o the machine and was driven to the office of
the late Horace Carwell. It was a branch of the New York office, and
thither, every summer, came LeGrand Blossom and a corps of clerks to
manage affairs for their employer.

Colonel Ashley, who by this time was known to the office boy at the
outer gate, was admitted at once.

"Mr. Blossom is at the telephone," said the lad, "but you can go right
in and wait for him."

This the colonel did, having left Jean outside in the car.

The telephone in LeGrand Blossom's private office was in a booth, put
there to get it away from the noise of traffic in the street outside.
And, as the boy had said, Blossom was in this booth as Colonel Ashley
entered.

It so happened that the chief clerk was standing in the booth with his
back turned to the main door, and did not see the colonel enter. And the
latter, coming in with easy steps, as he always went everywhere, heard a
snatch of the talk over the telephone that made him wonder.

Though the little booth was meant to keep sounds from entering, as well
as coming out, the door was not tightly closed and as LeGrand Blossom
spoke rather loudly Colonel Ashley heard distinctly.

"Yes," said the head clerk over the wire, "I'll pay the money tonight
sure. Yes, positive." There was a period of waiting, while he listened,
and then he went on: "Yes, on the Allawanda. I'll be there. Yes, sure!
Now don't bother me any more."

Colonel Ashley, through the glass door of the telephone booth, saw
LeGrand Blossom make a move as though to hang up the receiver. And then
the detective turned suddenly, and swung back, as though he had entered
the room at the moment Blossom had emerged from the booth.

"Oh!" exclaimed the head clerk, and, for a second, he seemed nonplused.
But Colonel Ashley took up the talk instantly.

"I will keep you but a minute," he said. "Miss Viola asked me to leave
these bills for you. I came in to town to buy some bait. There they are.
I'm going fishing," and before LeGrand Blossom could answer the colonel
was saying good-bye and making his way out.

"I wonder," mused the colonel, as he started for the car where Jean
awaited him, "what or who or where the Allawanda is? I must find out."

He found further cause for wonder as he started off in the car with the
French chauffeur for the boat dock, at the conduct of Jean himself.

For the man appeared to be a wholly different person. His face was all
smiles, and there was a jaun