“But in the public mind I know there is prejudice against any bank official who speculates or leads a fast life, and of course it is warranted.  Still, if Brown should clear himself finally the thing will come back to Dawson and even if he is guilty, it will make me the—­er—­the ultimate goat.  The upshot of it all will be that I shall have to stand the blame, if not the guilt, and the only way I can atone for my laxity in the past is by activity in catching the real offender and perhaps by restoring to the company and the bank whatever can yet be recovered.”

“But,” asked Kennedy sympathetically, “what makes you think that you will find your man, whoever he proves to be, in New York?”

“I admit that it is only a very slight clue that I have,” he replied confidentially.  “It is just a hint Dawson dropped once to one of the men with whom he was confidential in the company.  This clerk told me that a long time ago Dawson said he had always wanted to go to South America and that perhaps on his honeymoon he might get a chance.  This is the way I figured it out.  You see, he is clever and some of these South American countries have no extradition treaties with us by which we could reach him, once he got there.”

“Perhaps he has already arrived in one of them with his wife.  What makes you think he hasn’t sailed yet?”

“No, I don’t think he has.  You see, she wanted to spend a part of the honeymoon at Atlantic City.  I learned that indirectly from her folks, who profess to know no better than we do where the couple are.  That was an additional reason why I wanted to see if by coming to New York I might not pick up some trace of them, either here or in Atlantic City.”

“And have you?”

“Yes, I think I have.”  He handed us a letter-gram which he had just received from Chicago.  It read:  “Two more checks have come in to-day from Atlantic City and New York.  They seem to be in payment of bills, as they are for odd amounts.  One is from the Lorraine at Atlantic City and the other from the Hotel Amsterdam of New York.  They were dated the 19th and 20th.”

“You see,” he resumed as we finished reading, “it is now the 23rd, so that there is a difference of three days.  He was here on the 20th.  Now the next ship that he could take after the 20th sails from Brooklyn on the 25th.  If he’s clever he won’t board that ship except in a disguise, for he will know that by that time some one must be watching.  Now I want you to help me penetrate that disguise.  Of course we can’t arrest the whole shipload of passengers, but if you, with your scientific knowledge, could pick him out, then we could hold him and have breathing space to find out whether he is guilty alone or has been working with Bolton Brown.”

Carroll was now pacing the office with excitement as he unfolded his scheme which meant so much for himself.

“H—­m,” mused Kennedy.  “I suppose Dawson was a man of exemplary habits?  They almost always are.  No speculating or fast living with him as with Brown?”