The first thing that Duvall did, after releasing Grace from her bonds, was to take her in his arms and kiss her. Then he found the electric switch upon the wall and turned on the lights.

"What—what was it?" Grace asked, staring before her in horror.

"What was what?" he questioned.

"That—that thing that was locked in here with me."

"Poor creature. A monkey. I\'m sorry I had to shoot it." He pointed to a crumpled figure on the floor dressed in a gay costume of red silk.

"But—what was a monkey doing here?"

"I\'ll explain all that later. Where is the woman?" He glanced toward the silent bedroom.

"They have gone?"

"They?"

"Yes. There were two."

"Ah! The Ford girl. I might have known. Where did they go?"

"I—I don\'t know. To the station, I think. They said something about waiting there for a train."

"What station?"

"They didn\'t say. But they spoke of taking a car to 42nd Street, and crossing over. It must have been the Grand Central."

"Or possibly the West Shore. We\'ll have to try both. Are you able to leave now?"

Grace straightened out her stiffened limbs.

"Yes—I—guess so."

"Then come along."

As they started to leave the place, two men confronted them at the door. One was Mr. Scully, he of the ground-floor apartment, the other a short, thickset man, who at once announced himself as the janitor of the building.

"What\'s going on up here?" he questioned. "I heard a shot."

Duvall pointed to the crumpled heap on the floor.

"I had to shoot it, though I\'m sorry now that I did. It attacked me in the dark. I couldn\'t afford to take any chances. My wife was locked in here, and was, so far as I knew, in grave danger."

"Your wife?" The man glanced at Grace.

"Yes."

"But—where is Miss Norman? And how did that monkey get in here?"

"Miss Norman left here some time ago. Another woman, by the name of Ford, was with her. She brought the monkey."

"What for?"

"I imagine she didn\'t want to leave it at her rooms. She did not expect to return there."

"And Miss Norman\'s gone, you say?"

"Yes."

"Where to?"

"I don\'t just know, but I mean to find out at once. She has been guilty of a grave offense, on account of which I have been trying to lay my hands on her for several days. My wife tells me she took most of her belongings with her in her flight."

"Flight, eh?" the man growled. "And she owes us a month\'s rent. I hope you find her."

"I think I shall. Meanwhile, suppose you wait here in the apartment, in case, for any reason, she comes back. If I find her I shall bring her here at once, and unless the place is open I couldn\'t very well get in."

"All right." The man glanced about the disordered room. "That damned monkey has smashed a lamp and a lot of ornaments that somebody\'s got to pay for. Miss Norman rented this place furnished."

Duvall made no reply, but nodding to Grace, led the way to the hall.

"I\'ll be back soon, whether I find the woman or not," he said. "I\'ve got some investigations to make here."

Accompanied by Grace, he descended to the cab. Leary seemed overjoyed to realize that Grace was safe, and began a long apology for his carelessness in not waiting for her earlier in the evening, but Duvall cut him short.

"Good thing you didn\'t," he said. "By coming back to the hotel and leaving the note for Mrs. Duvall, you made it possible for me to find her, and if I hadn\'t"—he paused and looked at Grace with a troubled face—"there\'s no knowing what might have happened. Tell the chauffeur to drive to the Grand Central Station."

It was three o\'clock when the cab drew up at the curb. In spite of the lateness of the hour, there were a good many persons moving in and out of the station. Duvall got out and motioned to Grace and Leary to do the same.

"We will all go in by different doors," he explained, "and meet in the general waiting-room. If the women are not there, Mrs. Duvall will look through the women\'s room. If you see them, and they make no effort to escape, wait for me to join you. If they do try to get away, detain them until I come."

It was Duvall himself, however, who first caught sight of the objects of their pursuit. They sat, both apparently asleep, on a bench in one corner of the main waiting room. The detective was not certain of their identity, heavily veiled as they were, until he had gone quite close up to them. Then he saw that they were Miss Ford and the woman who had escaped from him while in the cab the night before.

He leaned over and tapped the Ford girl on the shoulder.

"Wake up, Miss Ford," he exclaimed.

The girl shivered, then struggled to her feet. Her companion appeared to be too dazed to move, although she opened her eyes and stared at him with a vague and terrified face.

"Will you come with me quietly," he said, "or shall I call a policeman and have you put under arrest for the attack upon my wife?" He addressed himself more particularly to the woman who was sitting.

She now rose and made a movement as though to attempt to escape. Duvall grasped her by the arm.

"It will be quite useless to attempt it, Miss Norman," he said. "I have help close at hand in case it is needed." He glanced toward Grace and Leary, who were now approaching. "I do not wish to use any violence, of course, but you and your friend are going back to the apartment on Ninety-sixth Street with me."

His voice, his manner, made it apparent to the two women that escape was hopeless. They seemed suddenly to realize it, to give up further ideas of resistance.

"Very well," Miss Norman said, "we will go."

"Good." Duvall turned to Leary. "Take those two suit cases, Leary, and get another cab." In silence the little party made its way to the street. The two women said nothing on the way back to the apartment, and Duvall did not question them. There was time enough for that, he reflected, after they reached their destination. Within less than an hour from the time of their departure, their entire party was back in the woman\'s apartment.

The janitor was still there on guard, but the body of the dead monkey had been removed. Duvall, requesting Leary to remain, closed the door. The janitor rose and came toward them.

"Look here, Miss Norman," he began, "who\'s going to pay for that broken lamp and them vases and ornaments?"

The woman regarded him with a stare, but said nothing.

"Never mind about those things now," Duvall said. "They can remain. I have some questions of much greater importance to ask these ladies. You need not wait. In fact, I should prefer that you did not. The matter is a private one." The janitor took his departure, grumbling to himself, and Duvall closed and bolted the door. Then he requested the two women to be seated. They obeyed without a word.

"Why did you send those threatening messages to Miss Morton?" he suddenly asked, addressing himself to Miss Norman.

She faced him defiantly.

"I\'ll answer no questions," she flung at him. "You can\'t prove I sent anybody any messages."

"Do you deny it, then?"

"Yes!"

Duvall turned to Grace.

"You saw this woman enter Miss Morton\'s hotel to-night and go up in the elevator, did you not?"

"Certainly!"

"Do you deny that?" The detective once more addressed Miss Norman.

"No. What of it? How do you know I went to Miss Morton\'s room?" Her defiance was in no way lessened. Duvall saw that she meant to deny her guilt utterly. He turned to Leary.

"This woman came to you, did she not, with a request that you spy on my wife\'s movements, and inform her concerning them?"

The chauffeur nodded.

"Yes, sir. She did."

Again Miss Norman spoke.

"Suppose I did. What then?"

"You will admit, I presume, that you fainted at the theatre the other night when the picture of the death\'s-head seal was thrown on the screen, and that later you escaped from the cab in which I had placed you?"