his
energy, invention, and experience to the task of discovering the
vanished men. But, neither alive nor dead, did either appear, and
not a particle of information came from Princetown or elsewhere.
Portraits of Robert Redmayne were printed and soon hung on the
notice board of every police station in the west and south; but one
or two mistaken arrests alone resulted from this publicity. A tramp
with a big red mustache was detained in North Devon and a recruit
arrested at Devonport. This man resembled the photograph and had
joined a line regiment twenty-four hours after the disappearance of
Redmayne. Both, however, could give a full account of themselves.

Then Brendon prepared to return to Princetown. He wrote his
intention to Mrs. Pendean and informed her that he would visit
Station Cottages on the following evening. It happened, however,
that his letter crossed another and his plans were altered, for
Jenny Pendean had already left Princetown and joined Mr. Bendigo
Redmayne at his house, "Crow's Nest," beyond Dartmouth. She wrote:

"My uncle has begged me to come and I was thankful to do so. I
have to tell you that Uncle Bendigo received a letter yesterday
from his brother, Robert. I begged him to let me send it to you
instantly, but he declines. Uncle Bendigo is on Captain
Redmayne's side I can see. He would not, I am sure, do anything
to interfere with the law, but he is convinced that we do not
know all there is to be told about this terrible thing. The
motor boat from 'Crow's Nest' will be at Kingswear Ferry to
meet the train reaching there at two o'clock to-morrow and I
hope you may still be at Paignton and able to come here for a
few hours."

She added a word of thanks to him and a regret that his holiday was
being spoiled by her tragedy.

Whereupon the man's thoughts turned to her entirely and he forgot
for a while the significance of her letter. He had expected to see
her that night at Princetown. Instead he would find her far nearer,
in the house on the cliffs beyond Dartmouth.

He telegraphed presently that he would meet the launch. Then he had
leisure to be annoyed that the letter from Robert Redmayne was thus
delayed. He speculated on Bendigo Redmayne.

"A brother is a brother," he thought, "and no doubt this old
sailor's home would offer a very efficient hiding-place for any
vanished man."

CHAPTER IV

A CLUE

A motor boat lay of