g the longest route home by going over to Madison
Avenue. In fact, he felt like walking, he said. It was this queer
route that set me to telling him about Voisin's promenade, and I wound
up by wondering if you would take a new route, too. At that he took my
arm and let me know in that polite way of his that he suspected our
little game; that he knew how anxious you were for his safety, and
that he appreciated your interest. "But," says he, "don't you see that
if there is danger abroad to-night, it is Masters who runs the risk?"
I saw that he was really uneasy, and so when he proposed that we
should hasten on to Fifty-seventh Street and go down past Miss Jenrys'
once more, I agreed, thinking, I will admit, that it was a sort of
fool's errand.

'Well, sir, we had been walking at a brisk pace and were half-way down
the block between the avenues, when we saw a figure start out from the
corner beyond, and run across the street. We were almost at the
corner, and to avoid the light just there we crossed the street and
went along in the shadow of the trees and buildings, past the light
and on to the opposite corner. We had just reached it and had stopped
to look and listen for the skulkers, when we saw you come into the
light, stop, look about, and seem to listen.

'"He's after that fellow," I whispered to Lossing; "let's keep quiet
and be ready to lend a hand." We could just see the fellow jump out at
you. It's lucky the night was so clear, the shade was so thick just
there.'

CHAPTER XXIV.

'IT IS OUR FIRST CLUE.'

Miss Jenrys met me that morning almost at the threshold. She had
passed a restless night, for my message had not wholly allayed her
fear, and she did not conceal the fact.

'I have been very anxious,' were her first words. 'Perhaps I have been
foolish, but somehow I seem to have got into a new world, and I might
very well pose for a Braddon heroine. I believe I am growing
hysterical. What with my own little mystery, which seems to have
stepped into the background, happily for me, and all the bigger
mysteries--but there,' breaking into a nervous laugh, 'I can hold my
tongue. Now tell me what happened last night. Oh!' catching my look of
surprise, 'something happened, I know. I felt it.'

She was indeed woefully nervous, but to withhold anything would only
increase the strain; so I told her as briefly as possible the story of
my encounter, and the part played in it by Lossing and Dave. But I did
not