piece. No message had been received from her, and a substitute had
been put in her place.

The chief hung up the receiver and turned to me. "You are sure about
the clock, Mrs. Pitman?" he asked. "It was there when they moved
up-stairs to the room?"

"Yes, sir."

"You are certain you will not find it on the parlor mantel when the
water goes down?"

"The mantels are uncovered now. It is not there."

"You think Ladley has gone for good?"

"Yes, sir."

"He'd be a fool to try to run away, unless--Graves, you'd better get
hold of the fellow, and keep him until either the woman is found or a
body. The river is falling. In a couple of days we will know if she is
around the premises anywhere."

Before I left, I described Jennie Brice for them carefully. Asked what
she probably wore, if she had gone away as her husband said, I had no
idea; she had a lot of clothes, and dressed a good bit. But I recalled
that I had seen, lying on the bed, the black and white dress with the
red collar, and they took that down, as well as the brown valise.

The chief rose and opened the door for me himself. "If she actually