e could
reach up the chimney flue.

In the midst of Evan's pain a voice seemed to whisper to him: "You
might have expected it. It was too much happiness!"

Later he thought: "There will be a letter for me up-stairs," and ran up
the two flights, knowing there would be no letter. Yet he searched
even in the unlikeliest places. There was no letter. To his relief
Charley was out.

He thought of Carmen. Dreadful as it was to face her prying eyes, it
was still more dreadful not to know what had happened. He went
down-stairs again. On the final flight the unhappy wretch started to
whistle, hoping by that to attract her to her door that he might not
have to ask for information.

The ruse was successful. She came out into the hall. Evan found
himself curiously studying the odd bumps that the curling pins made
under her frowsy boudoir cap. She required no lead to make her talk.

"Miss Playfair has gone!" she cried.

"So I see," said Evan. He listened carefully to the sound of his own
voice. It did not shake. He kept his back to the light from the front
door.

"What do you know about that! I never did like her. One of them
flibbertigibbets! You never can trust a red-haired woman! And such a
display of her hair, as if it was beautiful indeed! That showed her
character. But I should worry! Paid me a month's rent in advance when
she came. Wanted part of it back this morning. But I said, 'Oh, no,
my dear! That's the landlady's propensity--I mean perquisite.'"

Evan wondered if the sick disgust he felt of the woman showed in his
face. As a matter of fact his face was simply wooden. Carmen rattled
on unsuspiciously:

"That's enough for me. I don't care if I never rent the rooms. No
more women in my house. They lower the tone. A man of course can do
anything and it doesn't matter, but a woman in the house is a cause for
suspicion even if she doesn't do anything."

Evan was not interested in Miss Sisson's ideas. He wanted information.
"What reason did she give for leaving?" he asked carelessly.

"Said she had an important musical offer from out of town. But do you
believe that? I don't."

"She didn't lose much time in moving her things," suggested Evan.

"No indeed. Looks very suspicious if you ask me."

Evan was obliged to put his question in more direct form. "Who moved
her things?"

"Just an ordinary truck without any name on it. I looked particularly.
The piano people came for the