I got back into bed, but I did not immediately fall off to sleep again.  There was no doubt at all that my visitor had come at the instigation of Delora, and that his object had been to prevent my sending that cable, which was already on its way.  I got up and saw that my door was securely fastened.  I am ashamed to confess that at that moment I felt a tremor of fear!  I no longer had the slightest doubt that Delora, if not an impostor, was engaged in some great criminal operation.  And Felicia!  I thought of the matter in every way.  It was impossible that Delora could be an impostor pure and simple.  Felicia was content to travel with him.  She knew him for her uncle.  He must be her uncle, unless she herself had deceived me!  I felt my blood run cold at the thought.  I flung it from me.  I would have no more of it.  Felicia, at least, was above suspicion!  Delora had, perhaps, been led into this enterprise, whatever it might be, by Louis and his friends.  At any rate, the morrow was likely to clear things up.  I was the more convinced of that when I remembered that it was one day’s grace only that Delora had begged of me.  I went off to sleep again soon, and only woke when my brother’s servant called me for my bath.  At half-past ten, after a consultation with my brother, I drove to the Brazilian Embassy.  I sent in my card, and asked to see Mr. Lamartine.  He came to me in a few minutes.

“Captain Rotherby!” he exclaimed, holding out his hand.  “You have some news?”

“I am not sure whether you will call it news,” I answered.  “I came to see you about this man Delora.”

“Sit down,” Lamartine said.  “I only wish that you had given me all your confidence the other day.”

“To tell you the truth, I am not sure whether I have any to give now,” I answered.  “There are just one or two facts which seem to me so peculiar that I decided to look you up.”

“I am very glad indeed to see you, Captain Rotherby,” Lamartine said.  “Something is happening in connection with this person which I am afraid may lead to very serious trouble.  I know now more than I did when I hung around you and Miss Delora at Charing Cross Station, and in the course of the day I hope to know more.”

“I should have washed my hands of the whole affair,” I told him, “before now, but from the fact that I have received a cable from my brother, who is in Rio, concerning these very people.  He had first of all, in a letter, asked me to be civil and to look them up.  His cable begged me, on behalf of an elder brother out there, to look after Delora, find out what he was doing, and report.  I gathered that he was over here on some special mission as to the progress of which he should have made reports to his brother in Brazil.  He has not done so, nor has he used the private code agreed upon between those two.”

“This is very interesting,” Lamartine said,—­“very interesting indeed!”