They entered a taxi and drove off westwards.

“Mr. Quest,” he went on, “for two months we have been on the track of a man and a woman whom we strongly suspect of having decoyed half a dozen perfectly respectable young women, and shipped them out to South America.”

“The White Slave Traffic!” Quest gasped.

“Something of the sort,” Hardaway admitted.  “Well, we’ve been closing the net around this interesting couple, and last night I had information brought to me upon which we are acting this afternoon.  We’ve had them watched and it seems that they were sitting in a tea place about three o’clock yesterday afternoon, when a young woman entered who was obviously a stranger to London.  You see, the time fits in exactly, if your assistant decided to stop on her way to Kensington and get some tea.  She asked the woman at the desk the best means of getting to West Kensington without taking a taxi-cab.  Her description tallies exactly with the photograph you have shown me.  The woman whom my men were watching addressed her and offered to show her the way.  They left the place together.  My men followed them.  The house has been watched ever since and we are raiding it this afternoon.  You and I will just be in time.”

“You’ve left her there since yesterday afternoon?  You’ve left her there all night?” Quest exclaimed.  “My God!”

Hardaway touched his arm soothingly.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Quest,” he said.  “We don’t want the woman alone; we want the man, too.  Now the man was away.  He only visits the house occasionally, and I am given to understand that he is a member of several West End clubs.  When the two women entered that house yesterday afternoon, there wasn’t a soul in it except servants.  The woman telephoned for the man.  He never turned up last night nor this morning.  He arrived at that house twenty minutes ago.”

Quest drew a little breath.

“It gave me a turn,” he admitted.  “Say, this is a slow taxi!”

The Inspector glanced out of the window.

“If this is the young lady you’re looking for,” he said, “you’ll be in plenty of time, never fear.  What I am hoping is that we may be able to catch my fellows before they try to rush the place.  You understand, with your experience, Mr. Quest, that there are two things we’ve got to think of.  We not only want to put our hand upon the guilty persons, but we want to bring the crime home to them.”

“I see that,” Quest assented.  “How much farther is this place?”

“We’re there,” Hardaway told him.

He stopped the cab and they got out.  A man who seemed to be strolling aimlessly along, reading a newspaper, suddenly joined them.

“Well, Dixon?” his chief exclaimed.

The man glanced around.

“I’ve got three men round at the back, Mr. Hardaway,” he said.  “It’s impossible for any one to leave the place.”

“Anything fresh to tell me?”