o babble away to her heart's content.

"One, two, three, four, five, six," she counted, with a shudder at every
count. "And one of them bigger than the others." She might have added,
"It is the trail of one foot, and strangely, intermingled at that," but
she did not, though we may be quite sure that she noted the fact. "And
where, just where did the old wallet fall? Here? or here?"

She had moved as she spoke, so that in uttering the last "here," she
stood directly before the window. The surprise she received there nearly
made her forget the part she was playing. From the character of the
light in the room, she had expected, on looking out, to confront a
near-by wall, but not a window in that wall. Yet that was what she saw
directly facing her from across the old-fashioned alley separating
this house from its neighbour; twelve unshuttered and uncurtained panes
through which she caught a darkened view of a room almost as forlorn and
devoid of furniture as the one in which she then stood.

When quite sure of herself, she let a certain portion of her surprise
appear.

"Why, look!" she cried, "if you can't see right in next door! What a
lonesome-looking place! From its desolate appearance I should think the
house quite empty."

"And it is. That's the old Shaffer homestead. It's been empty for a
year."

"Oh, empty!" And she turned away, with the most inconsequent air in
the world, crying out as her name rang up the stair, "There's Arthur
calling. I suppose he thinks I've been here long enough. I'm sure I'm
very much obliged to you, officer. I really shouldn't have slept a wink
to-night, if I hadn't been given a peep at these rooms, which I
had imagined so different." And with one additional glance over her
shoulder, that seemed to penetrate both windows and the desolate space
beyond, she ran quickly out and down in response to her brother's
reiterated call.

"Drive quickly!--as quickly as the law allows, to Hiram Brown's office
in Duane Street."

Arrived at the address named, she went in alone to see Mr. Brown. He was
her father's lawyer and a family friend.

Hardly waiting for his affectionate greeting, she cried out quickly.
"Tell me how I can learn anything about the old Shaffer house in
Seventeenth Street. Now, don't look so surprised. I have very good
reasons for my request and--and--I'm in an awful hurry."

"But--"

"I know, I know; there's been a dreadful tragedy next door to it; but
it's about the Shaf