no fear of that," I answered. "If it is bad for you,
think what it is for me." And then we went upstairs together.

Reaching his study, Mr. Wetherell led the way in and sat down. I went
across to the hearthrug and stood before him. "Now," I said, "we must
think this out from the very beginning, and to do that properly we must
consider every detail. Have you any objection to answering my
questions?"

"Ask any questions you like," he replied, "and I will answer them."

"In the first place, then, how soon after his arrival in the colony did
your daughter get to know that sham Beckenham?"

"Three days," he answered.

"At a dance, dinner party, picnic, or what?"

"At none of these things. The young man, it appears, had seen my
daughter in the street, and having been struck with her beauty asked one
of the aides-de-camp at Government House, with whom we are on intimate
terms, to bring him to call. At the time, I remember, I thought it a
particularly friendly action on his part."

"I don't doubt it," I answered. "Well that, I think, should tell us one
thing."

"And what is that?"

"That his instructions were to get to know your daughter without delay."

"But what could his reason have been?"

"Ah, that I cannot tell you just yet. Now you must pardon what I am
going to say: do you think he was serious in his intentions regarding
Phyllis--I mean your daughter?"

"Perfectly, as far as I could tell. His desire, he said, was, if she
would have him, to be allowed to marry her on his twenty-first birthday,
which would be next week, and in proof of permission he showed me a
cablegram from his father."

"A forgery, I don't doubt. Well, then, the only construction I can put
upon it is that the arrival of the real Beckenham in Sydney must have
frightened him, thus compelling the gang to resort to other means of
obtaining possession of her at once. Now our next business must be to
find out how that dastardly act was accomplished. May I ring the bell
and have up the coachman who drove your daughter to the ball?"

"By all means. Please act in every way in this matter as if this house
were your own."

I rang the bell, and when the butler appeared to answer it Mr. Wetherell
instructed him to find the man I wanted and send him up. The servant
left the room again, and for five minutes we awaited his reappearance in
silence. When he did come back he said, "Thompson has not come home yet,
sir."

"Not come home yet! Why, it's