‘This is Commercial Road, sir,—­what part of it do you want?’

‘Drive me to Limehouse Police Station.’

We were driven there.  I made my way to the usual inspector behind the usual pigeon-hole.

’My name is Champnell.  Have you received any communication from Scotland Yard to-night having reference to a matter in which I am interested?’

’Do you mean about the Arab?  We received a telephonic message about half an hour ago.’

’Since communicating with Scotland Yard this has come to hand from the authorities at Vauxhall Station.  Can you tell me if anything has been seen of the person in question by the men of your division?’

I handed the Inspector the ‘report.’  His reply was laconic.

‘I will inquire.’

He passed through a door into an inner room and the ‘report’ went with him.

’Beg pardon, sir, but was that a Harab you was a-talking about to the Hinspector?’

The speaker was a gentleman unmistakably of the gutter-snipe class.  He was seated on a form.  Close at hand hovered a policeman whose special duty it seemed to be to keep an eye upon his movements.

‘Why do you ask?’

’I beg your pardon, sir, but I saw a Harab myself about a hour ago,—­leastways he looked like as if he was a Harab.’

‘What sort of a looking person was he?’

’I can’t ’ardly tell you that, sir, because I didn’t never have a proper look at him,—­but I know he had a bloomin’ great bundle on ’is ’ead. ...  It was like this, ‘ere.  I was comin’ round the corner, as he was passin’, I never see ’im till I was right atop of ’im, so that I haccidentally run agin ’im,—­my heye! didn’t ’e give me a downer!  I was down on the back of my ’ead in the middle of the road before I knew where I was and ’e was at the other end of the street.  If ’e ’adn’t knocked me more’n ’arf silly I’d been after ’im, sharp,—­I tell you! and hasked ’im what ’e thought ’e was a-doin’ of, but afore my senses was back agin ‘e was out o’ sight,—­clean!’

‘You are sure he had a bundle on his head?’

‘I noticed it most particular.’

‘How long ago do you say this was? and where?’

‘About a hour ago,—­perhaps more, perhaps less.’

‘Was he alone?’

‘It seemed to me as if a cove was a follerin’ ’im, leastways there was a bloke as was a-keepin’ close at ’is ’eels,—­though I don’t know what ’is little game was, I’m sure.  Ask the pleesman—­he knows, he knows everything the pleesman do.’

I turned to the ‘pleesman.’

‘Who is this man?’

The ‘pleesman’ put his hands behind his back, and threw out his chest.  His manner was distinctly affable.

’Well,—­he’s being detained upon suspicion.  He’s given us an address at which to make inquiries, and inquiries are being made.  I shouldn’t pay too much attention to what he says if I were you.  I don’t suppose he’d be particular about a lie or two.’