"When Evans (the police captain) gave me the bearings of the affair--though, of course, being a creature of handcuffs and bludgeons, he thought our friend Curtis was the real scoundrel--I realized at once that Vassilan's indisposition was a bad attack of blue funk.

Such a man could no more remain quietly in his room at the hotel than a fox terrier could pass a dog fight without taking hold.

As soon as I saw the Earl go out alone, and heard him direct the taxi to the Central Hotel in 27th Street, I decided that my best place was at the driving wheel of another taxi.

I picked out a man on the rank who was about my size, and might be mistaken for me in a half-light, and got him to lend me his coat and cap.

He took mine, and a word to the door-porter fixed things so that I was whistled up quite naturally when his countship appeared.