ond of it. He must have come to the house and taken it--one of his
last acts before he disappeared. It made me feel very sad when I
thought of it afterward."

"Perhaps he took the picture to Europe with him, and you did not
know it," suggested Larry, who was beginning to develop the
instincts of a detective, as all reporters do, more or less.

"No," said Grace positively. "I remember, I was the last one in
father's room before we sailed for Europe. The carriage was waiting
to take us to the pier, and father went out just ahead of me. He
spoke of the picture then, saying he would leave it to keep guard
over his room until he came back," and once more Grace could not
keep back her tears.

"Could the picture have been stolen?" asked Larry.

"The house was in perfect order when we came in," said the girl.
"Nothing else was missing. It seems as if father took that picture
to--to remind him of us--and--and that we would never see him
again."

"Oh, yes, you will!" exclaimed Larry heartily. "You will find him
all right. Perhaps he has some business matters to attend to out
West, and hasn't time to come home."

"He could have written."

"Maybe he is some place where the mails are infrequent."

Thus Larry tried to comfort Grace, but it was hard work, for the
disappearance of Hamden Potter certainly was strange and difficult
to explain.

"I will let you know if we hear any news," said Larry as he prepared
to go.

"Will you? That will be very kind of you. I thank you very much for
your help. I would never have known what to do if it had not been
for your suggestions. Come any time you have any news for us--and I
hope you will come soon--and often," Grace added with a blush.

Larry's heart beat a little faster than usual, for it was not every
day he received such an invitation to a millionaire's house, nor
from such a pretty girl as Grace.

"Afraid I'll not have much chance, though," he thought to himself as
he went down the steps. "I'll probably be taken off this case after
to-day, and some other reporter will get it. If I had a little more
experience they might let me work on it. Never mind, I'll get there
some day," and with this Larry comforted himself.

CHAPTER XIV

IN THE TENEMENT HOUSE

The story of Hamden Potter's disappearance, as Larry wrote it, made
interesting reading. He used that part about the picture which Grace
had told him, but which the other reporters did not know about. The
photogra