at your home in the latter part of the
afternoon."

"Very well," said Jones, and he scribbled on a piece of paper. "I'll be
there at half-past four o'clock."

Nick thanked Mr. Jones for his courtesy, and immediately withdrew. But
he did not go far.

In a convenient doorway he wrote a note to Chick, on the back of the
scrap of paper which Jones had given him, and sealed it in an envelope.

Then he sent Gaspard with it to Chick, who was on the lookout in the
undertaker's room, where the body lay.

Having dispatched this message, Nick changed his disguise and kept watch
over the establishment of Allen, Morse & Jones.

Nothing of importance happened until a little after noon, when a reply
came from Chick.

Translated from the detective's cipher, it read as follows:

"The address is that of a good flat house. Jones lives there with
his wife.

"They have been there only about two months. Nobody in the house
knows anything about them.

"They had one servant, who was taken sick about two weeks ago and
carried to a hospital, where she died.

"Since then they have lived absolutely alone. There was nobody in
the house who had seen Mrs. Jones' face. She always wore a heavy
veil.

"The only description I could get tallied with that of the body. The
principal point was the hair.

"I have just found a woman who saw Mr. and Mrs. Jones go out
yesterday afternoon. She remembers Mrs. Jones' dress. The
description agrees with that found on the corpse.

"Jones carried an alligator-skin traveling-bag. Nobody saw either of
them come back to the house, but Jones evidently slept there.

"I shall take the woman who saw them go out to the room where the
body lies.

"Will send Patsy down with the result of this effort at
identification. I believe it will show the woman to be Mrs. Jones. I
send this that you may have warning."

"CHICK."

Nick read this note and then glanced across the street toward the office
of Allen, Morse & Jones.

Through the window he could see Jones calmly writing a letter. Could it
be possible that this man was guilty of so hideous a crime?

Half an hour passed, and then came the second message, as follows:

"Identified as Mrs. Jones."

CHAPTER IV.

ALL SORTS OF IDENTIFICATIONS.

"I am sorry to tell you, Mr. Jones, that the body of the woman murdered
last night has been identified as that of y