ter Jamieson went rapidly
down the drive, the cob's feet striking fire at every step. Louise
stood looking after them. When she turned around she faced Gertrude,
who stood indignant, almost tragic, in the hall.

"You KNOW what threatens Halsey, Louise," she said accusingly. "I
believe you know this whole horrible thing, this mystery that we are
struggling with. If anything happens to Halsey, I shall never forgive
you."

Louise only raised her hands despairingly and dropped them again.

"He is as dear to me as he is to you," she said sadly. "I tried to
warn him."

"Nonsense!" I said, as briskly as I could. "We are making a lot of
trouble out of something perhaps very small. Halsey was probably
late--he is always late. Any moment we may hear the car coming up the
road."

But it did not come. After a half-hour of suspense, Louise went out
quietly, and did not come back. I hardly knew she was gone until I
heard the station hack moving off. At eleven o'clock the telephone
rang. It was Mr. Jamieson.

"I have found the Dragon Fly, Miss Innes," he said. "It has collided
with a freight car on the siding above the station. No, Mr. Innes was
not there, but we shall probably find him. Send Warner for the car."

But they did not find him. At four o'clock the next morning we were
still waiting for news, while Alex watched the house and Sam the
grounds. At daylight I dropped into exhausted sleep. Halsey had not
come back, and there was no word from the detective.

CHAPTER XXVI

HALSEY'S DISAPPEARANCE

Nothing that had gone before had been as bad as this. The murder and
Thomas' sudden death we had been able to view in a detached sort of
way. But with Halsey's disappearance everything was altered. Our
little circle, intact until now, was broken. We were no longer
onlookers who saw a battle passing around them. We were the center of
action. Of course, there was no time then to voice such an idea. My
mind seemed able to hold only one thought: that Halsey had been foully
dealt with, and that every minute lost might be fatal.

Mr. Jamieson came back about eight o'clock the next morning: he was
covered with mud, and his hat was gone. Altogether, we were a
sad-looking trio that gathered around a breakfast that no one could
eat. Over a cup of black coffee the detective told us what he had
learned of Halsey's movements the night before. Up to a certain point
the car had made it easy enough to follow h