North had come up there for the purpose of helping him look for such a matter, and North had agreed that it could not be.
And now North himself was gone,—carried off,—yet the mere phrase, “carried off” seemed to Wise incongruous.
Could North have been carried off without making noise enough to rouse some of the sleeping household? It was incredible!
Before discussing the matter with Minna, or calling the local police again, Wise went to the bedroom North had occupied and locked himself in.
“If I can’t tell,” he said to himself, “whether that man was kidnapped or whether he sneaked himself off—yet why would he do such a thing as that? My desperation over this puzzle is leading my mind astray.”
Carefully, without touching a thing, Wise considered the state of the room.
The bed had been occupied, and, it was quite evident, had been hastily quitted. The coverings were tossed back over the footboard, and the pillow still bore the impress of a head.
On the dresser lay North’s collar and tie, and beneath the pillow, Wise discovered his watch and a handkerchief.
Clearly, the man had gone, after a hasty and incomplete toilette.
On the small table, lay some sheets of paper and a pencil.