gage in hand, and drive quickly off. But
what Grace saw, in addition to this, filled her with queer misgivings.
Beside her husband in the cab was a woman--very beautiful woman, whom
Grace had no difficulty whatever in identifying as Ruth Morton. And she
also noticed, in the brief moment that elapsed before the taxi shot
toward the Avenue, that the woman seemed to be in tears, and that
Richard leaned over with the utmost solicitude and affection and clasped
her hand in his. For the first time in her life, Grace Duvall was
actually jealous.

Thoughts of possible danger to her husband, however, were paramount in
her mind. Without an instant's hesitation she stepped into a second
taxi, whose driver was trying to attract her attention, and told him to
follow the car containing the man and woman which had just driven off.

The chauffeur grinned knowingly, nodded, and started his car. His grin
drove from Grace's mind her sudden and unaccustomed jealousy. She knew
that Richard must be going away with this girl for some reason connected
with his professional work. Of course that work did not usually include
consoling beautiful damsels in distress, but there must be extenuating
circumstances. She put her unpleasant thoughts from her mind, and
proceeded on her mission, to give her husband the warning message she
had just received, with a reasonably calm mind.

After a drive of some fifteen minutes, she saw the cab ahead of them
begin to slow up, and observed that her chauffeur did likewise.
Presently the first cab stopped before the doors of a big, imposing
looking hotel, and Richard and Miss Morton hurriedly entered.

Grace did not at once get out. She knew that her husband might resent
her having followed him, and did not care to put him to any disadvantage
by appearing so unexpectedly upon the scene. She waited, therefore, for
several minutes, until he would have had time to go to his room, and
then, paying off her cabman, she strolled quietly into the hotel lobby.

There were a few persons sitting about, but Richard was not amongst
them. Going to the clerk at the desk, she asked to see Mr. Richard
Duvall.

The clerk regarded her with a supercilious stare, consulted his records
in a bored way, then informed her that no such person was registered
there.

Grace was completely taken aback.

"But I saw him come in, only a few moments ago," she protested.

"No such person here, Miss." With a frigid smile the clerk turned a