The celebrity bestowed upon Michaelis on his release two years ago by some emotional journalists in want of special copy had rankled ever since in his breast.

It was perfectly legal to arrest that man on the barest suspicion.

It was legal and expedient on the face of it.

His two former chiefs would have seen the point at once; whereas this one, without saying either yes or no, sat there, as if lost in a dream.

Moreover, besides being legal and expedient, the arrest of Michaelis solved a little personal difficulty which worried Chief Inspector Heat somewhat.