"Halsey?" I asked unceremoniously, ignoring the stranger. "Did he not
meet you?"
"No." Mr. Jamieson looked slightly surprised. "I rather expected the
car, but we got up all right."
"You didn't see him at all?" Louise demanded breathlessly.
Mr. Jamieson knew her at once, although he had not seen her before.
She had kept to her rooms until the morning she left.
"No, Miss Armstrong," he said. "I saw nothing of him. What is wrong?"
"Then we shall have to find him," she asserted. "Every instant is
precious. Mr. Jamieson, I have reason for believing that he is in
danger, but I don't know what it is. Only--he must be found."
The stocky man had said nothing. Now, however, he went quickly toward
the door.
"I'll catch the hack down the road and hold it," he said. "Is the
gentleman down in the town?"
"Mr. Jamieson," Louise said impulsively, "I can use the hack. Take my
horse and trap outside and drive like mad. Try to find the Dragon
Fly--it ought to be easy to trace. I can think of no other way. Only,
don't lose a moment."
The new detective had gone, and a moment later Jamieson went rapidly
down the drive, the cob's feet striking fire at every step. Louise
stood looking after them. When she turned around she faced Gertrude,
who stood indignant, almost tragic, in the hall.
"You KNOW what threatens Halsey, Louise," she said accusingly. "I
believe you know this whole horrible thing, this mystery that we are
struggling with. If anything happens to Halsey, I shall never forgive
you."
Louise only raised her hands despairingly and dropped them again.
"He is as dear to me as he is to you," she said sadly. "I tried to
warn him."
"Nonsense!" I said, as briskly as I could. "We are making a lot of
trouble out of something perhaps very small. Halsey was probably
late--he is always late. Any moment we may hear the car coming up the
road."
But it did not come. After a half-hour of suspense, Louise went out
quietly, and did not come back. I hardly knew she was gone until I
heard the station hack moving off. At eleven o'clock the telephone
rang. It was Mr. Jamieson.
"I have found the Dragon Fly, Miss Innes," he said. "It has collided
with a freight car on the siding above the station. No, Mr. Innes was
not there, but we shall probably find him. Send Warner for the car."
But they did not find him. At four o'clock the next morning we were
still waiting for news, while Alex watched the house and Sam the
grounds. At daylight I dropped into exhausted sleep. Halsey had not
come back, and there was no word from the detective.