e from there. Judge Rossmore is there, all right, but his
daughter has left for parts unknown."

"Gone away--where?" exclaimed the financier.

This was what he dreaded. As long as he could keep his eye on the
girl there was little danger of Jefferson making a fool of
himself; with her disappeared everything was possible.

"I could not find out, sir. Their neighbours don't know much about
them. They say they're haughty and stuck up. The only one I could
get anything out of was a parson named Deetle. He said it was a
sad case, that they had reverses and a daughter who was in
Paris--"

"Yes, yes," said Ryder impatiently, "we know all that. But where's
the daughter now?"

"Search me, sir. I even tried to pump the Irish slavey. Gee, what
a vixen! She almost flew at me. She said she didn't know and
didn't care."

Ryder brought his fist down with force on his desk, a trick he had
when he wished to emphasize a point.

"Sergeant, I don't like the mysterious disappearance of that girl.
You must find her, do you hear, you must find her if it takes all
the sleuths in the country. Had my son been seen there?"

"The parson said he saw a young fellow answering his description
sitting on the porch of the Rossmore cottage the evening before
the girl disappeared, but he didn't know who he was and hasn't
seen him since."

"That was my son, I'll wager. He knows where the girl is. Perhaps
he's with her now. Maybe he's going to marry her. That must be
prevented at any cost. Sergeant, find that Rossmore girl and I'll
give you $1,000."

The detective's face flushed with pleasure at the prospect of so
liberal a reward. Rising he said:

"I'll find her, sir. I'll find her."

Mr. Bagley entered, wearing the solemn, important air he always
affected when he had to announce a visitor of consequence. But
before he could open his mouth Mr. Ryder said:

"Bagley, when did you see my son, Jefferson, last?"

"To-day, sir. He wanted to see you to say good-bye. He said he
would be back."

Ryder gave a sigh of relief and addressing the detective said:

"It's not so bad as I thought." Then turning again to his
secretary he asked:

"Well, Bagley, what is it?"

"There's a lady downstairs, sir--Miss Shirley Green."

The financier half sprang from his seat.

"Oh, yes. Show her up at once. Good-bye, sergeant, good-bye. Find
that Rossmore woman and the $1,000 is yours."

The detective went out and a few moments later Mr. Bagley
reappea