spectfully,

Caroline Davis.

"No doubt that's the woman," commented Gryce. "We are fortunate in
hitting her trail at this critical moment."

He had already glanced at the mutilated photograph lying before him, but
now he took it up.

"Very little here," he remarked as he examined first the face of it and
then the back. "But if you will let me take it, I may find that its place
is in our incompleted chain."

"Take it, and if you would like to have a talk with the woman
herself----"

"Yes, Chief; I would like that above all things."

"Very good. I'm expecting her here any minute, but--Well, what now?
What's up?"

An officer had entered hurriedly after one quick knock.

"Mrs. Davis' lodger is gone," said he. "Left without a word to anybody.
When they went to her room they found it empty, with a five-dollar bill
pinned to the riddled cushion. As nobody saw her go, we are as much at
sea as ever."

A smile, both curious and fine, crossed Mr. Gryce's lips as he listened
to this, and turning earnestly to the Chief, he begged for the job of
looking her up.

"I think with the little start we now have that I can find her," said he.
"At all events, I should like to try."

"And let the other matter rest quiescent meanwhile?"

"If it will."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I hardly know myself, Chief. All is hazy yet, but skies clear, and so do
most of our problems. If the two ends of my string should chance to come
together----"

But here a look from his Chief stopped him.

"Let us pray that they won't. But if they do, we shall not shirk our
duty, Gryce."

XIX

MR. GRYCE AND THE TIMID CHILD

"Assurance does it, sir--a great deal of assurance. Not that I have
much----"

Here Mr. Gryce laughed, with the result that Sweetwater laughed also. A
moment of fun was a welcome relief, and they both made the most of it.

"Not that I lack it entirely," Sweetwater hastened to say. Then they
laughed again--after which their talk proceeded on serious lines.

"Sweetwater, what is that you once told me about a family named Duclos?"

"Why, this, sir: There is one such family in town, as Peters discovered
in looking up the name in the directory a day or two after Madame's
disappearance. But there's nothing to be learned from them. Mr. and Mrs.
Edward Duclos are a most respectable couple and have but one answer to
every question. They know no one of their name outside their own family.
Though the man of the ho