en explained to
the girl the situation that had developed, which was so perilous to her
young mistress. When the maid had recovered from her first dismay, she
told freely all that she knew, and this was sufficient easily to give
Van Dusen the suspicion that the family physician might be in fact the
guilty man, who was responsible for Ethel's disappearance.

The detective's next visit was to the office of Doctor Garnet. There he
found the physician's secretary much worried over the prolonged and
unexplained absence of his employer. He declared that the last time he
had seen Doctor Garnet was several days before when he had left in
answer to a hurry call from the victim of an accident. The secretary
added that he had made careful inquiries in every possible direction,
but had been unable to find any trace whatsoever of the missing man.

Van Dusen gave only vague answers to the anxious questions put by the
secretary. He stated merely that a client of his was anxious to get in
touch with the physician. Then, without more ado, he hastened to keep
his appointment with Roy. His own face, now he was alone without any
necessity for the mask of indifference, was deeply perturbed.
Consternation was written in his expression. His deductions brought him
face to face with the fact that Garnet was actively concerned in the
mystery. Either the physician was actually guilty of abducting his girl
patient for some evil purpose of his own, or else he himself was also a
victim of the kidnappers along with Ethel. Or, finally, the man had
suddenly become deranged from nerve strain and overwork, and in this
irresponsible condition had stolen away the girl, with what crazy design
none might guess. This possibility was even more dreadful than the
others since there could be no certainty as to what the madman might
intend. Van Dusen realized, with a shudder of horror, that in haste must
lie the only chance of rescuing the girl from some horrible fate. It
seemed to him that the single feasible plan would be to follow down the
coast according to the directions given in Ethel's letter to Roy. While
doing this the wireless on his yacht would keep constantly in touch with
all Southern ports and with the coastwise steamers for news of _The
Isabel_. Then whenever the stolen yacht should be located, if fortune so
favored, it would be pursued with all speed in the hope of effecting a
rescue.

Van Dusen found Roy pacing uneasily to and fro in an outer ro