Brennan said, as he came over to the counter. "Is
Mr. Eustace in the office?"

"He has not come out of the dining-room yet. Shall I tell him?" Harding
replied.

"I'll go through," Brennan said.

Harding opened the door and stood holding it, with Gale and Johnson
behind him, as Brennan went to the dining-room door and knocked.

Receiving no answer, he opened the door.

"There is no one in there," he called out.

With one accord the three moved forward. Brennan was half-way across the
room when they reached the door. He went to the window and looked at the
fastening.

"He did not get out this way," he cried. "He must be in the house
somewhere."

Mrs. Eustace appeared on the stairs, and came down.

"Where is your husband, Mrs. Eustace?" Brennan exclaimed directly he saw
her.

"He was in there--isn't he in there now?" she said, as she passed into
the room.

"He is not here, Mrs. Eustace, though Mrs. Burke left him here when she
came out a few minutes ago. Where is he?"

With widely open eyes Mrs. Eustace stared from one to the other.

"Oh, what is it?" she cried. "What is it? Tell me--is it----"

For a moment she stood with her eyes fixed on Brennan.

"Oh, my God!" she cried as she flung up her arms and fell headlong to
the floor.

CHAPTER IV

DURHAMS'S SURMISE

Eustace had disappeared as completely and mysteriously as the gold which
had been in his keeping.

Every corner of the building from the roof to the basement was examined.
Even the cupboards were inspected and the made-up beds pulled to pieces,
lest he should have succeeded in secreting himself amongst the jam-pots
or inside the covering of a pillow; but no trace of him could be found.

His hats hung on their accustomed pegs, so that if he had gone from the
house he must have gone bareheaded. But the question which none could
answer was how he had managed to go from the house at all.

At the time Mrs. Burke left the dining-room, Brennan was standing
talking to Gale and Johnson in front of the private entrance. In the
office Harding was waiting for his manager to come from the house. Thus
two out of the three ordinary means of exit could not have been used
without Eustace being seen. The third was the back door opening from the
scullery, which, in turn, opened from the kitchen. Bessie was in the
kitchen when the slamming of the dining-room door announced the
departure of Mrs. Burke.

Both she and her mistress were insistent that