Grady joined us a moment later, having been wondering where we had disappeared.

“You saw her?” he asked.  “What did you think of her?”

“Worth watching,” was all Kennedy would say.  “Did you get anything out of her?”

Grady shook his head.

“But I am convinced she knows something,” he insisted.

Kennedy was about to reply when he was interrupted by the arrival of a couple of detectives from the city police, tardily summoned by Grady.

“I shall let you know the moment I have discovered anything,” he said, as he bade Grady good-by.  “And thank you for letting me have a chance at the case before all the clues had been spoiled.”

Late though it was, in the laboratory Kennedy set to work examining the dust which he had swept up by the vacuum cleaner, as well as the jequirity beans he had taken from Mrs. Anthony’s jewel-case.

I do not know how much sleep he had, but I managed to snatch a few hours’ rest, and early in the morning I found him at work again, examining the cipher message which he had copied.

“By the way,” he said, scarcely looking up as he saw me again, “there is something quite important which you can do for me.”  Rather pleased to be of some use, I waited eagerly.  “I wish you’d go out and see what you can find out about that Mrs. Beekman Rogers,” he continued.  “I’ve some work here that will keep me for several hours; so come back to me here.”

It was such a commission as he had often given me before, and, through my connection with the Star, I found no difficulty in executing it.

I found that Mrs. Rogers was well known in a certain circle of society in the city.  She was wealthy and had the reputation of having given quite liberally to many causes that had interested her.  Just now, her particular fad was Oriental religions, and some of her bizarre beliefs had attracted a great deal of attention.  A couple of years before she had made a trip around the world, and had lived in India for several months, apparently fascinated by the life and attracted to the mysteries of Oriental faiths.

With my budget of information I hastened back again to join Kennedy at the laboratory.  I could see that the cipher was still unread.  From that, I conjectured that it was, as he had guessed, constructed on some new and difficult plan.

“What do you think of Mrs. Rogers?” I asked, as I finished reciting what I had learned.  “Is it possible that she can be in this revolutionary propaganda?” He shook his head doubtfully.

“Much of the disaffection that exists in India to-day,” he replied, “is due to the encouragement and financial assistance which it has received from people here in this country, although only a fraction of the natives of India have ever heard of us.  Much of the money devoted to the cause of revolution and anarchy in India is contributed by worthy people who innocently believe that their subscriptions are destined to promote the cause of native enlightenment.  I prefer to believe that there is some such explanation in her case.  At any rate, I think that we had better make a call on Mrs. Rogers.”