t, would be
irretrievably to show his hand in the game, and that would be suicidal
to his investigation should his swift suspicion chance to be
groundless.

The sharp ring of the telephone put an end to his cogitations. He put
the receiver to his ear with a preoccupied frown, but at the first
words which came to him over the wire his expression changed to one of
keenest concentration.

"Am I speaking to the gentleman who talked with me at the working
girls' club?" a clear, fresh young voice asked. "This is Margaret
Hefferman, Mr. Rockamore's stenographer--that is, I was until ten
minutes ago, but I have been discharged."

"Discharged!" Blaine's voice was eager and crisp as he reiterated her
last word. "On what pretext?"

"It was not exactly a pretext," the girl replied. "The office boy
accused me of taking shorthand notes of a private conversation between
my employer and a visitor, and I could not convince Mr. Rockamore of
my innocence. I--I must have been clumsy, I'm afraid."

"You have the notes with you?"

"Yes."

"The visitor's name was Paddington?"

"Yes, sir."

Blaine considered for a moment; then, his decision made, he spoke
rapidly in a clear undertone.

"You know the department store of Mead & Rathbun? Meet me there in the
ladies' writing-room in half an hour. Where are you now?"

"In a booth in the drug-store just around the corner from the building
where Mr. Rockamore's offices are located."

"Very good. Take as round-about a route as you can to reach Mead &
Rathbun's, and see if you are followed. If you are and you find it
impossible to shake off your shadow, do not try to meet me, but go
directly to the club and I will communicate with you there later."

"Oh, I don't think I've been followed, but I'll be very careful. If
everything is all right, I will meet you at the place you named in
half an hour. Good-by."

Henry Blaine paced the floor for a time in undisguised perturbation.
His move in placing inexperienced girls from Anita Lawton's club in
responsible positions, instead of using his own trained operatives,
had been based not upon impulse but on mature reflection. The girls
were unknown, whereas his operatives would assuredly have been
recognized, sooner or later, especially in the offices of Carlis and
Rockamore. Moreover, the ruse adopted to obtain positions for Miss
Lawton's protegees had appeared on the surface to be a flawlessly
legitimate one. He had counted upon their loyalty