Wetherell hobbled across to receive him with an anxious face. "Have you
any better tidings for me?" he asked.

"Not very much, I'm afraid, sir," the Inspector said, shaking his head.
"The best I have to tell you is that your carriage and horse have been
found in the yard of an empty house off Pitt Street."

"Have you been able to discover any clue as to who put them there?"

"Not one! The horse was found out of the shafts tied to the wall. There
was not a soul about the place."

Wetherell sat down again and covered his face with his hands. At that
instant the telephone bell in the corner of the room rang sharply. I
jumped up and went across to it. Placing the receivers to my ears, I
heard a small voice say, "Is that Mr. Wetherell's house, Potts Point?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Who is speaking?"

"Mr. Hatteras. Mr. Wetherell, however, is in the room. Who are you?"

"Detective officer. Will you tell Mr. Wetherell that Mr. Draper's house
has been discovered?"

I communicated the message to Mr. Wetherell, and then the Inspector
joined me at the instrument and spoke. "Where is the house?" he
inquired.

"83, Charlemagne Street--north side."

"Very good. Inspector Murdkin speaking. Let plain clothes men be
stationed at either end of the street, and tell them to be on the look
out for Draper, and to wait for me. I'll start for the house at once."

He rang off and then turned to me.

"Are you too tired to come with me, Mr. Hatteras?" he inquired.

"Of course not," I answered. "Let us go at once."

"God bless you!" said Wetherell. "I hope you may catch the fellow."

Bidding him good-bye, we went downstairs again, and jumped into the cab,
which was directed to the street in question.

Though it was a good distance from our starting-point, in less than half
an hour we had pulled up at the corner. As the cab stopped, a tall man,
dressed in blue serge, who had been standing near the lamp-post, came
forward and touched his hat.

"Good-morning, Williams," said the Inspector. "Any sign of our man?"

"Not one, sir. He hasn't come down the street since I've been here."

"Very good. Now come along and we'll pay the house a visit."

So saying he told the cabman to follow us slowly, and we proceeded down
the street. About half-way along he stopped and pointed to a house on
the opposite side.

"That is the house his lordship mentioned, with the broken windows, and
this is where Mr. Draper dwells, if I am not much mi