XXI.
A SHREWD CONJECTURE.
The test of which I speak was as follows:
I would advertise for a person dressed as I believed Mrs. Van Burnam to have been when she left the scene of crime. If I received news of such a person, I might safely consider my theory established.
I accordingly wrote the following advertisement:
"Information wanted of a woman who applied for lodgings on the morning of the eighteenth inst., dressed in a brown silk skirt and a black and white plaid blouse of fashionable cut. She was without a hat, or if a person so dressed wore a hat, then it was bought early in the morning at some store, in which case let shopkeepers take notice. The person answering this description is eagerly sought for by her relatives, and to any one giving positive information of the same, a liberal reward will be paid. Please address, T. W. Alvord, —— Liberty Street."
I purposely did not mention her personal appearance, for fear of attracting the attention of the police.
This done, I wrote the following letter:
"Dear Miss Ferguson: