"Oui, monsieur, but I could not. I had ze rest of ze money to get rid of and ze suitcase to carry. I will bring her in a taxi to-morrow."
"Where is she?"
"Safe in the care of the woman who runs my boarding house."
"When did you bring her from Philadelphia?"
"Yesterday afternoon."
"Did you have any trouble?"
"Non, monsieur. I didn't even have to go to ze house, although I had a plausible story all ready. I was going to say that Mrs. Traynor had sent me to fetch Miss Dorothy because her mother wanted her home for ze coming marriage of Miss Ray. But it wasn't necessary to lie about it. I found ze child playing in ze street near the house. I merely told her her mamma wanted her to come home, gave her some candy, and she followed me willingly enough."
"By this time the alarm has been given."
"Sans doute, monsieur. They probably telegraphed Mrs. Traynor last night that ze child was missing——"
The voices again stopped. Steell, his face white, and fists clenched, turned to his companion: