to one it's from Nopper Harrison," cried Pettingill.

Brewster's fingers trembled, he knew not why, as he opened the
envelope. There was the most desolate feeling in his heart, the most
ghastly premonition that ill-news had come in this last hour. He drew
forth the telegram and slowly, painfully unfolded it. No one could have
told by his expression that he felt almost that he was reading his
death warrant. It was from Grant & Ripley and evidently had been
following him about town for two or three hours. The lawyers had filed
it at 8:30 o'clock.

He read it at a glance, his eyes burning, his heart freezing. To the
end of his days these words lived sharp and distinct in his brain.

"Come to the office immediately. Will wait all night for you if
necessary. Jones has disappeared and there is absolutely no trace of
him."

"Grant & Ripley."

Brewster sat as one paralyzed, absolutely no sign of emotion in his
face. The others began to clamor for the contents of the telegram, but
his tongue was stiff and motionless, his ears deaf. Every drop of blood
in his body was stilled by the shock, every sense given him by the
Creator was centered upon eleven words in the handwriting of a careless
telegraph operator--"Jones has disappeared and there is absolutely no
trace of him."

"JONES HAS DISAPPEARED!" Those were the words, plain and terrible in
their clearness, tremendous in their brutality. Slowly the rest of the
message began to urge its claims upon his brain. "Come to our office
immediately" and "Will wait all night" battled for recognition. He was
calm because he had not the power to express an emotion. How he
maintained control of himself afterward he never knew. Some powerful,
kindly force asserted itself, coming to his relief with the timeliness
of a genii. Gradually it began to dawn upon him that the others were
waiting for him to read the message aloud. He was not sure that a sound
would come forth when he opened his lips to speak, but the tones were
steady, natural and as cold as steel.

"I am sorry I can't tell you about this," he said, so gravely that his
hearers were silenced. "It is a business matter of such vital
importance that I must ask you to excuse me for an hour or so. I will
explain everything to-morrow. Please don't be uneasy. If you will do me
the honor to grace the board of an absent host, I'll be most grateful.
It is imperative that I go, and at once. I promise to return in an
hour." He was sta