ne instant on the way. It was a little before noon on a Thursday
morning when he saw London again, and, at the terminus, he parted with
Buck.

The latter went with the baggage to Lincoln's Inn to report to Mr.
Buxton, while Jack, too anxious to lose another moment, jumped into a
cab and drove straight to the offices of Messrs Lane & Baumann in Old
Broad Street. He sent his name in, and was shown at once into a large
room where Mr. Lane, the senior partner, sat at his desk.

"Ah, Mr. Haydon," said he, "you have, I hope, come to give us some
news about your father."

"Unfortunately I have not," replied Jack. "I have been in Brindisi
making every inquiry possible, but I have been able to gather no
information whatever as to his whereabouts. I have come here in hopes
that you may give me some idea of what his arrangements were with you,
and from that I might plan a course of action."

"I think my partner had better join us," said Mr. Lane, taking up a
speaking-tube. For a few moments nothing was said. The business man
went on with the letter he was writing, and Jack looked about him. The
office was large and splendidly fitted up. Jack knew nothing of Lane &
Baumann, but it was plain on every hand that it was a large and
wealthy firm. Mr. Lane himself was an elderly gentleman,
irreproachably dressed, and the picture of an important man in the
City.

The door opened and the other partner came in. Jack saw that Mr.
Baumann was much younger, a fat, heavy German with clean-shaven face
and big, round spectacles, through which little, thick-lidded eyes
peered.

"Has he brought some news?" asked Baumann quickly. "What does he say?"
His accent at once betrayed him, though his English was excellent.

"No," said Mr. Lane quietly, "he has brought no news. He comes to
learn of us."

"To learn of us," said Baumann slowly; "and what is it you wish to
learn?" he demanded of Jack.

The latter eyed the German keenly. At the first word he detected an
enemy. Mr. Lane had been gravely polite and non-committal in his
manner. This man showed hostility at once.

"I wish to learn anything that will aid me in discovering the reason
for the mysterious disappearance of my father," replied Jack, firmly.

"Mysterious disappearance," repeated the German, with a sneering
stress upon the words. "_Ach Gott!_ it is no mystery to me when a man
with such a gombanion as that disappears." He was becoming excited,
and his German accent began to thi