re was sweet seriousness in her manner; and the lurking smile
still hovered about her lips. It was as though a return to reason had
driven away the fears of the day before--the alarmed girl had given
place to a sensible woman.

But behind all this, Ashton-Kirk could detect something else. The
almost swooning terror of the girl who had spoken to him over the
telephone was still there--held rigidly in check to be sure, but
unquestionably there. While her lips smiled, the eyes sometimes
betrayed her; and there was a tenseness about her that almost
screamed. Her good-by was soft and kindly spoken; she held out her
hand, frankly, and thanked him for his interest. There was nothing
hurried in her manner; it was all smoothly and leisurely done. And yet
he felt that if she had followed the impulse that filled her, she
would have taken him, by the shoulder and bundled him from the room in
order that she might be alone.

"Alone--to think," he said, as he got into his car at the curb. "But
to think about what?" Aloud he said to the driver: "Christie Place."

By this time the early workers were beginning to thicken in the
street; street cars were more frequent; the dull night hum of the city
was growing in volume. The spark had set the car's engine throbbing
heavily, and the driver was about to start when a second vehicle drew
up and Ashton-Kirk found himself looking into the alarmed face of
young Pendleton.

"Heavens, Kirk!" cried the newcomer, as he leaped out, "has anything
serious happened?"

"To whom?" asked the investigator, quietly, his eyes fixed upon the
young man's face.

"To Edyth, of course. Has any thing been seen of her?"

"I have just left her; she seemed a bit agitated, but perfectly well."

A look of relief crossed Pendleton's face.

"Oh!" said he. "All right. I was beginning to think that something was
up. You see," and here he lowered his voice, "I danced with her about
midnight at Mrs. Barron's; about two o'clock her aunt, Mrs. Page, came
to me in great distress and said she was strangely missing. She had
slipped away somewhere without a word."

Ashton-Kirk looked at him keenly.

"Of course it was up to me to find her," said Pendleton; "but my
efforts were without result. Her car was gone, and the man said Miss
Vale had called it about one o'clock; also that she had driven away in
it alone.

"At this news Mrs. Page grew quite ill, and I brought her home here in
my car. Then I departed upon a vagu