Page:The Master of Mysteries (1912).djvu/172

 six-twelve back to New York, and went direct to his rooms at the Beau Rivage apartments."

"He saw no one else? Not even a man in black, with a black tie?"

"Absolutely no one."

"And who are the women?"

"One is a Mrs. Elizabeth Cutter, widow, lives in a small house on the outskirts of the village; the other, a Miss Easting, lives a mile away. Both live alone."

"Did you get into either house?"

"I tried to, but couldn't make it. They seemed to be very suspicious of strangers. Miss Easting turned the dog on me."

"Did you notice that either of these women took snuff?"

"One of them looked it. She was sallow, and seemed to have smears of brown in the corners of her mouth."

"Which one was it?"

"Mrs. Cutter."

"Very good. That is all. Thank you for what you've done. Good day."

In a flash Astro had sprung to a messenger call on the wall and pressed down the handle. Then he scribbled a message on a telegraph blank and handed it to Valeska. It read as follows:

"Come immediately to the Beau Rivage. Important. P. S."

"Give that to the boy when he comes. Where's my revolver? Good! Telephone immediately to Calendon to take the next train for Antwerp, and meet me at the station. I don't want to miss it." He threw