“We lent it to Mr. Egerton, and⁠— Hullo! where did you find this , Inspector? It is ours!” And he held it out for the other to see the blurred lines of the label stitched inside the mouth of the sack. The name of Stephen Byrne, The House by the River, W 6, was still legible.

“Very curious, sir,” said the man, looking hard at Stephen. “Do you remember when you lent it to Mr. Egerton?”

Stephen made a rapid calculation. The exact period was seventeen days.

He said, “When was it, Cook? About three weeks ago, wasn’t it?”