with himself?

The thought electrified him and he went out, locking his door behind
him. There was an elevator. "Top," the note had said. He took the lift
and went to the topmost floor, stealing down the corridors on a voyage
of discovery, and feeling like a thief, or a detective. But the rooms
were all occupied by tailors or the like, and every door stood hospitably
open. Surely he could not reasonably disturb these people and search
their premises without a warrant.

He turned and went down again, with the happy inspiration to telephone
to the chief of police and to Bailey Armstrong.

"If you could come right here," he said to the former, "I can not only
give you some important information, but give you an idea of this
locality which you may not possess. For I have a positive clue."

"I'll be with you in fifteen minutes," replied the official, who cared
not a rap for the dignity of his position.

To Bailey, Allingham only said: "Come down here at once, I've something
definite and important to tell you and to show you. But not a word over
the telephone."

In five minutes Bailey came in, breathless. "What is it?" he demanded.

"Read this," and Allingham put the scrap of paper in his hands and
related the story of its anchorage on his desk after days of weary
wandering. Before the tale was fairly unfolded, the chief of police
appeared and it had to be told all over again.

"Now," said Allingham, when he had finished, "what is the first and
quickest thing to be done?"

"Organize," answered the chief. "Get a few men together and go through
this section of the town thoroughly. Strange we haven't done more right
here. We've gone on the theory that they were in the suburbs or in some
other town."

"And probably they have been right under our noses, all the time," said
Bailey.

"Or over them," returned the chief. "You say you went upstairs."

"Yes. They can't be here," replied Allingham. "Not on the top floor. But
there are tenements over opposite."

"We'll take 'em all in, if necessary," said the chief. "What do you say
to my coming up here tonight and meeting you two. I'll have a dozen
plain-clothes men happen around, and we'll do a little looking around
here quietly, between nine and twelve."

"Great," said Armstrong.

"I'll have the office open at eight-thirty," said Allingham.

The chief came alone, however, at a quarter of nine, greeting Bailey and
Allingham confidently.

"Where are your men?" aske