He went on. “And where did this gang spring from, this gang which we know for certain must consist of, at least, six men? Was it called specially into existence to kidnap the Ardane child, or did it exist before, and were its energies simply diverted from other nefarious projects to this?”
He nodded emphatically. “Yes, yes, it certainly existed before, and I must therefore consider who here would have been most likely to have been able to get in touch with it.”
But suddenly he heard a muffled tap upon the wall, and at once switching off his radiator, he tiptoed to the door and passed out into the corridor. It was only a few steps to Lady Ardane's boudoir, and he could see a faint light under the door. He drummed softly with his finger-nails and the door yielded noiselessly to his touch a
