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It was never dreamed that the bristly-haired alert little man, as so often seen in the saleroo sold, was the notorious Sparrow

Lisette's failure to arrive considerably disturbed hi had happened to her Tierly for her to cross the courtyard In those roohbours regarding hih a trifle eccentric in his habits

At last, just before eleven, he saw Lisette's s the courtyard, and a few moments later she was shown into his room

"You're late!" the old man said, as soon as the door was closed "I feared that so! Why did you leave Madrid? What has happened?" he asked eagerly

"Happened!" she echoed in French "Why, very nearly a disaster! Soiven away to the police!"

"Not arrested?" he asked breathlessly

"No We all three et away--but only just in tiuardedly that within an hour or so after we left Madrid the police called at my hotel--and at Henfrey's"

"Who can have done that?" asked The Sparrow, his eyes narrowing in anger, his gloved hand clenched

"Your eneirl's reply "Franklyn is in Switzerland Monsieur Henfrey is in Marseilles--at the Louvre et Paix--and I am here"

"Then we have a secret enemy--eh?"

"Yes--and he is not very far to seek Monsieur Howell has done this!"

"Howell! He would never do such a thing,

"Oh! wouldn't he? I would not trust either Benton or Howell!"

"I think you are mistaken, mademoiselle They have never shown much friendship towards each other"

"They are close friends as far as concerns the Henfrey affair," declared mademoiselle "I happen to know that it was Hoho prepared the old , and his manservant, Cooke, is one of the witnesses"

"What? You know about that will, Lisette? Tell "

"Howell himself let it out to me They were careful that you should not know At the time I was in London with Franklyn and Benton over the jewels of that ship-owner's wife, I forget her name--the affair in Carlton House Terrace"

"Yes I recollect A very neat piece of business"

"Well--Howell told me how he had prepared the will, and how Benton, as staying with old Mr Henfrey away in the country, got hi it to be for the purchase of a house at Elthaestion, but the signature was to a hich Howell's man, Cooke, and a friend of his, named Saunders, afterwards witnessed, and which has now been proved--the will by which the young hter before he inherits his father's estates"