nchable hatred of
all evil. It was this that awakened the talents which made him the
celebrated detective he had become.

"I fear that it will be impossible for any one to save me now, but
perhaps I may be avenged. Therefore I will write down here all that
has happened to me since I set out on my journey." These were the first
words that were written under the mysterious title. Muller had just read
them when the commissioner entered.

"Will you speak to Amster; he has just returned?" he asked.

Muller rose at once. "Certainly. Did you telegraph to all the railway
stations?"

"Yes," answered the commissioner, "and also to the other police
stations."

"And to the hospitals?--asylums?"

"No, I did not do that." Commissioner von Mayringen blushed, a blush
that was as becoming to him as was his frank acknowledgment of his
mistake. He went out to remedy it at once, while Muller heard Amster's
short and not particularly important report. The workingman was
evidently shivering, and the detective handed him a glass of tea with a
good portion of rum in it.

"Here, drink this; you are cold. Are you ill?" Amster smiled sadly. "No,
I am not ill, but I was discharged to-day and am out of work now--that's
almost as bad."

"Are you married?"

"No, but I have an old mother to support."

"Leave your address with the commissioner. He may be able to find work
for you; we can always use good men here. But now drink your tea."
Amster drank the glass in one gulp. "Well, now we have lost the trail
in both directions," said Muller calmly. "But we will find it again. You
can help, as you are free now anyway. If you have the talent for that
sort of thing, you may find permanent work here."

A gesture and a look from the workingman showed the detective that the
former did not think very highly of such occupation. Muller laid his
hand on the other's shoulder and said gravely: "You wouldn't care to
take service with us? This sort of thing doesn't rate very high, I know.
But I tell you that if we have our hearts in the right place, and our
brains are worth anything, we are of more good to humanity than many
an honest citizen who wouldn't shake hands with us. There--and now I am
busy. Goodnight."

With these words Muller pushed the astonished man out of the room, shut
the door, and sat down again with his little book. This is what he read:

"Wednesday--is it Wednesday? They brought me a newspaper to-day which
had the date of Wednesda