h me about an important case."

"While you're there see if you can't get a little information about the
stolen painting," Penny urged, helping her father into his coat. "Find
out if they really are looking for Amy Coulter."

"So you can tip her off I suppose?" Mr. Nichols inquired dryly.

"I hadn't thought of it particularly, but it's an excellent idea,"
Penny twinkled.

Mr. Nichols was gone nearly two hours, but as he had expected, Penny
was waiting up for him when he entered the house.

"What did you learn?" she demanded instantly. "Is Amy Coulter under
suspicion?"

"Oh, I didn't consider it a good policy to ask questions about a matter
which was none of my concern."

"Then you found out nothing," Penny cried in disappointment. "And I've
been sitting up waiting for you too!"

"I didn't say what I learned," Mr. Nichols smiled. "I merely mentioned
that I did not make any inquiries."

"You did learn something then! Tell me!"

"Nothing very encouraging, Penny. The police are after this girl--at
least they intend to apprehend her for questioning."

"She's not been arrested yet?"

"No, it seems they haven't located her yet."

"I heard someone at the Gage Galleries say Miss Coulter lived at a
rooming house on Pearl Street. I wonder if she's still there."

"If she is, my advice to you is to keep away from the place," Mr.
Nichols said severely. "Don't get mixed up in the affair."

"But it seems so unfair for the police to annoy an innocent person,
Dad."

"All right, go ahead and involve yourself if you must," the detective
returned. "If you land in jail for assisting a criminal I suppose I
can always arrange to bail you out!"

They both knew that Penny would never feel comfortable in her mind
until she had warned Amy Coulter of the accusation against her.

Directly after breakfast the next morning Penny took the car and drove
to Pearl Street. She did not have Amy's exact address but she was of
the opinion that it would not be difficult to locate the right house.
Therefore, she was dismayed to discover that the street seemed to
consist of uniform looking dwelling places, nearly all with "room for
rent" signs in the front windows.

"This will be like hunting for the proverbial needle in the haystack,"
Penny thought.

Beginning at one end of the street, she rang the doorbell of each
likely looking house, inquiring if anyone by the name of Amy Coulter
roomed there. She had covered nearly half t