adeline, he bade the old woman a kind
good-night, and retraced his steps across the field and back to the
village.

* * * * *

When the night train halted at Bellair, Jarvis seated himself in the
smoking-car, feeling quite self-satisfied. When the train moved on, he
lighted a very black cigar, and began to contemplate the situation.

"Well, how do we stand now?"

As the voice of Clarence Vaughan fell upon his ear, Jarvis bounded
from his seat like an india rubber ball and stared wildly at the young
man who had dropped down into the seat beside him as if from the
ceiling.

"Well, you are a rum one," said he, at last. "Might I ask where you
came from?"

"From the ladies' carriage."

"Oh!" with the air of having made a discovery. "So you ride out of the
city in a smoking-car for the purpose of riding back in the ladies'
carriage?"

Clarence laughed again, settled himself comfortably in his seat and
took out his cigar case. "Not exactly," proceeding to light a weed. "I
am on pretty much the same business that you are, to-night." Then,
taking a big puff, "I have been to Bellair, like yourself."

"The deuce you have!"

"Yes; how did your business prosper?"

Jarvis eyed him sharply. "Perhaps you know already."

"Perhaps I do. You have not got to look for stolen diamonds, have
you?"

Jarvis laughed derisively.

"Or stolen money?" pursued Clarence.

Jarvis shrugged his shoulders.

"Or stolen--_papers_?"

Jarvis began to look foxy.

"Or a runaway young woman?"

Jarvis thought furiously for a moment; then turning square upon his
interlocutor, said, significantly: "So there are stolen papers?"

Clarence smiled, but said nothing.

"And," pursued Jarvis, "when one loses one's papers, say deeds, or
a--marriage certificate, one naturally thinks of hunting the records
for proofs that such papers existed."

"And that is your work?"

Jarvis nodded.

"Take you out of the city?"

"Only a few miles."

Clarence reflected for a time, and then said: "You can do your work,
but report all discoveries _to me_."

Jarvis assented, and they continued to talk of the matter in hand
until the city was reached. Then, having made an appointment for the
coming day, and agreed to let the work of shadowing the gambler or,
rather, his business, remain a "private spec." to Jarvis, they
separated.

Thoroughly wearied, Clarence sought his bachelor apartments and the
repose he so much needed