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About two miles out of Ospedaletti, on the road to San Remo, Henfrey rapped at the , and the chauffeur, as travelling at high speed, pulled up

Hugh got out and said in French: "Well, so far we've been successful I adhed and thanked him

"I have done what I was told to do," he replied simply "Monsieur is, I understand, in a bit of a scrape, and it is for all of us to assist each other--is it not?"

"Of course But who told you to do all this?" Hugh inquired, standing in the dark road beside the car The pair could not see each other's faces, though the big head-lalared far ahead over the white road

"Well--a friend of yours, m'sieur"

"What is his name?"

"Pardon, I ae--so utterly h "I have not committed any crime, and yet I am hunted by the police! They are anxious to arrest me for an offence of which I am entirely innocent"

"I know that, ana, however, we had a narrow escape The man who looked at you was Morain, the chief inspector of the Surete of the Alpes-Maritiain I adh said "I owe my liberty entirely to you"

"Not liberty, lish 'out of the wood'"

"Where are we going now?"

"To Genoa We ought to be there by early ," was the reply "Morain has, no doubt, telephoned to Mentone and discovered that my story is false So if later, on, they suspect the A out for him on the Col di Tenda, in Cuneo, and in Turin"

"And what shall we do in Genoa?"

"Let us get there first--and see"

"But I wish you would tell me who you are--and why you take such a keen interest inlaugh

"I am not permitted to disclose the identity of your friend," he answered "All I know is that you are innocent"

"Then perhaps you know the guilty person?" Hugh suggested

"Ah! Let us talk of sonore," was the mysterious chauffeur's reply

"But I confess to you that I a the reat deal to h hesitated

"Well," he replied "If the culprit is found, then there would no longer be any suspicion against myself"