gain, repeating this over and over, till it was plain
that she was in a bad humor,--a very bad humor.

At last she saw a man approaching her, and hurried to meet him. It was
Mr. Barnes. He, too, looked excited.

"Well, what is it? Why are you here?" he asked.

"I am discharged!"

"Discharged? Why?"

"I don't know why, but that devil Mitchel is at the bottom of it. He
locked me up for two hours this morning, and then told me Miss Remsen
would not need me any further. I felt like scratching his eyes out." She
then told the story to the detective, winding up with, "From what I did
catch of their conversation last night I think he has made a confidant
of his sweetheart. He asked her to help him and just as he was about to
tell her what to do, somehow he saw me and closed up like a clam. I
think now it had something to do with the child."

"By heaven, you are right. I see it all. I had just returned from that
house, when I got your note and came up here. I went to the school this
morning pretending that I wished to place a child there. Then, after a
while, I asked if my friend Mr. Mitchel's daughter, Rose, was not at the
school. 'Yes,' replied the woman in charge, 'but she has just left us.'
'Left you,' said I, 'when?' 'About ten minutes ago. Her mother called
for her in a carriage and took her away.' Don't you see, whilst you were
locked in that room, Miss Remsen went down and removed the child."

"But Miss Remsen is not her mother?"

"No, stupid. Haven't you any sense left at all? Are you going to be a
bungler all your life? This comes of your disobedience. You let Mitchel
see you in the elevated train, and now you find out how smart you were."

"Nonsense, he never recognized me."

"He did. I was a fool to trust such an important matter to a woman."

"Oh! were you? Well that woman is not such a fool as you think. I have
that button back."

"Ah! Good! How did you manage it?"

"They all went to the theatre last night, and I just hunted through Miss
Remsen's things till I found it, in one of her jewel-cases. Here it is."
Saying which, she handed to the detective the cameo button which he had
found in the room where the murder had been committed. He saw that it
was the same, and was somewhat comforted to have it back.

"Has Mr. Mitchel made Miss Remsen any present lately?" he asked.

"Yes, he gave her a magnificent ruby last night. Miss Remsen told me
that it is worth a fortune, and it looks it."

"How was i