not, though. I hope that you will be reasonable."

Then, with a certain significance, he repeated his

operations with the salt on his own plate. The symbol 4

was too plain to be missed. I looked at him searchingly. In no way that I could see did he resemble young

Templeton, or James the footman, or any other of the

various personalities we had come across. Nevertheless,

I was convinced that I had to do with no less than the

redoubtable Number Four himself. In his voice there

was certainly a faint resemblance to the buttoned-upstranger who had called upon us in Paris.

I looked round, undecided as to my course of action.

THE BIG FOUR 181

Reading my thoughts, he smiled and gently shook his

head.

"I should not advise it," he remarked. "Remember what came of your hasty action in Paris. Let me assure

you that my way of retreat is well assured. Your ideas

are inclined to be a little crude. Captain Hastings, if I may say so."

"You devil," I said, choking with rage, "you incarnate devil!"

"Heated--just a trifle heated. Your late lamented

friend would have told you that a man who keeps calm

has always a great advantage."

"You dare to speak of him," I cried. "The man you murdered so foully. And you come here--"

He interrupted me.

"I came here for an excellent and peaceful purpose. To advise you to return at once to South America. If

you do so, that is the end of the matter as far as the Big Four are concerned. You and yours will not be molested

in any way. I give you my word as to that."

I laughed scornfully.

"And if I refuse to obey your autocratic command?"

"It is hardly a command. Shall we say that it is--a warning?"

There was a cold menace in his tone.

"The first warning," he said softly. "You will be well advised not to disregard it."

Then, before I had any hint of his intention, he rose

and slipped quickly away towards the door. I sprang to

my feet and was after him in a second, but by bad luck I cannoned straight into an enormously fat man who

blocked the way between me and the next table. By the

time I had disentangled myself, my quarry was just

passing through the doorway, and the next delay was

from a waiter carrying a huge pile of plates who crashed 182 Agatha Christie

into me without the least warning. By the time I got to

the door there was no sign of the thin man with the dark beard.

The waiter was fulsome in apologies, the fat man was

sitting placidly at a table ordering his lunch. There was nothing to show that both occurrences had not been a

pure accident. Nevertheless, I had my own opinion as to

that. I knew well enough that the agents of the Big Four were everywhere.

Needless to say, I paid no heed to the warning given