a place as the hallway of a house. And
Lady Dex was also there; she must have witnessed the shooting."

"Why did she come?" asked the chief.

"My conjecture is that she came either to confront Farrington with
evidence of his complicity, which is unlikely, or else to secure
confirmation of the story her lover told in his last letter."

"But why shouldn't Farrington disappear in an ordinary way--or why need
he disappear at all?" asked Sir George. "He had plenty of credit in the
city. He had the handling of his niece's fortune. He could have blocked
out your suspicion; he is not the kind of man to be scared of a little
thing like that."

"That is where I am at sea," said T. B. "I must confess his
disappearance is not consistent with his known character. He certainly
had the fortune of the girl, and I have no doubt in my mind that he has
a very genuine affection for his niece. Her inheritance, by the way,
falls due next month; I do not suppose that had anything to do with it.
If he had robbed her of it, or he had dissipated this money which was
left in his care, one could have understood it, but the fact that he is
dead will not restore the fortune if it is gone."

"What are you doing?" asked the chief.

"About Farrington?" asked T. B. "I am having the house kept under
observation, and I am taking whatever precautions I can to prevent our
friend from being scared. I am even attempting to lure him into the
open. Once I can catch him outside of the Secret House, I think he will
be a clever man to escape."

"And Poltavo?"

"He is in town," said T. B. "I think he will be a fairly easy man to
circumvent; he is obviously acting now as the agent of our friend
Farrington, and he is horribly proud of himself!"

CHAPTER XIV

As T. B. had said, Poltavo had returned from his brief sojourn in Great
Bradley, and emerged into society a new and more radiant being than ever
he had been before.

There had always been some doubt as to the Count's exact financial
position, and cautious hostesses had hesitated before they had invited
this plausible and polished man to their social functions. There were
whispers adverse as to his standing; there were even bold people who
called into question his right to employ the title which graced his
visiting cards. There were half a dozen Poltavos in the _Almanack De
Gotha_, any one of whom might have been Ernesto, for so vague is the
Polish hierarchy that it was impossible to fix him