ferent last night. Looked to me as
she was going to some sort of an evening affair: a dance or the theatre
or something of that sort; for she didn't have any hat on, and although
she was wearing a long black cloak that reached almost to the ground, I
could see when she made such a bolt to get out of sight that it was
lined with ermine, and that, under it, she wore a rose-pink evening
frock that she was holding up to keep from touching the ground."

Cleek did not so much as turn a hair, although beneath his placid
exterior something in the nature of a tumult was raging. And why not?
For here, undoubtedly, was the pink gauze dress that had left the
fragment on the nail head at Gleer Cottage last night; and here, too,
was a garment which, being turned inside out, would become in truth an
ermine cloak!

"Oho! Now I see how you came by the idea that Mr. Harry had gone out to
meet her, Hamer," he said with the utmost serenity. "Quite natural,
quite, in the circumstances; only, as it turns out, you were mistaken.
Mr. Harry spent the evening with me, and as we had the misfortune to
miss the Pink Lady altogether, we didn't see her at all last night,
worse luck. But, I say, that's letting you into something, isn't it?
Well, here's half a crown to pay you to forget all about it and to keep
your tongue behind your teeth. Understand?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. Much obliged, sir. Won't breathe a word to a
living soul."

"Mind you don't, or you'll spoil sport and--wait! Stop a moment! Got
time to do something for me?"

"Oh, yes, indeed, sir. Plenty of time; no end of it this evening. Master
says he'll be up best part of the night reading, sir, and won't need me
at all to-night; so if it's to go anywhere or to carry any message for
you, sir, I've got hours at my disposal."

"Thanks, but I shan't require any more than a minute or two of your
time. I'll just scrawl a line on the leaf of my notebook, and--ph, blow!
Another fellow's evening clothes! And, besides, when I come to think, it
was in the pocket of the coat that confounded thief carried off. Slip
into the library and get me a sheet of paper and a bit of pencil, will
you? Look sharp!"

"Couldn't do that, sir--couldn't get what you want from the library, I
mean. Master's in there reading, sir, and he's locked the door and given
orders that nobody's to disturb him. But if a bit of typewriting paper
will do, sir----"

"Yes, certainly. The very thing. Can you get me a shee