Page:Chipperfield--Unseen Hands.djvu/154

142 him sleep over it to-night, but in the morning I'll put him through the jumps. Well, Miller?"

After a light tap the door had opened, and the plainclothes detective who had been sent to bring in Farley Drew stood upon the threshold with failure written on his countenance.

"He's not there, sir. When I asked at the desk for Mr. Drew the clerk 'phoned up to his rooms and someone answered that he was out of town. Then I showed my shield and they sent me up with a bellboy. Of course, the clerk may have telephoned a warning while we were in the elevator; but I don't think he did for when we rang the valet opened the door promptly, and he looked a good deal surprised but not alarmed. He said that Mr. Drew went away early this morning to some house party in the country, but he couldn't say where as he'd had no instructions about forwarding mail. Mr. Drew seldom left an address when he was only to be away for a few days. The valet, Sims his name is, had packed dress clothes, a Norfolk hunting-suit, and tennis-flannels in the bags which our bird took away with him; and he understood that Drew would not be back for a week."

"Is that all you got?" the chief asked disgustedly.

"Not quite, sir. By luck I found the chauffeur outside at the taxi-stand who had driven him to the station; the Grand Central it was. He knew Drew and had often driven him before; and he said that he was in a devil of a hurry to catch his train this morning. It looked straight enough to me."

"All right; that'll do." As the door closed once more the