in front of her room.

"Zey are gone, Senorita!" she gasped.

"Gone!"

"What?" asked Cora, half forgetting, in her own grief and anxiety,
what the Spanish girl had gone to ascertain.

"My papairs--for my father! Oh, Senorita, what shall I do?"

"Gone?" echoed Cora. "Do you mean taken--stolen?"

"I fear so--yes. See, my room has been entered."

There was no doubt of it. A hasty glance showed Cora that, in the
absence of Inez, her hotel room had been gone over quickly, but
thoroughly. A small, empty valise, which Inez had trustingly hidden
under the mattress of the bed lay on the floor, open. It had
contained the papers which were so precious to her. Now they were
gone--that was evident.

"Oh, Inez!" cried Cora, and in such a voice that Jack, who was just
coming along with Walter, hurried up, inquiring:

"What is it? What's the matter?"

"Those papers Inez had, have been stolen!" cried Cora. "And Senor
Ramo is missing--has fled--"