ed as
wearing certain things, and he wanted to come ashore in other things. For
aught we know, he came safely ashore, boarded a train somewhere in the
neighbourhood, or at Largo itself--why not?--and went off, likely here,
to Edinburgh--where he'd mingle with a few thousand of folk,
unnoticed."

"Then--in that case, you think he's--what, Mr. Lindsey?" I asked. "Do you
mean he's running away?"

"Between you and me, that's not far from what I do think," he replied.
"And I think I know what he's running away from, too! But we'll hear a
lot more before many hours are over, or I'm mistaken."

We were in Berwick at an early hour next morning, and we went straight to
the police station and into the superintendent's office. Chisholm was
with Mr. Murray when we walked in, and both men turned to us with
eagerness.

"Here's more mystery about this affair, Mr. Lindsey!" exclaimed Murray.
"It's enough to make a man's wits go wool-gathering. There's no news of
Sir Gilbert, and Lady Carstairs has been missing since twelve o'clock
noon yesterday!"

CHAPTER XXV

THE SECOND DISAPPEARANCE

Mr. Lindsey was always one of the coolest of hands at receiving news of a
startling nature, and now, instead of breaking out into exclamations, he
just nodded his head, and dropped into the nearest chair.

"Aye?" he remarked quietly. "So her ladyship's disappeared, too, has she?
And when did you get to hear that, now?"

"Half an hour ago," replied Murray. "The butler at Hathercleugh House
has just been in--driven over in a hurry--to tell us. What do you make
of it at all?"

"Before I answer that, I want to know what's been happening here while
I've been away," replied Mr. Lindsey. "What's happened within your own
province--officially, I mean?"

"Not much," answered Murray. "There began to be talk evening before last,
amongst the fishermen, about Sir Gilbert's yacht. He'd been seen, of
course, to go out with Moneylaws there, two days ago, at noon. And--there
is Moneylaws! Doesn't he know anything? Where's Sir Gilbert, Moneylaws?"

"He'll tell all that--when I tell him to," said Mr. Lindsey, with a
glance at me. "Go on with your story, first."

The superintendent shook his head, as if all these things were beyond his
comprehension.

"Oh, well!" he continued. "I tell you there was talk--you know how they
gossip down yonder on the beach. It was said the yacht had never come in,
and, though many of them had been out, they'd never s