ubtlety and subterfuge that would let
out the Three C's. "Got her?"

"Call Miss Elsham on the phone, Miss Kennard! You may do it from the
other room. Ask her to hurry down."

The girl, her face hidden from them, paused at the door. "Are there more
notes? Shall I come back?" She was having difficulty with her voice, but
the men were now talking eagerly about the new plan, and her
discomposure was not remarked.

"I think not," said Mern. "Write out what you have. Make especially full
characterizations of Flagg and Latisan as you have gathered facts about
them from our talk." He had found Miss Kennard to be especially apt in
that work. Not only did she deduce character from descriptions, but she
worked in many valuable suggestions as to how men of a certain nature
should be handled. She seemed to understand the vagaries of men's
dispositions very well indeed.

"What's the matter with Ken?" muttered Miss Javotte, nudging the
bookkeeper.

Lida had flung her arms across the frame of her typewriter and had
hidden her face in her hands.

"Headache," returned Miss Leigh, sapiently. "That toque has struck into
the brain. No girl ought to take chances that way."

CHAPTER TEN

However, by the time Miss Marguerite Elsham--having given full attention
to her person and attire--arrived at the office, Miss Kennard had
completed her manuscript and the sheets were lying at Mern's elbow on
his desk.

In order to bridge a part of the gap of waiting Mern had given his
client some information about Miss Elsham and her ability.

"Very competent on the coax, Mr. Craig. Last job was a paying teller. He
had twenty thousand in his jeans when he stepped out of the taxi that
had taken him and Elsham to the steamer dock. Tickets for Rio! Crowley,
our pinch artist, nabbed him and bawled out Elsham, who was weeping in
the cab. Crowley and Elsham work well together. You understand that if
she goes to the woods Crowley must go along on the side. They won't
appear as knowing each other. But Crowley may be called on to shove his
mitt between Elsham and trouble."

"I don't care how many are on pay--if you achieve results," said Craig.

The field director, introduced to Miss Elsham when she entered breezily,
termed her in his thoughts as being at least a 1925 model. He wondered
just what words he would find in the way of advice about toning down her
style for north country operations.

She took her seat sideways on the edge of Mern's