“A woman has left here,” thought Jack, holding the fragment of veiling in his hand.  “Or else Millard got away disguised as a woman.  That trunk may have held woman’s apparel for the very purposes of such an escape.”

This rear gateway opened upon a long, narrow alley that led to a street beyond.

Having satisfied himself on this point, Benson stepped back into the yard.

“Hold on!  Here’s something that will help,” muttered the boy, staring down curiously at the ground.

It was the imprint of a foot in a wet spot on the ground.  As Jack bent over it he saw the marks of diagonal criss-crossing such as is found in the soles of rubbers.

“The print is a fresh one.  Either Millard wore rubbers away, or some woman has been here who wore them,” Jack concluded.

Dropping his cudgel, since he would have no use for it, Benson made his way down the alley to the street beyond.  At the corner stood a small grocery store, whose proprietor was in the doorway.

“I wonder,” began Jack, “whether you saw a woman came down out of this alley-way lately?  A tall woman?”

“About twenty minutes ago I saw a tall woman, in a gray dress and wearing a gray veil,” replied the storekeeper.

“Was she carrying anything?”

“Some sort of a grip—­a suit case, I guess.”

“Did you ever see the woman before?” persisted Jack.

The storekeeper shook his head.

“Which way did the woman go?”

“I don’t remember, particularly, but I think down that way,” replied the grocer, pointing.

Jack hurried along.  It was a quiet part of the town.  None of the people to whom he spoke within the next three or four minutes remembered having seen the tall, veiled woman in gray, though some “thought” they “might have.”

“I reckon,” wisely decided Captain Jack Benson, “that I know just about enough to take my information to Lieutenant Ridder.”

CHAPTER VIII

EPH FEELS LIKE THIRTY TACKS

As agreed, the young West Pointer was in a room at the Grindley House.  As this room was equipped with a telephone, the young Army man was in touch both with Fort Craven and with the submarine boys, should the latter find anything to report over the talking wire.

Here in the room Captain Jack found Ridder, for the boy had felt it best to go direct to the hotel.

“Surely, you haven’t found out anything as quickly as this?” asked the young lieutenant of engineers, looking up in surprise.

“I’ve learned a few things,” replied Jack, quietly.

“Sit down, and let us hear what you’ve learned.”

Jack dropped to the chair, but Lieutenant Ridder, when he heard the news, was so excited that no chair could hold him.

“Jove! and just our luck!” gasped the Army officer.  “No policeman in sight!  Now, if you three boys had kept together—­”