I expected, and I soon
learned what he had to tell. It was this: One of his men had suddenly
left him, one of his very best men, one of those who had been with him
in the capacity of waiter at the Ramsdell ball. It was not uncommon for
his men to leave him, but they usually gave notice. This man gave no
notice; he simply did not show up at the usual hour. This was a week
or two ago. Jones, having a liking for the man, who was an excellent
waiter, sent a messenger to his lodging-house to see if he were ill.
But he had left his lodgings with as little ceremony as he had left the
caterer.

"This, under ordinary circumstances, would have ended the business, but
there being some great function in prospect, Jones did not feel like
losing so good a man without making an effort to recover him, so he
looked up his references in the hope of obtaining some clue to his
present whereabouts.

"He kept all such matters in a special book and expected to have no
trouble in finding the man's name, James Wellgood, or that of his former
employer But when he came to consult this book, he was astonished to
find that nothing was recorded against this man's name but the date of
his first employment--March 15.

"Had he hired him without a recommendation? He would not be likely to,
yet the page was clear of all reference; only the name and the date.
But the date! You have already noted its significance, and later he did,
too. The day of the Ramsdell ball! The day of the great murder! As
he recalled the incidents of that day he understood why the record of
Wellgood's name was unaccompanied by the usual reference. It had been
a difficult day all round. The function was an important one, and the
weather bad. There was, besides, an unusual shortage in his number of
assistants. Two men had that very morning been laid up with sickness,
and when this able-looking, self-confident Wellgood presented himself
for immediate employment, he took him out of hand with the merest
glance at what looked like a very satisfactory reference. Later, he
had intended to look up this reference, which he had been careful to
preserve by sticking it, along with other papers, on his spike-file. But
in the distractions following the untoward events of the evening, he had
neglected to do so, feeling perfectly satisfied with the man's work and
general behavior. Now it was a different thing. The man had left
him summarily, and he felt impelled to hunt up the person who had