"Don't connect me," he hurriedly ordered, "except to open the
switch, so I may listen. If I hang up without a word, tell the
party I will be back in twenty minutes."

With a hotel telephone girl tact is more important than even the
knowledge of wire-knitting. It was the woman's voice which he
had heard at the hospital. Captain Cronin was anxious to speak
to Mr. Williams, who was calling on Mr. Hepburn! With the
biggest jolt of this day of surprises Shirley disconnected and
whistled. Again he laughed--with that grim chuckle which was so
characteristic of his supreme battling mood! They had found the
trail even quicker than he had expected. Fortunate it was that
he had not mentioned his own name in telephoning from the
hospital to Howard. Not a wire was safe from these mysterious
eaves-droppers now. He hurried into a business suit, and left
the hotel, to walk over Thirty-fourth Street to the studio of
his friend, Hammond Bell. Here he was admitted, to find the
portrait-painter finishing a solitary chafing-dish supper.

"Delighted, Monty! Join me in the encore on this creamed
chicken and mushrooms!"

"Too rich for my primitive blood, Hammond. I'm in a hurry to get
a favor."

"I've received enough at your hands--say the word."

"Simply this: I want to experiment with sound waves. I
remembered that once in a while some of these wild Bohemian