On the following morning, in order to make sure of arriving before the detective officer, I presented myself at King’s Bench-walk a good half-hour before I was due. The door was opened by Thorndyke himself, and as we shook hands he said: “I am glad you have come early, Gray. No doubt Polton explained the programme to you, but I should like to make our position quite clear. The officer who is coming here presently is Detective-Superintendent Miller, of the Criminal Investigation Department. He is quite an old friend, and he is coming at my request to give me certain information. But, of course, he is a detective officer, with his own duties to his department, and an exceedingly shrewd, capable man. Naturally, if he can pick up any crumbs of information from us, he will; and I don’t want him
