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"But the letter had also a greater distance to come."

"Then I do not see the point."

"There is at least a presumption that the vessel in which the man

or men are is a sailing-ship. It looks as if they always send

their singular warning or token before them when starting upon

their mission. You see how quickly the deed followed the sign

when it came from Dundee. If they had come from Pondicherry in a

steamer they would have arrived almost as soon as their letter.

But, as a matter of fact, seven weeks elapsed. I think that those

seven weeks represented the difference between the mail-boat

which brought the letter and the sailing vessel which brought the

writer."

"It is possible."

"More than that. It is probable. And now you see the deadly

urgency of this new case, and why I urged young Openshaw to

caution. The blow has always fallen at the end of the time which

it would take the senders to travel the distance. But this one

comes from London, and therefore we cannot count upon delay."