e store of common-sense. To impose upon her would be
difficult, if not impossible. She is very quick to discern
character."

"And yet she trusted this Gualtier?"

"She did; and that is a thing which is inexplicable to me. I can only
account for it on the ground that she had known him so long, and had
been so accustomed to his obsequiousness and apparent
conscientiousness, that her usual penetration was at fault. I think
she trusted him, as I would have done, partly because there was no
other, and partly out of habit."

"What did you say was the name of the place where you were living
when your sister met with her accident?"

"Tenby."

"Was Gualtier living in the place?"

"No."

"Where was he?"

"In London."

"How did your sister know that he was there?"

"I can not tell."

"Did you know where he was?"

"I knew nothing about him. But my sister managed our affairs; and
when Gualtier left us I dare say he gave his address to my sister, in
case of our wanting his services again."

"You dismissed Gualtier, I suppose, because you had no longer need
for his services?"

"Yes."

"You say that she never treated him with any particular attention?"

"On the contrary, she never showed any thing but marked hauteur
toward him. I was indifferent--she took trouble to be dignified."

"Have you any living relatives?"

"No--none."

"Neither on the father's side nor the mother's?"

"No."

"Have you no guardian?"

"At my father's death there was a guardian--a nominal one--but he
left the country, and we have never seen him since."

"He is not now in England, then?"

"No."

The chief of police seemed now to have exhausted his questions. He
rose, and, with renewed apologies for the trouble which he had given,
left the room. Obed and Windham followed, and the former invited him
to the library--a room which was called by that name from the fact
that there was a book-shelf in it containing a few French novels.
Here they sat in silence for a time, and at length the chief began to
tell his conclusions.

"I generally keep my mind to myself," said he, "but it is very
necessary for you to know what I conceive to be the present aspect of
this very important case. Let us see, then, how I will analyze it.

"In the first place, remark the _position of the girls_.

"Two young inexperienced girls, rich, alone in the world, without any
relatives or any connections, managing their own affairs, living in
different plac