The fact that we were about to exploit the Roe letter had in itself
aroused fresh hopes in the hearts of Hilda O'Neil and the father of
Gerald Trent, and we decided to keep the important fact that the
letter had revealed to us between ourselves.

For a few days it should be known to none but our two selves;
meantime, from those few days we hoped for much.

We had hoped much; and, after two days of waiting, something had
happened indeed! The little brunette who had been so mysteriously
interested in June Jenrys, who had shown herself, and himself, an
active member of the 'clique,' lay dead at the Morgue, murdered--by
whom?

'I can't look at it as an unmitigated misfortune,' declared Dave, in
reply to some of my self-condemnatory moralizing. 'Let us admit that
the fellow's letter did cause his death. Wasn't it because he wrote it
quite as much or more than because you printed it? And even grant you
it was your deed, all of it, haven't you been labouring to get that
chap where he could do no more harm? Mark me! if we ever learn who
that lad is, he will prove to be one of the outlaws that the gaol and
the halter were especially meant for.'

This I could not doubt, and I took such comfort in it as I might.

Of course the detective who had been in search of the brunette was at
once summoned, through Dave and myself, and the only information
brought out by the inquest was that which, between us, we gave. He was
a 'crook,' and would have been arrested by myself, had he lived, upon
a charge of masquerading in woman's dress while carrying out illegal
schemes. Corey, the only name I shall dare give the clever Chicago
detective, declared the body to be that of a person, name unknown, for
whom he held a warrant upon a charge of robbery; and, lying dead in
the Morgue, the 'little brunette' was arraigned and proven guilty of
participating in the Lausch diamond robbery, of World's Fair fame, and
a portion of the spoil was produced as having been found upon his
person. The jewels were duly turned over to Monsieur Lausch, who had
now recovered nearly, if not quite, half of the jewels he had lost,
these all having been in the possession of the brunette.

Between the event of the morning and the hour of the inquest I had
been busy, and when it was over I hastened to my room to arm myself
with certain papers and intent upon securing the warrants, all save
one, for which I had so lately planned.

At the door of my room a tall figu