fact that her escape was due more to good luck than to any presence of
mind of her own, which had nearly deserted her at one or two points in
the conversation. When Mr. Hardwick saw her, he asked how much space he
should have to reserve for the romance in high life; but she told him
there was nothing in the case, so far as she could see, to interest any
sane reader.

Here matters rested for a fortnight; then the girl received an urgent
note from Cadbury Taylor, asking her to call at his office next day
promptly at four o'clock. It was very important, he said, and he hoped
she would on no account disappoint him. Jennie's first impulse was not
to go, but she was so anxious to learn what progress the detective had
made in the case, fearing that at last he might have got on the right
track, that she felt it would be unwise to take the risk of not seeing
him. If his suspicions were really aroused, her absence might possibly
serve to confirm them. Exactly at four o'clock next afternoon she
entered his office and found him, to her relief, alone. He sprang up
from his table on seeing her, and said in a whisper, "I am so glad you
have come. I am in rather a quandary. Lord Donal Stirling is in London
on a flying visit. He called here yesterday."

The girl caught her breath, but said nothing.

"I explained to him the reasons I have for believing that it was
actually the Princess von Steinheimer whom he met at the Duchess of
Chiselhurst's ball. He laughed at me; there was no convincing him. He
said that theory was more absurd than the sending him a picture of
a housemaid as that of the lady he met at the ball. I used all the
arguments which you had used, but he brushed them aside as of no
consequence, and somehow the case did not appear to be as clear as when
you propounded your theory."

"Well, what then?" asked the girl.

"Why, then I asked him to come up here at four o'clock and hear what an
assistant of mine would say about the case."

"At four o'clock!" cried the girl in terror; "then he may be here at any
moment."

"He is here now; he is in the next room. Come in, and I will introduce
you, and then I want you to tell him all the circumstances which lead
you to believe that it was the Princess herself whom he met. I am sure
you can place all the points before him so tersely that you will succeed
in bringing him round to your own way of thinking. You will try, won't
you, Miss Baxter? It will be a very great obligement