our wife."

So spoke Nick, and this time Jones' calmness was not proof against the
surprise.

"It can't be possible!" he exclaimed, leaping from his chair.

"I am so informed," said Nick, "and I must place you under arrest."

"But there is some infernal mistake here," said the accused. "I know
that my wife is all right. This must be somebody else."

"A lady living in the same house with you has recognized the body."

"I don't care if she has. Nobody in that house knows my wife."

"Is there anybody in the city who does know her?"

"I can't think of anybody."

"How about the grocer with whom you traded?"

"Our servant attended to all that till she was taken sick. Since then
I've done what little there was to do. We've eaten most of our meals at
restaurants."

"What restaurants?"

"Oh, all around. There's the Alcazar, for instance, where we have
sometimes dined together."

"Does the head waiter there know her?"

"I suppose he would remember her face. He doesn't know the name."

"All right. I'll have him look at the body."

"But, man, you're going to let me look at it, aren't you?" exclaimed
Jones. "That would settle it, I should think."

"I'll take you there now, and we will try to get somebody from the
Alcazar at the same time."

Nick took the prisoner at once to the Alcazar. The head waiter
remembered Jones' face. He had seen him dining with a lady who had
beautiful light hair.

The three went to the undertaker's rooms.

Nick watched Jones narrowly as he approached the body. He started
violently at the first sight of it. Then he became calm.

"The hair is wonderfully like," he said, "but there is no resemblance
between the two faces."

"That is true, gentlemen," said the head waiter; "this is not the lady."

"On the contrary," said a voice close beside them, "I believe that this
lady was your wife, Mr. Jones."

All the color went out of Jones' face as he turned quickly toward the
man who had spoken.

"Ah, Mr. Gottlieb," he said, "I am surprised to hear you say that."

"Mr. Gottlieb is the grocer from whom the Joneses bought their
supplies," said Chick, who had advanced to Nick's side.

"I was not aware that you had ever seen my wife," said Jones, looking
searchingly at the grocer.

"I never saw her plainly," said Gottlieb. "She came into my store once
or twice, but always closely veiled. So I cannot be sure; and, of
course, if you insist that this is not your wife's body, I must be
mi