I

    It was only after many hours of thought that it had flashed uponme that the simplest and safest way of removing the Little Nuggetwas to induce him to remove himself. Once the idea had come, therest was simple. The negotiations which had taken place thatmorning in the stable-yard had been brief. I suppose a boy inOgden's position, with his record of narrow escapes from thekidnapper, comes to take things as a matter of course which wouldstartle the ordinary boy. He assumed, I imagine, that I was theaccredited agent of his mother, and that the money which I gavehim for travelling expenses came from her. Perhaps he had beenexpecting something of the sort. At any rate, he grasped theessential points of the scheme with amazing promptitude. Hislittle hand was extended to receive the cash almost before I hadfinished speaking.

　　The main outline of my plan was that he should slip away toLondon, during the afternoon, go to my rooms, where he would findSmith, and with Smith travel to his mother at Monaco. I hadwritten to Smith, bidding him be in readiness for the expedition.

　　There was no flaw in the scheme as I had mapped it out, and thoughOgden had complicated it a little by gratuitously luring awayAugustus Beckford to bear him company, he had not endangered itssuccess.

　　But now an utterly unforeseen complication had arisen. My onedesire now was to undo everything for which I had been plotting.

　　I stood there, looking at her dumbly, hating myself for being thecause of the anxiety in her eyes. If I had struck her, I could nothave felt more despicable. In my misery I cursed Cynthia forleading me into this tangle.

　　I heard my name spoken, and turned to find White at my elbow.

　　'Mr Abney would like to see you, sir.'

　　I went upstairs, glad to escape. The tension of the situation hadbegun to tear at my nerves.

　　'Cub id, Bister Burds,' said my employer, swallowing a lozenge.

　　His aspect was more dazed than ever. 'White has just badean--ah--extraordinary cobbudicatiod to me. It seebs he is inreality a detective, an employee of Pidkertod's Agedcy, of whichyou have, of course--ah--heard.'

　　So White had revealed himself. On the whole, I was not surprised.

　　Certainly his motive for concealment, the fear of making Mr Abneynervous, was removed. An inrush of Red Indians with tomahawkscould hardly have added greatly to Mr Abney's nervousness at thepresent juncture.

　　'Sent here by Mr Ford, I suppose?' I said. I had to say something.

　　'Exactly. Ah--precisely.' He sneezed. 'Bister Ford, withoutcodsulting me--I do not cobbedt on the good taste or wisdob of hisactiod--dispatched White to apply for the post of butler atthis--ah--house, his predecessor having left at a bobedt's dotice,bribed to do so, I strodgly suspect, by Bister Ford himself. I baybe wrodging Bister Ford, but do dot thig so.'