that paper I came on here post haste. Now that story of the Press
Association strikes me as being decidedly thin. Here is a man living
comfortably at home who suddenly disappears in a most mysterious manner,
and nothing is heard of him for some time. Directly the public began to
regard it as a fascinating mystery and the miscreants realising what a
storm they were likely to stir up, the man himself writes and says that
it is all a mistake. Now, if he had come back and shown himself, it would
have been quite another matter. Instead of doing that, he writes a
letter from abroad, or sends a telegram or something of that kind, saying
that he has been called away on urgent business. That might pass easily
enough, but mark what follows. He writes to his servants asking them to
join him at once in some foreign town because he has let his house for
two months, and the new tenant wishes to get in without delay. Did ever
anybody hear anything so preposterous? Just as if a man would let a house
in that break-neck fashion without giving his servants due warning. The
thing is not to be thought of."

"Then you think the servants have been lured away on a fools' errand?"
Gurdon asked. "You don't think there is anybody in the house?"

"Oh, yes, I do," Venner said drily. "I have a very strong opinion that
there _are_ people in the house, and I also have a pretty shrewd idea as
to who they are. It happens, also, that I am in a position to test my
theory without delay."

"How do you propose to do that?" Gurdon asked.

"Quite easily. After I left you this afternoon I went back to the agent
and succeeded in obtaining possession of the keys of the empty house in
Portsmouth Square. My excuse was that I wanted to go into detail and to