booth. Spencer, that time, had put one over him; two, maybe, for he
_was_ concerned about Mrs. Clephane. Spencer had gone without her
shadow, been free to transact her business, and returned--and all the
time she knew of passing him and his pursuit of her, and was enjoying
his discomfiture. To add a trifle more uneasiness, she had thrown in the
matter of Mrs. Clephane. Probably it was false; yet he could not be sure
and it troubled him. All of which, he was aware, Mrs. Spencer
intended--and took a devilish joy in doing.

Harleston made a couple of turns up and down the room; then he sat down
and drummed a bit on the table; finally he reached for the telephone. It
was very late, but he would call her--she would understand.

He got the Chateau and, giving his name, asked whether Mrs. Clephane was
on the first floor of the hotel. In a few minutes the answer came: she
was not; should they give him her apartment? He said yes. Presently a
sleepy voice answered. He recognized it as Marie--the maid--and had some
difficulty in convincing her of his identity. He did it at last only by
speaking French to her--which, as he had hitherto addressed her only in
French, was not extraordinary.

And, being convinced, she answered promptly enough that Mrs. Clephane
was not in--she had gone down-stairs about two hours ago telling her not
to wait up. She had no idea where Mrs. Clephane went; she had said
nothing about leaving the hotel.

"Ask her to call me at the Collingwood the moment she comes in," said
Harleston.

Then he got Ranleigh and told him of the Spencer episode and of Mrs.
Clephane's disappearance.

"You would better put Mrs. Clephane under lock and key--or else stay
with her and keep her from rash adventures," Ranleigh commented.

"I quite agree with you," said Harleston. "Meanwhile I might inquire
where was Mrs. Spencer's shadow while she was taxiing up the avenue?"

"I fancy he was on his job, though you may not have seen him," Ranleigh
replied. "His report in the morning will tell."

"I would sooner have a report as to Mrs. Clephane's whereabouts,"
Harleston remarked.

"I can't see what good she would be to them now?" said Ranleigh. "She
hasn't a thing they want."

"Granted; yet where is she? moreover, she promised me to do nothing
unusual and to beware of traps."

"She has the feminine right to reconsider," Ranleigh reminded him.
"However, I'll instruct the bureau to get busy and--"

"Wait until morning," H