"Quite worthy of a Frenchman!"
"Pooh! the virtuous English can easily hold their own in that respect; for every extraordinary case in Paris I can find you an equivalent in London."
"By the way," cried Japix, suddenly deserting the line of conversation in favour of a new one, "I went to see Miss Marson to-day; she's very ill, you know."
"My fault," said Roger, regretfully, "blurting out the fact of Melstane's death."
"Well, go on," said Fanks, impatiently; "what were you going to say, Japix?"
"That I visited Miss Marson to-day."
"You've said that. What else?"
"And I saw her father, who told me a most extraordinary thing."
"Wait a bit," said the detective, with great excitement. "I'll bet you a fiver that I can tell you what he told you."
"The deuce you can!" replied Japix, in astonishment. "Well, I'll take the bet. Marson said?"