"I understand that I am to be deported?" she said.
"That is an excellent understanding," he replied.
"By what authority?" she demanded. "It is necessary to obtain an order from the Court."
"For the next fourteen days, and until this ship reaches Jamaica, you will be Mary Brown, who was formally extradited last Saturday on a charge of fraud," said T. B. "If you are wise you will give no trouble, and nobody on board need have an inkling that you are a prisoner. You can enjoy the voyage, and at the end----"
"At the end?" she asked, seeing that he paused.
"At the end we shall discover our mistake," said T. B., "and you may return."
"I will summon the captain and demand to be put ashore!" she cried.
"A very natural request on the part of a prisoner," said T. B. meditatively, "but I doubt very much whether it would have any effect upon an unimaginative seaman."
For the rest of the day he idled about the ship. The _Port Sybil_ was due to leave at four o'clock, and when the first warning bell had sounded he went below to take his leave.
"I would like to ask one question," she said. "It is not like the police to provide me with money, and to reserve such a cabin as this for my use--who is behind this?"
"I wondered whether you would ask that," said T. B. "Sir George was very generous----"
"Sir George Calliper!" she gasped. "You have not dared----"
"Yes, it needed some daring," admitted T. B., "to wake an eminent banker out of his beauty sleep to relate such a story as I had to tell--but he was very nice about it."
"You will be sorry for this," she said. "The Nine Men will know much sooner than you imagine."
"Before they know this they will know other things," he said. And with this utterance he left her.
He stood watching the great steamer moving slowly down the Mersey. He had left the wardress on board to make the voyage, and the other detective had remained to report.
As the vessel swung round a bend of the Mersey out of sight, he murmured flippantly:
T. B. reached his chambers at noon that day. He stopped to ask a question of the porter.
"Yes, sir," said that worthy, "he arrived all right with your card last night. I made him comfortable for the night, got him some supper, and told my mate who is on duty at night to look after him."