Graham guardian., 1912-01-19

she had done him that she saw him
from her partners shoulder before he
picked her out from score of other
comely young women on the floor.
Miss March instantly wearied of the
waltz. to the dismay of the youth
whose arm encircled her, and who
rather fancied himself as a dancer.
She lost no time In having herself es-
corted to small conservatory, where
she dismissed her partner with scant
ceremony. and where, q few moments
afterward, she was Joined by Girls
void.
Even then the debutante's unwilling
tangling Of the threads of Griswold's
fate might not have had such influence
upon his future II she had approached
her subject with directness. Had she
told Griswold at once what she had
said to the detective concerning his
skill as draughtsman, the clubman's
suspicious would have been aroused,
and he might have taken steps that
would have had a marked effect upon
the development of the great Mission
er mystery. But Dorothy was too fiut-
tered, too prettily remorseful, to go
straight to the heart Of the subject,
and in her innocent endeavor to post
Griswold In respect of her chat with
Britz without making him think she
was a gossiping little busybody. she
protracted her interview with the club
man through so many dances that
when it ended Griswold persuaded him
self the morning would be ample time
to do that which he felt must be done
to avert the probable consequences of
Dorothy's girlish frankness. His van
ity again played its part, too, for when
he had thanked little Miss March for
what he pleased to consider her inter-
est In him, and when Dorothy, having
signally failed to impress upon him the
impersonal nature of her conscience
stroke. found herself in a further fiut.
ter of bewilderment, Curtis Griswold
proceeded to parade her up and down
the dancing floor as effectively as he
had shown or the rich and beautiful
widow In the larger ballroom little
farther up the avenue. Griswold
prided himself on his versatility He
argued that 1t was as easy for him.
as he would have expressed It to his
club intimates, ITO put Ally through
her PAGES" as It had been to advertise
the fact before the whole ballroom
that Doris Missioner, the fastidious
beauty and worshiped possessor Of
many millions, apparently was on the
point Of accepting him as her second
matrimonial venture.
All Of which resulted IN Griswold's q
long stay at the dance, IN his ride with
Dorothy to her home In an automobile
otherwise occupied only by satisfac.
torily self-centered chaperon; and In
his waste Of further time at one OF his
clubs after parting with Miss March
and her duenna--a waste OF hours any
one Of which might have been made as
useful to him as year of ordinary
time. He was further disposed to pro-
crastinate In this crucial moment by
the success OF the Headquarters man
In throwing all suspected persons on
their guard by keeping Elinor Hol-
comb In the Tombs. Through all his
work on the Missioner case, Britz had
been beset with requests from Mrs.
Missioner, Sands and other friends OF
the widows secretary, to permit them
to give bail for her. Sands and Mrs.
Missioner were particularly insistent
in their desire to see Elinor at liberty.
Fitch, though normally his wish to see
his flancee free must have been
stronger than that Of anyone else, was
partly reconciled to her protracted i'm,
prisonment by the detective's frequent
assurance OF her ultimate vindication
Moreover, the doctor. In consequence
of his work on the case with Britz, had
direct knowledge of the Importance
that the suspicious Of others should
not be alarmed. He had been with the
detective when the card of Bruxton
Sands was discovered in the posses.
sion Of the old curiosity shop man; be
knew of the note addressed to Curtis
dear" and signed "Millicent," and also