The butler entered.

　　"A man to see you, sir," he said.

　　Gilder made a gesture of irritation, as he sank into the chair athis desk.

　　"I can't see any one to-night, Thomas," he exclaimed, sharply.

　　"But he said it was most important, sir," the servant went on.

　　He held out the tray insistently.

　　The master took the card grudgingly. As his eyes caught thename, his expression changed slightly.

　　"Very well," he said, "show him up." His glance met thewondering gaze of his son.

　　"It's Burke," he explained.

　　"What on earth can he want--at this time of night?" Dickexclaimed.

　　The father smiled grimly.

　　"You may as well get used to visits from the police." There wassomething ghastly in the effort toward playfulness.

　　A moment later, Inspector Burke entered the room.

　　"Oh, you're here, too," he said, as his eyes fell on Dick.

　　"That's good. I wanted to see you, too."Inspector Burke was, in fact, much concerned over the situationthat had developed. He was a man of undoubted ability, and hetook a keen professional pride in his work. He possessed thefaults of his class, was not too scrupulous where he saw a safeopportunity to make a snug sum of money through the employment ofhis official authority, was ready to buckle to those whoseinfluence could help or hinder his ambition. But, in spite ofthese ordinary defects, he was fond of his work and wishful toexcel in it. Thus, Mary Turner had come to be a thorn in hisside. She flouted his authority and sustained her incredibleeffrontery by a restraining order from the court. The thing wasoutrageous to him, and he set himself to match her cunning. Thefact that she had involved Dick Gilder within her toils made himthe more anxious to overcome her in the strife of resourcesbetween them. After much studying, he had at last plannedsomething that, while it would not directly touch Mary herself,would at least serve to intimidate her, and as well make furtheraction easier against her. It was in pursuit of this scheme thathe now came to Gilder's house, and the presence of the young manabruptly gave him another idea that might benefit him well. So,he disregarded Gilder's greeting, and went on speaking to theson.

　　"She's skipped!" he said, triumphantly.

　　Dick made a step forward. His eyes flashed, and there was angerin his voice as he replied:

　　"I don't believe it."The Inspector smiled, unperturbed.

　　"She left this morning for Chicago," he said, lying with a mannerthat long habit rendered altogether convincing. "I told youshe'd go." He turned to the father, and spoke with an air ofboastful good nature. "Now, all you have to do is to get this boyout of the scrape and you'll be all right.""If we only could!" The cry came with deepest earnestness fromthe lips of Gilder, but there was little hope in his voice.

　　The Inspector, however, was confident of success, and his tonesrang cheerfully as he answered:

　　"I guess we can find a way to have the marriage annulled, orwhatever they do to marriages that don't take."The brutal assurance of the man in thus referring to things thatwere sacred, moved Dick to wrath.

　　"Don't you interfere," he said. His words were spoken softly,but tensely.

　　Nevertheless, Burke held to the topic, but an indefinable changein his manner rendered it less offensive to the young man.

　　"Interfere! Huh!" he ejaculated, grinning broadly. "Why, that'swhat I'm paid to do. Listen to me, son. The minute you beginmixing up with crooks, you ain't in a position to give orders toany one. The crooks have got no rights in the eyes of thepolice. Just remember that."The Inspector spoke the simple truth as he knew it from years ofexperience. The theory of the law is that a presumption ofinnocence exists until the accused is proven guilty. But thepolice are out of sympathy with such finical methods. With them,the crook is presumed guilty at the outset of whatever may becharged against him. If need be, there will be proof a-plentyagainst him--of the sort that the underworld knows to its sorrow.

　　But Dick was not listening. His thoughts were again wholly withthe woman he loved, who, as the Inspector declared, had fled fromhim.

　　"Where's she gone in Chicago?"Burke answered in his usual gruff fashion, but with a note ofkindliness that was not without its effect on Dick.

　　"I'm no mind-reader," he said. "But she's a swell little girl,all right. I've got to hand it to her for that. So, she'llprobably stop at the Blackstone--that is, until the Chicagopolice are tipped off that she is in town."Of a sudden, the face of the young man took on a totallydifferent expression. Where before had been anger, now was avivid eagerness. He went close to the Inspector, and spoke withintense seriousness.

　　"Burke," he said, pleadingly, "give me a chance. I'll leave forChicago in the morning. Give me twenty-four hours start beforeyou begin hounding her."The Inspector regarded the speaker searchingly. His heavy facewas drawn in an expression of apparent doubt. Abruptly, then, hesmiled acquiescence.

　　"Seems reasonable," he admitted.

　　But the father strode to his son.

　　"No, no, Dick," he cried. "You shall not go! You shall not go!"Burke, however, shook his head in remonstrance against Gilder'splea. His huge voice came booming, weightily impressive.

　　"Why not?" he questioned. "It's a fair gamble. And, besides, Ilike the boy's nerve."Dick seized on the admission eagerly.

　　"And you'll agree?" he cried.

　　"Yes, I'll agree," the Inspector answered.

　　"Thank you," Dick said quietly.

　　But the father was not content. On the contrary, he went towardthe two hurriedly, with a gesture of reproval.

　　"You shall not go, Dick," he declared, imperiously.

　　The Inspector shot a word of warning to Gilder in an aside thatDick could not hear.

　　"Keep still," he replied. "It's all right."Dick went on speaking with a seriousness suited to the magnitudeof his interests.

　　"You give me your word, Inspector," he said, "that you won'tnotify the police in Chicago until I've been there twenty-fourhours?""You're on," Burke replied genially. "They won't get a whisperout of me until the time is up." He swung about to face thefather, and there was a complete change in his manner. "Now,then, Mr. Gilder," he said briskly, "I want to talk to you aboutanother little matter----"Dick caught the suggestion, and interrupted quickly.

　　"Then I'll go." He smiled rather wanly at his father. "Youknow, Dad, I'm sorry, but I've got to do what I think is theright thing."Burke helped to save the situation from the growing tenseness.

　　"Sure," he cried heartily; "sure you have. That's the best anyof us can do." He watched keenly as the young man went out ofthe room. It was not until the door was closed after Dick thathe spoke. Then he dropped to a seat on the couch, and proceededto make his confidences to the magnate.

　　"He'll go to Chicago in the morning, you think, don't you?""Certainly," Gilder answered. "But I don't like it."Burke slapped his leg with an enthusiasm that might have broken aweaker member.

　　"Best thing that could have happened!" he vociferated. And then,as Gilder regarded him in astonishment, he added, chuckling: "Yousee, he won't find her there.""Why do you think that?" Gilder demanded, greatly puzzled.

　　Burke permitted himself the luxury of laughing appreciatively amoment more before making his exclamation. Then he said quietly:

　　"Because she didn't go there.""Where did she go, then?" Gilder queried wholly at a loss.

　　Once again the officer chuckled. It was evident that he was wellpleased with his own ingenuity.

　　"Nowhere yet," he said at last. "But, just about the time he'sstarting for the West I'll have her down at Headquarters.

　　Demarest will have her indicted before noon. She'll go for trialin the afternoon. And to-morrow night she'll be sleeping up theriver.... That's where she is going."Gilder stood motionless for a moment. After all, he was anordinary citizen, quite unfamiliar with the recondite methodsfamiliar to the police.

　　"But," he said, wonderingly, "you can't do that."The Inspector laughed, a laugh of disingenuous amusement, for heunderstood perfectly the lack of comprehension on the part of hishearer.

　　"Well," he said, and his voice sank into a modest rumble that wasnone the less still thunderous. "Perhaps I can't!" And then hebeamed broadly, his whole face smiling blandly on the man whodoubted his power. "Perhaps I can't," he repeated. Then thechuckle came again, and he added emphatically: "But I will!"Suddenly, his heavy face grew hard. His alert eyes shonefiercely, with a flash of fire that was known to every patrolmanwho had ever reported to the desk when he was lieutenant. Hisheavy jaw shot forward aggressively as he spoke.

　　"Think I'm going to let that girl make a joke of the PoliceDepartment? Why, I'm here to get her--to stop her anyhow. Hergang is going to break into your house to-night.""What?" Gilder demanded. "You mean, she's coming here as athief?""Not exactly," Inspector Burke confessed, "but her pals arecoming to try to pull off something right here. She wouldn'tcome, not if I know her. She's too clever for that. Why, if sheknew what Garson was planning to do, she'd stop him."The Inspector paused suddenly. For a long minute his face wasseamed with thought. Then, he smote his thigh with a blow strongenough to kill an ox. His face was radiant.

　　"By God! I've got her!" he cried. The inspiration for which hehad longed was his at last. He went to the desk where thetelephone was, and took up the receiver.

　　"Give me 3100 Spring,&q............