nheritance. It's being done in
society, these days."

"Poor Van Cleft! He's besieged by blackmailers, who threaten to lay
bare his father's extravagant innuendos, unless he pays fifty thousand
dollars. He can afford it, but as he says, it's war times and money
is scarce as brunette chorus girls. He has put the matter before the
District Attorney and is going to sail for Far Cathay until they round
up the gang. These criminals are so clumsy nowadays, I imagine it will
be an easy task, don't you, Warren?"

The other man's eyes narrowed to black slits as he studied the childlike
expression of Shirley's face. He wondered if there could be a covert
threat in this innocent confidence. He answered laconically: "Oh, I
suppose so. We read about crooks in the magazines and then see their
capers in the motion picture thrillers, but down in real life, we find
them a sordid, unimaginative lot of rogues."

He proffered Shirley a cigarette from his jeweled case. As he leaned
toward the table to draw a match from the small bronze holder, Helene
observed Shirley deftly substitute it for one of his own, secreting the
first.

"Yes," continued Shirley, "the criminal who is caught generally loses
his game because he is mechanical and ungifted with talent. But think of
the criminals who have yet to be captured--the brilliant, the inspired
ones, the chess-players of wickedness who love their game and play it
with the finesse of experts."

Shirley smoothed away the ripple of suspicion which he had mischievously
aroused with, "So, that is why fellows like us would not bother with the
life. The same physical and intellectual effort expended by a criminal
genius would bring him money and power with no clutching legal hand to
fear. But there, we're getting morbid. What I really want to do is to
satisfy my vanity. Where did Miss Marigold disappear?"

"Talking about me?" and Helene opened her eyes languorously. "I was so
tired waiting for you that when Mr. Warren came along in his wonderful
new car I yielded to his invitation, so we enjoyed that tea-room trip
which you had promised. Such a lark! Then we came up here where I had
the most wonderful dinner with him and three girls. I was tired and
sleepy, so I dozed away on that library davenport until the party
began--and there you are and here I are, and so, forgive me, Monty?"

She slipped nimbly to the floor, with a maddening display of a silken
ankle, advancing to the criminologist with a