He said that theory was more absurd than the sending him a picture of a housemaid as that of the lady he met at the ball.

I used all the arguments which you had used, but he brushed them aside as of no consequence, and somehow the case did not appear to be as clear as when you propounded your theory." "Well, what then ?" asked the girl.
"Why, then I asked him to come up here at four o'clock and hear what an assistant of mine would say about the case." "At four o'clock!" cried the girl in terror; "then he may be here at any moment." "He is here now; he is in the next room.

Come in, and I will introduce you, and then I want you to tell him all the circumstances which lead you to believe that it was the Princess herself whom he met.

I am sure you can place all the points before him so tersely that you will succeed in bringing him round to your own way of thinking.

You will try, won't you, Miss Baxter?
It will be a very great obligement to me." "Oh, no, no, no!" cried the girl; "I am not going to admit to anyone that I have been acting as a detective's assistant.