glimmered. "I--I did not understand; I was too young to be cruel," she faltered. "How could I know what I was doing? Or what--what you did?" "I? To _you_?" "Y-yes. Did you think that I escaped heart free? Do you realize what _my_ punishment was--to--to marry--and _remember_! If I was too young, too inexperienced to know what I was doing, I was not too young to suffer for it!" "You mean--" He strove to control his voice, but the sweet, fearless gray eyes met his; the old flame leaped in his veins. He reached out to steady himself and his hand touched hers--that soft, white hand that had held him all these years in the hollow of its palm. "Did you _ever_ love me?" he demanded. Her eyes, wet with tears, met his straight as the starry gaze of a child. "Yes," she said. His hand tightened over hers; she swayed a moment, quivering from head to foot; then drawing a quick, sobbing breath, closed her eyes, imprisoned in his arms; and, after a long while, aroused, she looked up at him, her divine eyes unclosing dreamily. "Somebody is hammering at the front door," he breathed. "Listen!" "I hear. I believe it must be the Tracer of Lost Persons." "What?" "Only a Mr. Keen." "O Lord!" said Kerns faintly, and covered his face with her fragrant hands. Very tenderly, very gravely, she drew her hands away, and, laying them on his shoulders, looked up at him. "You--you know what there is in your suit case," she faltered; "_are_ you a burglar, dear?" "Ask the Tracer of Lost Persons," said Kerns gently, "what sort of a criminal I am!" They stood together for one blissful moment listening to the loud knocking below, then, hand in hand, they descended the dark stairway to admit the Tracer of Lost Persons. CHAPTER XVII On the thirteenth day of March, 1906, Kerns received the following cable from an old friend: "Is there anybody in New York who can find two criminals for me? I don't want to call in the police. "J.T. BURKE." To which Kerns replied promptly: "Wire Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons, N.Y." And a day or two later, being on his honeymoon, he forgot all about his old friend Jack Burke. On the fifteenth day of March, 1906, Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons, received the following cablegram from Alexandria, Egypt: "_Keen, Tracer, New York:_--Locate Joram Smiles, forty, stout, lame, red hair, ragged red mustache, cast in left eye, pallid skin; carries one crutch; supposed to have arrived in America per S. S. _Scythian Queen_, with man known as Emanuel Gandon, swarthy, short, fat, light bluish eyes, Eurasian type. "I will call on you at your office as soon as my steamer, _Empress of Babylon_, arrives. If you discover my men, keep them under surveillance, but on no account call in police. Spare no expense. Dundas, Gray & Co. are my bankers and reference. "JOHN TEMPLETON
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