“And also what has become of the blind man and his companion,” said Leglosse.  “They may be hot upon his trail, and if we can only discover them, and keep an eye on them, we may find out all we want to know.  But it is likely to prove a difficult task.”

We tried the various shipping offices, without success.  We called at every hotel, important or otherwise, questioned the City Police, who assured us they had seen nothing of the men we described and finally were compelled to own ourselves thoroughly well beaten.  Leglosse’s face was the picture of despair, and I fear mine was not much better.  We inserted advertisements in the papers, but with no more luck than before.  From the moment the trio had entered Naples, they seemed to have vanished entirely.  Then one evening, a ragged little urchin called at the hotel and asked to see us.  In reply to our questions, he informed us that he had seen two Englishmen only the day before, such as the police said we were inquiring for; one of them was blind, the other dumb.  Indeed he was sure of this, for the reason that he had carried their bag for them down to the harbour whence the Palermo boat sailed.  We pricked up our ears on hearing this.  If his story was correct, and Kitwater and Codd had visited Sicily, then without a doubt Hayle must have gone there too.  But we had no desire to allow ourselves to be taken in again.  It might be another of Hayle’s tricks, and for this reason we questioned the boy more closely; he adhered, however, to his story without a variation.  His description of the men was perfect in every respect, and he assured us most emphatically that he knew nothing of any individual with such a scar upon his face as Hayle possessed.  At last we became convinced that his story was genuine, and we rewarded the boy accordingly.  After he had disappeared we informed Miss Kitwater of the discovery we had made.

“You will follow them to Palermo?”

“Assuredly, mademoiselle,” Leglosse replied.  “I have my duty to perform.”

“Then I must go with you,” she answered.  “If he is on the island the chase must be drawing to a close, and I must be present to protect him, if possible, against himself.”

Accordingly next morning, for the steamer for that day had long since sailed, we set out for the kingdom of Sicily, that gem among Islands, as Goethe terms it.  It was the first time Miss Kitwater had seen the southern coast, and for this reason I made her promise that she would rise early next morning in order that she might witness our approach to the far-famed island.  This she did, and side by side we watched the vessel draw closer to the land.  Away to the west lay the island of Ustica, its outline sharply defined in the clear morning air.

“How beautiful it all is!” she said, “and to think that we are sailing such lovely seas upon such an errand.”

“You must try not to think about it,” I said. “’Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.’  Let us hope that it will all come right in the end.  If only Leglosse can get hold of Hayle first, your uncle cannot possibly do him any harm, however much disposed he may be that way.  Between us we ought to be able to manage that.”