“Perhaps she knew that.”

“It looks as if she did.”

“Which means that she was meditating flight from the first.”

“From the time she saw that man,” Mr. Ransom corrected.

“Just so; from the time she left her uncle’s house.  Your wife is a woman of means, I believe.”

“Yes, unfortunately.”

“Why unfortunately?”

“It makes her independent and offers a lure to irresponsible wretches like him.”

“Her fortune is large, then?”

“Very large; larger than my own.”

Every one knew Mr. Ransom to be a millionaire.

“Left her by her father?”

“No, by some great-uncle, I believe, who made his fortune in the
Klondike.”

“And entirely under her own control?”

“Entirely so.”

“Who is her man of business?”

“Edward Harper, of—­Wall Street.”

“He’s your man.  He’ll know sooner or later where she is.”

“Yes, but later won’t do.  I must know to-night; or, if that is impossible, to-morrow.  Were it not for the mortification it would cause her I should beg you to put on all your force and ransack the city for this bride of five hours.  But such publicity is too shocking.  I should like to give her a day to reconsider her treatment of me.  She cannot mean to leave me for good.  She has too much self-respect; to say nothing of her very positive and not to be questioned affection for myself.”

The detective looked thoughtful.  The problem had its difficulties.

“Are those hers?” he asked at last, pointing to the two trunks he saw standing against the wall.

“Yes.  I had them brought up, in the hope that she had slipped away on some foolish errand or other and would yet come back.”

“By their heft I judge them to be full; how about her hand-bag?”

“She had only a small bag and an umbrella.  They are both here.”

“How’s that?”

“The colored boy took them at the door.  She went away with nothing in her hands.”

Gerridge glanced at the bag Mr. Ransom had pointed out, fingered it, then asked the young husband to open it.

He did so.  The usual articles and indispensable adjuncts of a nice woman’s toilet met their eyes.  Also a pocketbook containing considerable money and a case holding more than one valuable jewel.

The eyes of the officer and manager met in ill disguised alarm.

“She must have been under the most violent excitement to slip away without these,” suggested the former.  “I’d better be at work.  Give me two hours,” were his parting words to Mr. Ransom.  “By that time I’ll either be back or telephone you.  You had better stay here; she may return.  Though I don’t think that likely,” he muttered as he passed the manager.

At the door he stopped.  “You can’t tell me the color of that veil?”

“No.”

“Look about the room, sir.  There’s lots of colors in the furniture and hangings.  Don’t you see one somewhere that reminds you of her veil or even of her dress?”