n who were
evidently bookkeepers. In front of him was a railing, behind which
sat a girl at a telephone switchboard. At the other side of the
room, floors opened into what were evidently three private offices.
On the first door he saw the name, Mr. Merton; on the second, Mr.
Hunt. The third door was blank.

Approaching the girl, Marsh inquired if Mr. Hunt was in.

"Yes," she replied, looking him over. "Have you a card?"

Marsh handed her a card and she went into Mr. Hunt's office. In a
moment she returned and said, "Please step in."

Marsh entered Hunt's office and closed the door behind him. It was
the usual private office, with a large flat top desk in the center.
This was so arranged that Hunt's back was to the light, which fell
full upon any visitor's face. Some files, a bookcase, and a small
table littered with papers, stood against the wall. Hunt motioned to
a chair and said, "Sit down, please." Marsh's card lay before him on
the desk. He picked it up and read:

GORDON MARSH
Private Investigator

Then looking at Marsh as he laid the card down, he said, "what can I
do for you?"

"As you see by my card," replied Marsh, "my business consists of
conducting special private investigations. I read in the morning
paper that Mr. Merton is missing, and I came in to see if you would
care to use my services."

"I have placed the entire matter in the hands of the police,"
returned Hunt.

"You probably know, as well as I do, Mr. Hunt, that that is the next
thing to burying the matter. They will be very busy for a couple of
days and then forget it."

"That is about what I thought, Mr. Marsh," admitted Hunt.

"But isn't it important, for business reasons, that you ascertain
definitely, and as quickly as possible, just what has happened to
Mr. Merton?" Marsh asked.

"To a certain extent, yes. But Mr. Merton has left the business
entirely in my hands for some time, and things will continue
satisfactorily in his absence."

"Then I presume you wouldn't care to have me conduct a private
investigation on your behalf, Mr. Hunt?"

"Well, I'll tell you, Mr. Marsh," said Hunt. "Until you presented
your card to me this morning, the thought of doing anything beside
notifying the police had not occurred to me. Let me think for a
minute."

With that, Hunt swung his chair around so that his back was toward
Marsh, and gazed thoughtfully out of the window for a few minutes.

"In your work," he said at length,