e floor, impetuously paused.
It had reached the spot where the two bodies had been found, and
unconsciously her eyes rested there, conjuring up the picture of the
bleeding father and the strangled child. How piteous and how dreadful
it all was. If she could only understand--Suddenly she rose straight
up, staring and immovable in the dim light. Had the idea--the
explanation--the only possible explanation covering the whole phenomena
come to her at last?

It would seem so, for as she so stood, a look of conviction settled over
her features, and with this look, evidences of a horror which for all
her fast accumulating knowledge of life and its possibilities made her
appear very small and very helpless.

A half-hour later, when Mrs. Hammond, in her anxiety at hearing nothing
more from Miss Strange, opened the door of her room, it was to find,
lying on the edge of the sill, the little detective's card with these
words hastily written across it:

I do not feel as well as I could wish, and so have telephoned to my own
coachman to come and take me home. I will either see or write you within
a few days. But do not allow yourself to hope. I pray you do not allow
yourself the least hope; the outcome is still very problematical.

When Violet's employer entered his office the next morning it was to
find a veiled figure awaiting him which he at once recognized as that of
his little deputy. She was slow in lifting her veil and when it finally
came free he felt a momentary doubt as to his wisdom in giving her just
such a matter as this to investigate. He was quite sure of his mistake
when he saw her face, it was so drawn and pitiful.

"You have failed," said he.

"Of that you must judge," she answered; and drawing near she whispered
in his ear.

"No!" he cried in his amazement.

"Think," she murmured, "think. Only so can all the facts be accounted
for."

"I will look into it; I will certainly look into it," was his earnest
reply. "If you are right--But never mind that. Go home and take a
horseback ride in the Park. When I have news in regard to this I will
let you know. Till then forget it all. Hear me, I charge you to forget
everything but your balls and your parties."

And Violet obeyed him.

Some few days after this, the following statement appeared in all the
papers:

"Owing to some remarkable work done by the firm of ---- & ----, the
well-known private detective agency, the claim made by Mrs. George
Hammond agains