een busy putting things to rights, and if it does not look
very tidy here you must excuse it. Gabrielle has gone away, no one
knows why or where."

Jack glanced significantly at Percival, and said carelessly:

"Gabrielle? She was the nurse?"

"Yes, and I have been obliged to look after the baby, to help the
maids with the cleaning and dusting, to assist the cook, to look
after things generally and to keep father and mother from getting
into the dumps."

"Did Gabrielle do all these things?"

"Oh, no, but when one maid goes the others want to, and it has been
a difficult matter to keep them all contented and busy. Gabrielle
was a good nurse, but a bit flighty and quite excitable."

"But you don't know that she has gone for good?"

"She took her boxes, and went away very unexpectedly. It may have
been on account of the fire, but we don't know. She has never gone
away like this before, but I suppose an excitable person, such as
she was, is liable to do strange things at any time."

"It must be very awkward to be without help at such a time, and
if we are any trouble---"

"Oh, no, don't think of going," said Margaret hurriedly. "By the
way, did you find an owner for the watch?"

"We have had several claimants, but no real owner," said Jack. "It
is a very handsome one, and almost anybody might be excused for
wanting it."

"Yes, indeed. I would like very much to have it myself. How could
it have been here when it does not belong to any one in our family?"

"There were strangers here last night, and we think that the man who
stole it put it in Jack's pocket by mistake when he saw that the
police were watching him."

"But we did not miss anything ourselves. One would think that if
thieves were about they would try to pick up something when there
was so much excitement. It seems very mysterious to me."

"Yes, and to every one," said Percival. Mr. and Mrs. Van der Donk
came in shortly, and for a time there was a very pleasant
conversation, but at last the old gentleman got upon the subject of
his family, and before long the boys were yawning, and the old lady
fast asleep.

"You will have to excuse us," said Percival, getting up, "but we
boys had very little sleep last night, and we have to be back at
nine o'clock in any event."

The boys took their leave, and when once clear of the house Percival
said with a grin:

"I could not stand the old man and his genealogy, although we could
have stayed a