might
be expected from the guest of a fashionable and high-priced hotel.
Silently he marked this individual as the possible detective. He had two
or three others in his mind, by this time; the boy was merely added to
the list of possibilities.

Mershone was a capital actor. After luncheon he sauntered about the
hotel, stared from the window for a time, looked at his watch once or
twice with an undecided air, and finally stepped to the porter and asked
him to call a cab. He started for Central Park; then changed his mind
and ordered the man to drive him to the Von Taer residence, where on
arrival Diana at once ordered him shown into her private parlor.

The young man found his cousin stalking up and down in an extremely
nervous manner. She wrung her delicate fingers with a swift, spasmodic
motion. Her eyes, nearly closed, shot red rays through their slits.

"What's wrong, Di?" demanded Mershone, considerably surprised by this
intense display of emotion on the part of his usually self-suppressed
and collected cousin.

"Wrong!" she echoed; "everything is wrong. You've ruined yourself,
Charlie; and you're going to draw me into this dreadful crime, also, in
spite of all I can do!"

"Bah! don't be a fool," he observed, calmly taking a chair.

"Am _I_ the fool?" she exclaimed, turning upon him fiercely. "Did _I_
calmly perpetrate a deed that was sure to result in disgrace and
defeat?"

"What on earth has happened to upset you?" he asked, wonderingly. "It
strikes me everything is progressing beautifully."

"Does it, indeed?" was her sarcastic rejoinder. "Then your information
is better than mine. They called me up at three o'clock this morning to
enquire after Louise Merrick--as if _I_ should know her whereabouts. Why
did they come to _me_ for such information? Why?" she stamped her foot
for emphasis.

"I suppose," said Charlie Mershone, "they called up everyone who knows
the girl. It would be natural in case of her disappearance."

"Come here!" cried Diana, seizing his arm and dragging him to a window.
"Be careful; try to look out without showing yourself. Do you see that
man on the corner?"

"Well?"

"He has been patrolling this house since day-break. He's a detective!"

Charlie whistled.

"What makes you think so, Di? Why on earth should they suspect you?"

"Why? Because my disreputable cousin planned the abduction, without
consulting me, and--"

"Oh, come, Di; that's a little too--"

"Because the girl