Page:MacGrath--The luck of the Irish.djvu/151

 "Frightful!"

"Now don't get excited. What I want to know is, what did this messenger look like?"

"This is a terrible misfortune! He was about your age, perhaps. I was particular to note that he wore a blue serge suit, baggy at the knees, and had on a straw hat. I could not say that he was either poorly or well dressed."

"What kind of shoes did he have on?"

"I did not notice them."

"That's bad. Sometimes a man 'll forget to change them when he goes masquerading. He didn't go into my room alone?"

"Certainly not. The head waiter accompanied him."

"Send for him."

The head waiter's explanation was simple He had escorted the messenger up to the room, watched him take a pair of shoes and wrap them up in a newspaper. He had then locked the door.

"Did you come with the man?"

"No, sir. I went with him to the head of the stairs, giving him the key."

"Which he gave to me," interpolated the manager. "Somehow he got back before he gave you that key. Well, the damage is done. But I guess he wasted his time. The letter is no good without the identification book which I have in my pocket."

"That news takes a great weight off my shoulders, Mr. Grogan. A word to Cook in the morning will stop the letter from being used anywhere in