ile he lay there like a yokel and dreamed of her! He
conjured up visions of all sorts of disaster. The boy might have
returned and--he shuddered and drew back from the suggestion. He
refused to imagine. He beat a tattoo with the inane hook which summons
Central.

"Number does n't answer, sir," came the reply.

"They _must_ answer! You must _make_ them answer."

Again the interminable wait; again the dead reply. He hung up the
receiver. The hallucinations which swarmed through his brain taken in
connection with the meaningless talk of the hotel employees made him
fear an instant for his sanity.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and devoted five minutes to the
concentration of his mind upon the fact that he must be cool, must be
steady. Else he would be of no use to any one. He must be deliberate.
Then he dressed himself with complete self-possession.

When he came down into the lobby he noticed with some astonishment the
business-like appearance of the place for Sunday morning. The clerk
glanced at him curiously as he approached. Donaldson spoke with
exaggerated slowness and precision.

"I wish," he said, "that you would kindly make a careful note of any
messages which may come to me to-day. Your error of this morning--"

He stopped as his eye caught the calendar, and its big black numeral.
It read Monday, May 27. He looked from the calendar to the clerk.

"Have n't you made a mistake?" Donaldson asked.

"No, sir. Shall I send a boy with you to the Turkish baths, sir?"

Then the truth dawned upon him; he had lost in sleep one whole precious
day!

And the girl--

CHAPTER XIV

_Consequences_

The driver threw on his high speed after a promise that his fine would
be paid and ten dollars over should they be stopped. He made the house
in fifteen minutes and was lucky enough not to pass a policeman.
Donaldson jumping out bade him wait for further orders.

Donaldson received no response to his ring. He tried the latch and
found the door locked. On a run he skirted the house to the rear. The
back door was open. He pushed through into the cold kitchen, through
this into the dining room, and so into the hall. There was no sign
either of the servant or of the girl herself. He was now thoroughly
alarmed.

As he ran up the stairs he was confronted by what he took to be an old
witch in a purple wrapper. She barred his way in a decidedly militant
manner, her sunken black eyes flashing