I went at once to the house of Mr. Smith. He was expecting me, having
been warned by telegram. He received me very frankly, without any
formality, his pipe in his mouth, a glass of brandy on the table. A
second glass was brought in by a servant, and I had to drink to my
host before beginning our interview.

"Mr. Ward sent you," said he to me in a jovial tone. "Good; let us
drink to Mr. Ward's health."

I clinked glasses with him, and drank in honor of the chief of police.

"And now," demanded Elias Smith, "what is worrying him?"

At this I made known to the mayor of Morganton the cause and the
purpose of my mission in North Carolina. I assured him that my chief
had given me full power, and would render me every assistance,
financial and otherwise, to solve the riddle and relieve the
neighborhood of its anxiety relative to the Great Eyrie.

Elias Smith listened to me without uttering a word, but not without
several times refilling his glass and mine. While he puffed steadily
at his pipe, the close attention which he gave me was beyond
question. I saw his cheeks flush at times, and his eyes gleam under
their bushy brows. Evidently the chief magistrate of Morganton was
uneasy about Great Eyrie, and would be as eager as I to discover the
cause of these phenomena.

When I had finished my communication, Elias Smith gazed at me for
some moments in silence. Then he said, softly, "So at Washington they