ting in her "cerise evenin'--one with the
spangles"--at a Thousand-and-One supper-table, with a crowd of rowdy
people, and having pink flowers stuck in her hair by an
over-excited-looking young man!

Million, of whom I can find no further trace! Now, what is the next----

"Prrrring-g!"

Ah, the telephone bell again. The message from Lady Golightly-Long.

She is speaking herself, in a deep, drawly voice. She tells me that she
knows nothing of Miss Million's movements.

"I left her there. I left them all there, at the Thousand and One," she
drawls. "I was the first to leave. Miss Million was there, with Lord
Fourcastles and the rest of them when I left.... What?... The time? Oh,
I never know times. It wasn't very late. Early, I mean. I left her
there."

And she rings off. So that's drawn a blank. Well, now what am I to do
next?

I think I'd better go round to the club itself and make inquiries there
about the missing heiress!

I have just come back from making inquiries at the Thousand and One
Club.

The place looked strangely tawdry and make-believe this morning. Rather
like ballroom finery of the night before, seen in daylight. I
interviewed a sallow-faced attendant in the vestibule, whence I had got
those glimpses of the larking and frolicking in the supper-room last
night.

Miss Million? He didn't know anything about a lady of that name. With
Miss Vi Vassity's party, had she been? Miss Vi Vassity always had a rare
lot of friends with her. He'd seen her, of course, Miss Vi Vassity, all
right. Several young ladies with her.

"But a small, dark-haired young lady, in a bright cerise dress, with
spangles on it?" I urged. "She was sitting--I'll show you her place at
the table. There! Don't you remember?"

The sallow-faced attendant couldn't say he did. There was always a rare
lot of bright-coloured frocks about. He beckoned to a waiter, who came
up, glancing at me almost suspiciously out of his sunken eyes.

"Young lady in a bright, cherry-coloured frock, sitting at Miss Vi
Vassity's table? Yes! Now he came to go back in his mind, he had seemed
to notice the young lady. She'd seemed a bit out of it at first. Would
that be the one?"

"Yes, yes," eagerly from me. "That would probably be Miss Million!"

"Afterwards," said the waiter, "she seemed to be having a good deal o'
conversation with that young Lord Fo'castles, as they call him."

"Ah, yes," I said, thinking again of the glimpse I'd had of the row