The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-12-29
lace into which it could have fallen or

place into which it could have fallen or
been deposited. We reached Euston-
square while / was still searching, and
losing more and more Of my compssure
every instant. Tom Morville Joined me
in my quest, and felt every bag which
had been made up and sealed. The box
was no small article. which could go
into little compass; it was certainly
twelve inches long, and more than that
in girth. But it turned up nowhere. l
never felt nearer fainting than>at that
moment.
"Could Miss Clifton have carried it
off" suggested Tom Morvi!le.
"No," said, Indignantly but thought
fully, "she couldn't have carried of
such a bulky thing as that, without our
seeing it. 1t would not go into one of
our pockets, Tom, and she wore tight
! fitting Jacket that would not conceal
anything"
'.No, she can't have it," assented Tom;
then it must be somewhere about"
We searched again and again, turning
over everything in the van, but with
out success. The Premier's despatch
box was gone; and all we could do at first
was to stand and stare at one another.
Our trance of black dismay was of
short duration, for the van was assailed
by the postmen from st. Martin's-le-
Grand, who were waiting for our charge.
In stupor of bewilderment we COM
pleted our work and delivered up the
mails then once more we confronted
one another with pale faces, frightened
ont of our seven senses. All the scrapes
we had ever been in (and we had had
our usual share of errors and blunders)
faded into utter insigniticance compared
with this. My eye fell upon MIR. Hun
tingdon's order order lying among some
scraps of waste paper on the floor, and
| picked it up, and put it carefully,
with its official envelope, into my
pocket.
1--WE can't stay here" said Tom. The
porters were looking in inquisitively {:
we were seldom so long in quitting our
empty van.
NO" l replied, sudden CLEAN of
sense darting across the blank bewilder-
ment of my brain; ''no, we must go to
headquarters at once, and make clean
breast of it. This is no private busi-
ness, Tom"
We made one more Intellectual search,
and then We hailed cab and drove as
hard rs we could to the General Post
Office. The secretary of the Post-otlice
was not there, ofcOurse, but we obtained
the address of his residence in one OF
the suburbs, four or five miles from the
City, and we told no one of onr mlsi0r-
tune, my idea being that the fewer who
were made acquainted with the loss the
better. My Judgment was right there.
We had to knock up the household of
the sccretary,-a formidable parsonage
with whom had never been brought
into contact beforehand in short
time we were holding strictly private
and confidential interview with him, by
the glimmer of solitary candle, just
serving to light phis severe face, which
changed its expression several times as
/ narrated the calamity. 1t was too
stupendous for rebuke, and | fancied his
eyes softened with something like COM
miseration as he gazed upon us. Alter
a short interval of deliberation, he an
nounced his intention of accompanying
us to the residence of the Secretary OF
State; and in Il few minutes we were
driving back again TO the opposite ex-
tremity Of London. 1t was not far oil
the hour for the morning delivery of let
ters when we reached our destinat,oni
fog, and we could see nothing as we
passed aIona in almost utter SILENCE, for
neither Of US ventured TO speak, anu Tue
secretary only made brief remark now
and then. We drove up to some dwell
ing enveloped in fog, and we were left
in the cab for nearly half an hour, while
our secretary went in. At the end OF
that time we were summoned to an
apartment where there was seated ut n
large desk q small, spare man, with n
great head, and eyes deeply sunk under
the brows. There was no form OF IN
PRODUCTION, of course, and we could only
guess who he might be but we were re-
Guested to repeat our statement, and Il
few shrcwd questions put to us by the
stranger. We were eager to put him III
possession OF everything we knew; but
that was little beyond the fact that the
dcSpatch-box was lost.
THAT young person must have taken
it," he said.
'"She could not, SIR l answered, posi-
lively, but dcferentially. "She wore
the tightcst fitting pelissc | ever saw,
and she gave me both of her hands when
she said good by. She could not posi-
blv have it concealed about her. 1t
would not 90 into my pocket"
'How did she come to travel up
with you in the van, sir" he severely
asked.
| gave him for answer the order sign
ed by Mr.. Huntingdon. He and our sec
retary scanned it closely.
at is Huntingdon's signature, with
out doubt" said the latter. 81 could
swear to it anywhere. This is an ex-
traordinary circumstance"
1t was an extraordinary circumstance.
The two retired into an adjoining room,
where they stayed for another half hour,
and when they returned to us their faces
still bore an aspect of grave peri lexlty.
"Mr. Wilcox and Mr.. Morville," said
our secretary, "it is expedient that this
affair should be kept inviolaby secret.
You must even he careful not to hint
that YOU hold any secret. You did well
not to announce yOur loss at the Post
office and shall cause it to be under
stood that you had instructions to take
the despatah-box to its destination.
Your business now is to find the young
woman, and return with her not later
that six o'clock this afternoon, to my
office, at the General POst-office. What
other steps you think it requisite to
take, YOU need know nothing about;
the less you know, the better for your
selves"
Another CLEAN of commiseration in
his official eye made our hearts sink
within us. We departed promptly, and
With that i.ot;..t "f -~isin..I s"i.'-L ..
tines dictates infallably what
conrse we should persue, we die
tared our line of action. Tom Morville
was to 90 down to Camden-town; and
inquire at every house for Miss Clifton,
willie There would be just time for
twas to run down TO Eaton BY
train, and obtain her exact address
from her parents. We agreed to
meet Mt the General Post-office at half
past five, if l could possibly reach
it by that time; but in any case Tom
was to report himself TO the secretary,
and account for my absence.
When I arrived at the station at
Eaton. | found that | had only forty
FIVE minutes before the up-train went