more than nod, he went on:

"Well, you'll have to have a lot better luck than I've had, to have
any at all. Miss Vale, it seems, is a young lady who knows very well
how to say nothing. I've been here something like an hour and have put
her through a regular third degree; but I've had my labor for my
pains, as the saying is. She has told me nothing except her opinion of
the newspapers and the police."

"Miss Vale will see you, sir," said the man servant, returning.

"And so you've given it up?" queried the investigator of Osborne.

The big headquarters man shrugged his shoulders.

"Hardly," said he. "I've set a time on the thing. We scarcely like to
go to extremes, as you perhaps know; but unless a clean breast of the
matter is made, as far as the party knows," modifying his language
because of the listening servant, "the same party will know what the
inside of a cell is like by this time to-morrow."

"You really mean to make an arrest?"

"If we are forced to--yes."

Ashton-Kirk followed him to the door:

"Extend the time limit," suggested he. "Make it the day after
to-morrow, and," elevating his brows, "I don't think that you'll need
to do anything unpleasant."

"Ah," said Osborne, "you're onto something!" He regarded the other
questioningly for a moment, then broke into a grin. "No use to ask
what it is, I suppose? I thought not. Well," reflectively, and in a
lowered tone, "it won't do any harm to oblige you, if the front office
is willing. The party can't make a move that we won't know about; and
the fact is, I've just advised that no going out of any kind be
ventured on. So long, and good luck."

The door closed behind Osborne, and then Ashton-Kirk followed the
soft-footed servant down the hall, up the stairs and into the presence
of Edyth Vale.

The girl received him smilingly.

"I'm getting to be a regular occurrence," said he, as he sat down.

"But a welcome one, nevertheless," she returned. "Indeed, if it were
not for certain other depressing circumstances, I'd find your visits
dreadfully exciting."

"I suppose Osborne is one of the circumstances referred to. I just met
him in the hall, and he seemed to be quite in a state of mind. What
have you been saying to him?--or rather," smiling, "what have you
_not_ been saying to him?"

"He came on what he calls 'police business,'" smiled Miss Vale. "I
considered it quite an alarming expression, and said so; but that made
no impression on him, for he