comments of the German pilot about the strangeness of Lady Esther. He describes speaks her "dark, flashing eyes". The next day, Pyne writes to Lady Esther from his hotel room and encloses a cutting of his "personal" advert from The Times. He duly receives a request to visit the woman and goes to her house. There they talk of England. Pyne talks at length of people, places and social events as frequented by all classes of people. Lady Esther is obviously pining for home but states that she can never return. Pyne responds that he already knows the reason why. Pyne takes her through the story of the German pilot and asks if she would receive him. Lady Esther refuses and he accuses her of play-acting – but not to cover up a murder. He knows that she is the companion – Muriel King – and that it was Lady Esther who died, not the other girl. Muriel tells of the real sequence of events. Lady Esther was jealous of Herr Schlagal's infatuation with Muriel and turned on her in her madness. She fell by accident. Muriel was terrified of being accused of her murder, put the breakfast tray down by the body. and adopted her identity. She refused to see anyone in case they spotted the substitution. The new consul was one of the people who had never met the real Lady Esther and therefore was not suspicious. Pyne knew something was wrong when he heard of Lady Esther's "dark, flashing eyes". He knew that Esther's parents were both blue-eyed. His talk of England confirmed his suspicions. The supposed titled lady in front of him did not react to stories of high society events, but her face showed how much she missed the everyday life of ordinary people. He promises to help her convince people of her innocence and effect a reunion with Herr Shlagal. The Pearl of Price Parker Pyne is with a party of people who have travelled through Jordan from Amman to Petra. His companions are Caleb Blundell, an American millionaire, his daughter Carol and secretary, Jim Hurst, Sir Donald Marvel, a British MP, Doctor Carver, an archaeologist and Colonel Dubosc, a Frenchman. Camping in the night, Doctor Carver tells the others of the Nabataeans, the traders who built the city and who were no more than professional racketeers who controlled the trade routes of the