batteries that were said to run it.

Kennedy nodded acquiescence, but said nothing more. We walked over in
silence to our apartment on the Heights and far into the night Craig sat
there, shading his eyes with his hand, apparently studying out the
peculiar features of the case and planning some new angle of approach at
it tomorrow.

We were surprised the next day to receive an early visit from Miss
Laidlaw at the laboratory. She drove up before the Chemistry Building,
very much excited, as though her news would not bear repeating even over
the telephone.

"What do you think?" she exclaimed, bursting in on us. "Mr. Creighton
has disappeared!"

"Disappeared?" repeated Kennedy. "How did you find it out?"

"Mr. Tresham just telephoned me from his office," she hurried on. "He
was going into the Bank Building when he saw a wagon drive off from the
place next door. He thought it was strange and instead of going on up to
his own office he walked into Creighton's. When he tried to get in, the
place was locked. There's a sign on it, too, 'For Rent,' he says."

"That's strange," considered Kennedy. "I suppose he didn't notice what
kind of wagon it was?"

"Yes, he said it looked like a junk wagon--full of stuff."

I looked from Miss Laidlaw to Kennedy. Plainly our entrance into the
case had been the signal for the flitting of Creighton.

Quickly he reached for the telephone. "You know Mrs. Barry's number?" he
asked.

"Yes, it's the Prince Edward Hotel."

He called up, but the conversation was over in a moment. "She didn't
return to the hotel last night," he announced as he hung up the
receiver.

"She's in this thing, too," exclaimed Adele Laidlaw. "Can you go down
with me now and meet Mr. Tresham? I promised I would."

Though she repressed her feelings, as usual, I could see that Adele
Laidlaw was furious. Was it because Creighton had gone off with her
money, or was it pique because Mrs. Barry had, perhaps, won him? At any
rate, someone was going to feel the fury of her scorn.

We motored down quickly in Miss Laidlaw's car and met Tresham, who was
standing in front of the Bank Building waiting for us.

"It just happened that I came down early this morning," he explained,
"or I shouldn't have noticed anything out of the way. The junk wagon was
just driving away as I came up. It seemed to be in such a hurry that it
attracted my attention."

It was the first time we had seen Tresham and Miss Laidlaw together and
I