route, inasmuch as the coachman turned back from the Halles and partly retraced his steps. Pulling up at an ordinary district post-office, which was not yet open for the day, the cabman had descended from his place to drop a missive of some sort into the box. No one but the driver had descended; of that he felt quite positive. The cab had then gone off to a different locality altogether. He was careful to keep the vehicle in view, and when it stopped once more at a tavern, he was certain that, in this instance also, the driver was the only individual who alighted. After a slight delay the journey was resumed at a quick pace; and what was his astonishment when eventually the vehicle pulled up at a cabstand, and took a station at the extremity of the rank as though no party or parties were inside it! Hardly knowing whether to show himself or not, he hesitated for some time to approach the vehicle. When he did go up to it there was, sure enough, but a single occupant-the coachman, who had made himself comfortable inside with the object of enjoying a nap. This man was half asleep and half intoxicated. All he could elicit from him with regard to his last "fare" was that they were people who did not know their own mind, and that they had discharged him at the Halles.

"I don't believe this," wound up Mr. Toppin, "but

I've taken his number. If they threw me off at the Halles, it must have been done as quick as lightning." "And to have been done as quick as lightning, it must have been done because they saw you following them," answered his colleague. "I should recommend you to go and find them again. It's very likely they'll be wanted."

Inspector Byde then briefly informed Detective Toppin of the new aspect which the case of the Wilmot diamonds had assumed. The discovery of the murder had been made soon after Toppin's departure on his errand of watching the two suspicious characters to whom their attention had been called by the telegrams from Scotland Yard. It was a great pity the men had eluded him.

"I did not think it could be so urgent," pleaded Toppin.

"Well, now, what would be the procedure here in a matter of this kind? What will be done with the body?"

"That depends a good deal on the police commissary attached to the terminus. It would be left to his discretion whether the body should be removed at once to the Morgue, or be retained during the day at the station, for the purposes of the inquiry. A commissary at one place might decide one way, whilst another commissary might decide the other way. It might depend on the circumstances of the case; but it might also depend," added Toppin, recovering his assurance as he gave his colleague these particulars, "upon the intelligence of the commissary or on his ambition. If he wants to bring himself before public notice he might keep the body where it is as long as possible in order to have the control of the investigation. If he wants to avoid trouble

or extra work he would send it on to the Morgue at once, having made his notes and taken all the necessary evidence on the spot as soon as possible. The matter is left a good deal to his discretion, but there are other functionaries to be borne in mind too. There is the juge d'instruction, or magistrate, charged with the preliminary investigation of a crime; and I believe the Procureur de la République would come in at this early stage. It is difficult to say where the jurisdictions of these officials begin and end; they don't always appear to know themselves. And even if their functions are well defined and don't conflict, I have known of jealousies among these officials which have hampered criminal investigations from the outset."

"But for the identification of Remington-how will they manage, supposing that nothing to identify him should be found upon the body?"

"Why, you can identify him yourself!"

"Yes; and that's what I particularly mean to abstain from doing. And you will greatly assist me, Mr. Toppin, by forgetting absolutely, so far as the French authorities are concerned, all that I have told you as to Remington and the Wilmot affair. You do not know the name or business of the deceased; you learnt his case from the ordinary channels, remember-the newspapers this afternoon, if you like; and you place yourself at the disposal of the French police to take measures for ascertaining the identity. Now, what I want to know is will this corpse be publicly exposed?"

"Yes; that is why it will be removed to the Morgue -for the purposes of identification."

"Very well. It goes to the Morgue, where anyone can enter and see it. Now, do you think the body will

be taken to the Morgue, for public exposure, by this afternoon?"

"This afternoon? Yes; certainly. It may be on its way there now. If you desired to examine the scene of the occurrence, before the corpse was moved, I could have arranged that for you with the commissary of the station. But I am afraid you would be too late now; and then you don't wish me to appear in the case just yet."

Did Toppin suspect his colleague of a wish to keep him in the background? Was all the credit in this case, which promised to turn out a first-rate affair, to be monopolised by a man already covered with distinction like Byde? Toppin seemed to think it hard that this could be possible. What could Inspector Byde, with all his foresight, perseverance, and ability, accomplish in a place like Paris, if he had not at his elbow Toppin's knowledge of the Parisians and their city, and Toppin's intelligence!

"I took all the notes I want, I think-as to the appearances at the scene of the occurrence-before the commissary was out of bed. I want to know about what time the body would be exhibited for identification. That, however, we can soon calculate on learning when the transfer to the Morgue has taken place, if it should have already taken place. Anybody about here would enlighten us as to whether the commissary has kept the body in the station or sent it on. The waiter will be in presently with a piece of information for me, and he will know."

Toppin evidently wondered what could be the nature of this piece of information, but he did not ask. He was under the orders of his colleague, and the latter had apparently got to work on some tack or traces of his own.

"Are we looking for the murderer?" ventured Toppin

impulsively, "or these valuables-you and I, I mean?" He reddened, as if he felt he had said something foolish. "Because," he added, nettled at the expression of patient endurance with which the inspector received this query, "the French police are very susceptible of interference. We may be quite in order on the subject of the diamond. robbery; but the murder is their affair, not ours."

"If we find the diamonds for ourselves, we may find the murderer for them; if they find the murderer for themselves, they may find the diamonds for us!"

The waiter returned at this instant with no doubt the piece of information of which mention had been made.

"The slip of paper was not discovered by the commissary, monsieur," he said, addressing Inspector Byde. "It was picked up by one of the employés of the railway before the commissary arrived, but was handed to him. when he came to draw up his report. The employé found it near the door farthest away from the body of this unfortunate gentleman. Ah, messieurs, what a terrible event! What could have been the motive of such a dreadful crime? Don't you think it may have been a case of suicide? The commissary believes that the unfortunate gentleman has fallen a victim to a secret society, because none of the valuables about him were disturbed. Do you believe that he has been assassinated for political reasons, monsieur--assassinated by the members of some secret society? I can't think so myself; I never heard of any such cases in Battersea during the whole time I was there, and I fancy I know the English people!"

"Did you remember what I asked you to ascertain exactly? Did you ascertain exactly whereabouts in the compartment the slip of paper was found?"

"Why, yes, monsieur. I did not forget, being inter