atal shot,
though I could never absolutely bring the murder home to him. However,
we fixed the burglary on this precious pair, and both got a ten-years'
sentence, but escaped by bribing the gaolers, and successfully made
their way to Salt Lake City, after which, like a fool, I ceased to
bother my head about them. This was six years ago you see," added
Kenyon, "and I wasn't quite so well posted in the ways of criminals as I
am now supposed to be. Well, gentlemen, about a couple of years after
this I myself became affianced to a sweet young girl named Roxana
Kenyon, my own cousin on the father's side; and, as I was rapidly rising
in my new profession, we had every prospect of being united at no
distant date; but, to save time, I had better carry my story forward
another two years--that is, bringing it to the year 1879, when our
wedding-day was fixed for the 15th of April. Our house was taken and
furnished throughout, and everything was duly arranged; but, on the
night before the wedding, my bride disappeared as completely as if the
very earth had opened and swallowed her." For a moment the stern
detective faltered, and, overcome by his conflicting emotions, buried
his face in his bands, quickly, however, recovering himself and
continuing his story. "There," he said impatiently, "it was all over,
and the rest is soon told. On Roxana's bed, which had not been slept
in, I discovered a scrap of white paper with a dead black circle
skilfully drawn upon it--exactly similar, let me remark, to that
hieroglyphic found upon the body of the late Lady Drelincourt, only that
in my case, upon the reverse side of the paper, there appeared the
words: `_Zero gets even with Stanforth Kenyon over the Harmsworth
burglary_.' I knew the writing well, and the hand that wrote it was the
hand of Monckton Bassett. Without loss of time, I beat up his career
subsequent to the burglary and prior to the abduction, and discovered
through trusted agents that he had been absent from the New World for
nearly three years, and after having returned to Utah, possessed of
considerable property and accompanied by the woman he calls his wife,
had again gone abroad, and was then believed to be somewhere in South
Africa engaged upon business connected with the community of the Latter
Day Saints.

"I at once sent in my resignation to the Chief of Police, who, however,
refused to accept it, giving me instead a three years' holiday to
prosecute my search,