He rang a hand-bell and a uniformed boy approached, to whom he gave an
order and the Bradys were escorted away.

By questioning the help they soon found that the smuggler, his wife and his
daughter had left the hotel by another exit.

A policeman in the street had seen them hire a cab and drive away through
Broadway at a rapid pace.

Unable to learn anything else, the detectives went home. They had very
comfortable apartments and spent the day there piecing out the torn letter
so it could be read.

On the following day they had it translated, and read the following
startling piece of information:

"Paris, France, May 19.

"My dear La Croix: In reply to yours of the 5th inst., I beg to say
that I can easily meet your daughter at Havre, if she comes over on
the Champagne. I shall then take her to Amsterdam, Holland, and
procure the fifty packages of diamonds. She can then assume a
fictitious name and take passage on the steamer Labrador, to
Canada. You can meet her in Montreal, and the stones can be taken
across the border at Niagara Falls, as you suggest. Should you
follow this plan, wire me at once, and I shall so arrange matters
that the American spies for the Customs officials who are on the
lookout here shall know knothing about the transaction. Everything
depends upon keeping this a secret from them, or they will cable
back to the U.S. inspectors to keep a watch for Clara when she