"All that you say is ver' true," he
said. "It shows that you have given to the case much thought. I
believe that you also have a fondness for crimes of mystery," and he
smiled at me. "Is it not so, Mistair Lester?"
"I had never suspected it," I laughed, "until this case came up, but
the microbe seems to have bitten me."
"Ah, yes," he said doubtfully, not quite understanding.
"And I've rather fancied at times," I admitted, "that I should like to
take a hand at solving it--though, of course, I never shall. Our
connection with the case is ended."
He shot me a quick glance, then lighted another cigarette.
"Suppose it were assigned to you to solve it," he asked, "how would
you set about it?"
"I'd try to find the mysterious woman."
"But the police, so I understand, attempted that and failed," he
objected. "How could you succeed?"
"Oh, I dare say I shouldn't succeed," I laughed, his air striking me
as a little more earnest than the occasion demanded. "I should
probably fail, just as the police did."
"In France," he remarked, "it is not in the least expected that men of
the law should----"
"Nor is it here," I explained. "Only, of course, a lawyer can't help
it, sometimes; some cases demand more or less detective work, and are
yet too delicate to be intrusted to the police.
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