had seen
at breakfast was lying upon the bed, her eyes closed. Josie wondered if
she was asleep. The door leading from the room to the hallway also
stood open. The weather was warm, and the old lady evidently wanted
plenty of air.

While Josie hesitated what to do a boy came up the alley, noticed her
on the fire-escape and paused to look at her in astonishment. The girl
couldn't blame him for being interested, for her attitude was certainly
extraordinary. Others were likely to discover her, too, and might
suspect her of burglary and raise a hue and cry. So she deliberately
entered the room, tiptoed across to the hall and escaped without
arousing the old lady. But it was a desperate chance and she breathed
easier when she had found the stairs and descended to her own floor.
Safe in her own room she gave a little laugh at her recent predicament
and then sat down to note her latest discoveries on her tablets.

Josie O'Gorman was very particular in this regard. Details seemingly of
trifling moment but which may prove important are likely to escape
one's memory. Her habit was to note every point of progress in a case
and often review every point from the beginning, fitting them into
their proper places and giving each its due importance. A digest of
such information enabled her to proceed to the next logical step in her
investigation.

"These items all dovetail very nicely," she decided, with a satisfied
nod at the quaint characters on the tablets--which all the world might
read and be no wiser. "I must, however, satisfy myself that Tom Linnet
actually printed those circulars. The evidence at hand indicates that
he did, but I want positive proof. Also, I'd like to know which one of
the gang employed him--and paid him so liberally. However, that
suggestion opens up a new line of conjecture; I don't believe Tom
Linnet got all his wealth merely for printing a few circulars, helping
to address them, and keeping his mouth shut. But--what else has he been
paid for?"

She brooded on this for a while and then determined to take one thing
at a time and follow it to a conclusion. So she once more quitted her
room and descended by the elevator--openly, this time--to the office.
It was now noon and the hotel office was filled with guests, and the
clerks and bellboys were all busily occupied. Josie wandered carelessly
around until she found the stairway leading to the basement. Watching
her opportunity she slipped down the stairs.