"And what would you do?"
"It is my duty to note every criminal as far as I can, and run him down if he makes himself answerable to our laws."
"You have no proof that this young man is a criminal."
"No, I have no proof, but I am satisfied that he is a criminal, and it is possible I can already associate him with a very grave crime."
The face of Alice became ghastly as her aunt asked:
"Alice, why do you show such interest in this criminal?"
"Aunty, I only show the interest that is natural, considering the esteem in which you held his mother."
The keen eyes of the detective were on the girl and he reached a very startling conclusion, and other very strange and startling suggestions and suspicions were running through his mind.
"I will take the photograph," he said, "and will guarantee no unpleasant incidents will follow my possession of it; and now, madam, one more point—I will come to your house to-night between eleven o'clock and midnight and remain here as a private watchman in order to anticipate the visit of the burglars in case a raid on your house is meditated."
"I am glad to have you do so, and I will have a room prepared for you, and I will pay you according to what you may think your services demand."