and at once joined the
crowd and was introduced.

In the meantime Jasper Tuller had also arrived in Riverport. In the
morning he lost no time in calling at the iron works.

"I want to see Mr. Bangs," he said, to the clerk who came to wait on
him.

"Sorry, sir, but Mr. Bangs went out of town late last night."

"When will he be back?"

"Not until some time this afternoon--possibly not until evening."

"Where did he go? I must communicate with him at once."

"He went to Rochester, but I can't give you the exact address,"
answered the clerk.

Jasper Tuller groaned in spirit. Could he have telegraphed to Amos
Bangs he would have done so, but the telegram would have remained at
the office awaiting a call.

"I must make a move on my own account, if I can," he muttered.

He called a carriage and was driven to the Bangs mansion. A servant
answered his rather impatient ring at the front door.

"Is anybody at home?" he asked, abruptly.

"Mr. Bangs has gone away, sir."

"I know that," he snapped. "Is Mrs. Bangs at home?"

Now it happened Mrs. Bangs had come home the night before, intending to
go away again two days later. But she had given orders that she wished
to see no one.

"I--I don't know," said the servant girl. "I can see. What is the
name?"

"Jasper Tuller. It is highly important that I see somebody of the
family at once," went on the visitor.

Mrs. Bangs was in an upper hallway and overheard the talk. She knew her
husband had had some trouble with a book agent over the payment of a
bill and took Tuller to be that person.

"A gentleman to see you, Mrs. Bangs," said the maid. "He is very
anxious about it."

"I cannot see anybody," returned the fashionable woman, coldly. "Tell
him I am not at home."

The girl went down into the hallway, where she had left Jasper Tuller
standing.

"Mrs. Bangs is not at home, sir. You will have to call some other
time."

"Is Mr. Bangs's son at home?"

"No, sir; he is away for the summer."

"When will Mrs. Bangs be back?"

"I can't say, sir."

"It is too bad. The matter is very important. I came all the way from
Springfield to see Mr. Bangs. They told me at the works he had gone to
Rochester. I wanted to see him or his wife on business. Have you any
idea where I can find Mrs. Bangs?"

The girl hesitated.

"N--no, sir," she faltered.

Mrs. Bangs was listening as before and now realized that something
unusual was in the air. She slipped down a back stairs