romance,'
he said genially, when I'd finished. 'Now, doc,' I went on, 'will you
be frank with me? Have you here now, or have you had here at any time,
a young girl called Jane Finn?' He repeated the name thoughtfully. 'Jane
Finn?' he said. 'No.'

"I was chagrined, and I guess I showed it. 'You are sure?' 'Quite sure,
Mr. Hersheimmer. It is an uncommon name, and I should not have been
likely to forget it.'

"Well, that was flat. It laid me out for a space. I'd kind of hoped
my search was at an end. 'That's that,' I said at last. 'Now, there's
another matter. When I was hugging that darned branch I thought I
recognized an old friend of mine talking to one of your nurses.' I
purposely didn't mention any name because, of course, Whittington might
be calling himself something quite different down here, but the doctor
answered at once. 'Mr. Whittington, perhaps?' 'That's the fellow,' I
replied. 'What's he doing down here? Don't tell me HIS nerves are out of
order?'

"Dr. Hall laughed. 'No. He came down to see one of my nurses, Nurse
Edith, who is a niece of his.' 'Why, fancy that!' I exclaimed. 'Is he
still here?' 'No, he went back to town almost immediately.' 'What a
pity!' I ejaculated. 'But perhaps I could speak to his niece--Nurse
Edith, did you say her name was?'

"But the doctor shook his head. 'I'm afraid that, too, is impossible.
Nurse Edith left with a patient to-night also.' 'I seem to be real
unlucky,' I remarked. 'Have you Mr. Whittington's address in town?
I guess I'd like to look him up when I get back.' 'I don't know his
address. I can write to Nurse Edith for it if you like.' I thanked him.
'Don't say who it is wants it. I'd like to give him a little surprise.'

"That was about all I could do for the moment. Of course, if the girl
was really Whittington's niece, she might be too cute to fall into the
trap, but it was worth trying. Next thing I did was to write out a wire
to Beresford saying where I was, and that I was laid up with a sprained
foot, and telling him to come down if he wasn't busy. I had to be
guarded in what I said. However, I didn't hear from him, and my foot
soon got all right. It was only ricked, not really sprained, so to-day I
said good-bye to the little doctor chap, asked him to send me word if
he heard from Nurse Edith, and came right away back to town. Say, Miss
Tuppence, you're looking mighty pale!"

"It's Tommy," said Tuppence. "What can have happened to him?"

"Buck up, I gue