od!"
she again reiterated but this time in a low murmur to her self. "Thank
God!" and weeping with unrestrained joy, she drew back into a corner.

Of course after that, all that remained for us to do was to lay our
heads together and consult as to the best method of renewing our search
after the unhappy girl, now rendered of double interest to us by the
facts with which we had just been made acquainted. That she had been
forced away from the roof that sheltered her by the power of her father
and brother was of course no longer open to doubt. To discover them,
therefore, meant to recover her. Do you wonder, then, that from the
moment we left Mr. Blake's house, the capture of that brace of thieves
became the leading purpose of our two lives?

CHAPTER XV. A CONFAB

Next morning Mr. Gryce and I met in serious consultation. How, and in
what direction should we extend the inquiries necessary to a discovery
of these Schoenmakers?

"I advise a thorough overhauling of the German quarter," said my
superior. "Schmidt, and Rosenthal will help us and the result ought to
be satisfactory."

But I shook my head at this. "I don't believe," said I, "that they will
hide among their own people. You must remember they are not alone, but
have with them a young woman of a somewhat distinguished appearance,
whose presence in a crowded district, like that, would be sure to awaken
gossip; something which above all else they must want to avoid."

"That is true; the Germans are a dreadful race for gossip."

"If they dared to ill-dress her or ill-treat her, it would be different.
But she is a valuable piece of property to them you see, a choice lot
of goods which it is for their interest to preserve in first-class
condition till the day comes for its disposal. For I presume you have no
doubt that it is for the purpose of extorting money from Mr. Blake that
they have carried off his young wife."

"For that reason or one similar. He is a man of resources, they may have
hoped he would help them to escape the country."

"If they don't hide in the German quarter they certainly won't in the
Italian, French or Irish. What they want is too keep close and rouse
no questions. I think they will be found to have gone up the river
somewhere, or over to Jersey. Hoboken would'nt be a bad place to send
Schmidt to."

"You forget what it is they've got on their minds; besides no
conspicuous party such as they could live in a rural district without