at the Burnet House till after his encounter with you in the
street. Probably his reason for changing his hotel was to prevent your
examining the register of the one at which he was previously staying,
and so ascertaining his real residence. The same motive would lead him
to give the wrong address in the new hotel."

"Yes, sir; that seems likely, but how is that going to help me?"

"You must try to ascertain where he formerly stopped. Go to the
principal hotels, and examine their registers for a fortnight back.
Probably that will cover all the time in which your uncle is likely to
have arrived."

"Yes, I see," said Gilbert, brightening up. "It is a good plan, and I
think it will succeed."

"I hope so, for your sake."

Gilbert lost no time in following out his employer's suggestion. First,
he went to the Gibson House; but he examined the books to no purpose.
He looked back as far as twenty days, but could not find the name of
James Grey.

"He can't have stopped at this hotel," he said to himself.

Next he went to the Spencer House. It occurred to him that possibly his
uncle's name might be recognized, so he asked the clerk:

"Has a gentleman named James Grey stopped with you lately?"

"Grey? I believe so," said the clerk, after a moment's reflection. "He
left us about a week since."

"Yes, it is the same," said Gilbert, eagerly. "Was he here long?"

"Only two or three days."

This, of course, made the examination easy. In point of fact, ten days
back Gilbert found recorded on the books:

James Grey, Clayton, Illinois.

"Clayton, Illinois," repeated Gilbert; "that's a place I never heard
of. I wonder where it is? It can't be much of a place. Can you tell me
in what part of Illinois Clayton is?" he inquired of the clerk.

"Never heard of it," said that official, indifferently.

"Clayton, Illinois?" said a gentleman who had just come up to leave his
key. "I can tell you where it is."

"Where, sir?"

"It is a small town on the Mississippi river, north of Alton--I should
think about thirty or forty miles. I never was there, but I've passed
it while ascending the river on a steamboat."

"Thank you, sir," said our hero.

As may be supposed, he was not a little elated at his discovery. In
spite of James Grey's prudent precautions, his nephew felt that he had
not been shrewd enough. St. Louis had not answered the purpose. The
insignificant place where he had supposed himself safe from pursuit,
was now kn