"Do you talk at everybody over the top rail of a fence?" he asked. "I thought that belonged to us lawyers. The fact is that although this is not strictly a social call, it's a call of minor importance. If you have business on hand, I can wait your leisure."

The Chief leaned back in his chair and smiled across at his visitor.

"I don't suppose you or I can ever be said to be free from business," he responded. "I was just growing weary of my bit of mental labor; your interruption is quite welcome, even if it is not 'strictly social.' You are anxious to make an informal inquiry about the search for the lost child, I presume?"

"I should be glad to hear anything upon that subject, but that is not my errand."

"Ah!" The Chief rested his head upon his hand, and looked inquiringly at his _vis-a-vis_.

"I wanted," said Mr. Follingsbee, taking out a huge pocket-book and deftly abstracting from it a folded envelope, "to show you a doc.u.ment, and ask you a question. This," unfolding the envelope, "is the doc.u.ment."

He smoothed it carefully and handed it to the other, who glanced over it blankly at first, then looked closer and with an expression of surprise.

"Did you write that letter?" queried Mr. Follingsbee.

"N-no." He said it hesitatingly, and with the surprise fast turning to perplexity.

"Did you cause it to be written?"

The Chief spread the letter out before him on the desk, and slowly deciphered it.

"It's my paper, and my envelope," he said at last; "but it was never sent from this office."

"Then you disown it?"

"Entirely. I hope you intend to tell me how it came into your possession."

"It is written, as you see, to Mr. Warburton--"

"To Mr. Alan Warburton; yes."

"Introducing one Mr. Grip, late of Scotland Yards."

"I see."

"Well, sir, Mr. Warburton received this note the day on which it was dated."

The Chief glanced sharply at the date.

"And on that same day, Mr. Augustus Grip presented himself, stating that he was sent from this Agency, with full authority to take such measures as he saw fit in prosecuting the search for the lost child."

"Well?"

"The fellow began by being impertinent, ended by being insulting--and made his exit through the study window, his case closed."

The Chief smiled slightly, then relapsed into meditation. After a brief silence, he said:

"Mr. Follingsbee, can't you give me a fuller account of that interview between Mr. Warburton and this--this Mr. Grip?"

"No," returns the lawyer, "no; I can't--at present. There were some things said that made the visit a purely personal affair. The fellow gained access to the house through making use of your name, rather by seeming to. You see by that scrawl he was too clever to actually commit forgery."

The Chief looked closely at the illegible signature and said:

"I see; sharp rascal."

"I thought," pursued the lawyer, "that it might interest you to hear of this affair. The fellow may try the trick again, and--"

"It does interest me, sir," interrupts the other. "It interests me very much. May I keep this letter?"

"For the present, yes."

"Thanks. I'll undertake to find out who wrote it--very soon. And, having identified this impostor, I shall hope to hear more of his doings at Warburton Place."

"For further information," said Mr. Follingsbee, rising and taking up his hat, "I must refer you to Mr. Grip, or Mr. Warburton."

[Ill.u.s.tration: "The Chief looked closely at the illegible signature, and said: "I see; sharp rascal.""--page 366.]

And having finished his errand, Mr. Follingsbee made his adieu and withdrew.

When he was gone, the Chief sat gazing at the chair just vacated, and a curious smile crossed his lips.

"Follingsbee's a clever lawyer," he muttered; "maybe that's why he is so poor a witness. There's a stronger motive behind his friendly desire to warn me of poachers abroad. He was in a greater hurry to finish his errand than to begin it, and he was relieved when it was done. I wonder, now, why he didn't ask me if there _really was such a person as Augustus Grip_!"

CHAPTER LI.

VERNET AT HEADQUARTERS.

After Mr. Follingsbee's departure, the Chief of the detectives took up his work just where he had laid it down to receive his visitor.

Ringing the bell he summoned the bright-eyed boy who waited without, and said, as soon as the lad appeared in the doorway:

"You know where to look for Vernet, George?"

"Yes, sir."

"Go to him as soon as possible; tell him I wish to see him at his earliest leisure; and you may wait a reasonable time, if he is out."

When George had bowed and departed on his mission, the Chief opened his door and entered the outer office.

"Has Carnegie been in to-day?" he asked of a man seated at a desk between two tall windows.

"Not yet, sir."

"Ah, then he will probably come soon. Send him in to me, Sanford."