d at the Professor for a moment and then laughed softly.

"Well," he remarked, "you are rather an egoist, Professor, aren't you?"

"Perhaps I am," the latter confessed. "Still, you must remember that the
scientific world on those few occasions when I do appear in public,
expects much of me. My sense of proportion may perhaps be disarranged by
this knowledge. All that I can realise at the present moment, is this. You
seem to have frightened away the one man in the world who is indispensable
to me."

Quest smoked in silence for a moment.

"Any mail for me, Professor?" he asked, abruptly.

The Professor opened a drawer and handed him a telegram.

"Only this!"

Quest opened it and read it through. It was from the Sheriff of a small
town in Connecticut:--

"The men you enquired for are both here. They have sold an
automobile and seem to be spending the proceeds. Shall I
arrest?"

Quest studied the message for a moment.

"Say, this is rather interesting, Professor," he remarked.

"Really?" the latter replied tartly. "You must forgive me if I cannot
follow the complications of your--pardon me for saying Munchausen-like
affairs. How does the arrest of these two men help you?"

"Don't you see?" Quest explained. "These are the two thugs who set upon me
up at the section house. They killed the signalman, who could have been my
alibi, and swiped my car, in which, as it cannot be found, French supposes
that I returned to New York. With their arrest the case against me
collapses. I tell you frankly, Professor," Quest continued, frowning, "I
hate to leave the city without having found that girl; but I am not sure
that the quickest way to set things right would not be to go down, arrest
these men and bring them back here, clear myself, and then go tooth and
nail for Craig."

"I agree with you most heartily," the Professor declared. "I recommend any
course which will ensure the return of my man Craig."

"I cannot promise you that you will ever have Craig here again," Quest
observed grimly. "I rather fancy Sing-Sing will be his next home."

"Don't be foolish, Mr. Quest," the Professor advised. "Don't let me lose
confidence in you. Craig would not hurt a fly, and as to abducting your
assistant--if my sense of humour were developed upon normal lines--well, I
should laugh! What you have really done, you, and that young lady
assistant of yours, is to terrify the poor fellow into such a state of
nerves that he sc