shall be better off."

The man took his departure and the whirl of business recommenced.
Laverick turned his back upon the city only a few minutes before
eight and, tired out, he dined at a restaurant on his homeward way.
When at last he reached his sitting-room he threw himself on the
sofa and lit a cigar. Once more the evening papers had no
particular news. This time, however, one of them had a leading
article upon the English police system. The fact that an undetected
murder should take place in a wealthy neighborhood, away from the
slums, a murder which must have been premeditated, was in itself
alarming. Until the inquest had been held, it was better to make
little comment upon the facts of the case so far as they were known.
At the same time, the circumstance could not fail to incite a
considerable amount of alarm among those who had offices in the
vicinity of the tragedy. It was rumored that some mysterious
inquiries were being circulated around London banks. It was
possible that robbery, after all, had been the real motive of the
crime, but robbery on a scale as yet unimagined. The whole interest
of the case now was centred upon the discovery of the man's identity.
As soon as this was solved, some very startling developments might
be expected.

Laverick threw the paper away. He tried to rest upon the sofa, but
tried in vain. He found himself continually glancing at the clock.

"To-night," he muttered to himself,--"no, I will not go to-night!
It is not fair to the child. It is absurd. Why, she would think
that I was--"

He stopped short.

"I'll change and go to the club," he decided.

He rose to his feet. Just then there was a ring at his bell. He
opened the door and found a messenger boy standing in the vestibule.

"Note, sir, for Mr. Stephen Laverick," the boy announced, opening
his wallet.

Laverick held out his hand. The boy gave him a large square
envelope, and upon the back of it was "Universal Theatre."
Laverick tried to assure himself that he was not so ridiculously
pleased. He stepped back into the room, tore open the envelope,
and read the few lines traced in rather faint but delicate
handwriting.

Are you coming to fetch me to-night? Don't let me be a nuisance,
but do come if you have nothing to do. I have something to tell
you.

ZOE.

Laverick gave the boy a shilling for himself and suddenly forgot
that he w