ss Fulton and I are engaged to be married."

"Ah! Go ahead." This from the lame man.

"As I said, we talked until a little after eleven. Then I had to leave to
catch the midnight train back to Washington."

"But you didn't catch it."

"No. You see, I was stopping at the Maplewood. That's more than a mile
from Manniston Road, and it's fully two miles from the railroad station.
Somehow, I didn't allow myself enough time, and I missed the train by a
bare two minutes."

"What did you do then?"

"What did I do then?"

"Yes--what then?"

"I didn't go back to Maplewood Inn. I took a room for the night at the
Brevord Hotel. It's near the station, you know, and I intended to catch
the midday train today. Besides, it was late, and I didn't want to take
the trouble of walking back or getting a machine to take me back to
Maplewood."

He drew out his handkerchief and mopped his forehead, which, as a matter
of fact, was perfectly dry. He was tremendously unstrung. Bristow
realized this and saw that now, more than at any subsequent time, he
would be able to make the young man talk.

"That," he said easily, "accounts for you, doesn't it? Now, I'll tell
you. Chief Greenleaf and I are anxious to get some information about
the Fulton family. As you know, we people here, being invalids, live
pretty much to ourselves. We don't have the strength for much social
life, and we don't know much about each other. What can you tell us?"

"Miss Fulton and Mrs. Withers are--were sisters," Morley responded.
"Their father, William T. Fulton, is a real estate man in Washington. By
the way, Mar--Miss Fulton expects him here this afternoon. She told me so
yesterday. Last fall, just before Miss Fulton was taken sick with
tuberculosis, he failed, failed for a very large amount of money."

"He was wealthy then?"

"Yes; quite. Mrs. Withers was twenty-five. She married Withers, George S.
Withers, of Atlanta, Georgia, when she was twenty-one. But, when Miss
Fulton had to come here for her health, Mrs. Withers agreed to come, too,
and look after her. Withers isn't wealthy. He's a lawyer in Atlanta, but
he hasn't a big income."

"How old is Miss Fulton?" asked Bristow.

"Twenty-three."

"Do you know whether Mrs. Withers had any valuable jewelry--rings, stuff
of that kind?"

Morley was for a moment visibly disturbed.

"Why, yes," he answered after a little pause. "When Mr. Fulton failed,
Miss Fulton gave up all her jewels, everything, to he