friend."
"Yet she ought, merely to set my mind at rest. She knows how fondly Ilove Maud."
"What has she told you?"
"She's merely urged me to be patient. That's all very well, because Ifeel sure that if Maud were allowed to do so she would write to me."
"Her father may prevent her. He does not write to me, remember," saidMax.
"I can't understand Marion; she is so very mysterious over it all. Eachtime I've seen her I've tried to get the truth from her, but all invain," Rolfe declared. "My own idea is that on the night in question,when they went together to Queen's Hall, Maud told Marion something--something that is a secret."
Max pondered. His friend's explanation tallied exactly with his owntheories; but the point still remained whether or not there had beenfoul play.
"But why doesn't the Doctor send me word of his own safety?" askedBarclay. "I was with him only a few hours before, smoking and chatting.He surely knew then of his impending flight. It had all been mostingeniously and cleverly arranged."
"No doubt. When I knew of it I was absolutely staggered," Rolfe said.
It was curious, thought his friend, that he did not admit visiting thehouse after the furniture had been removed.
"I thought you left at nine that night to go to Belgrade. Marion toldme you had gone," Max remarked.
"Yes. I had intended to go, but I unfortunately missed my train. Thenext day the old gentleman sent somebody else, as he wanted me at hometo look after affairs up in Glasgow."
"And how did you first know of Maud's disappearance?" asked Max,thinking to upset his calm demeanour.
"I called at the house," he replied, vouchsafing no further fact.
"And after that?" Max inquired, recollecting that tell-tale stain uponthe woman's bodice.
"I made inquiries in a number of likely quarters, without result."
"And what's your theory?" Max asked, looking him straight in the face,now undecided whether he was lying or not.
"Theory? Well, my dear fellow, I haven't any. I'd like to hear yours.The doctor and his daughter have suddenly disappeared, as though theearth has swallowed them, and they've not left the least trace behind.What do you believe the real truth to be?"
"At present I'm unable to form any actual theory," his friend replied."There has either been foul play, or else they are in hiding because ofsome act of political vengeance which they fear. That not a word hascome from either tends to support the theory of foul play. Yet if therehas been a secret tragedy, why should the furniture have been made todisappear as well as themselves?" Then, after a pause, he fixed hiseyes suspiciously upon Charlie, and added, "I wonder if the Doctor keptany valuables or securities that thieves might covet in his house?"
Rolfe shrugged his shoulders. Mention of that point in no way disturbedhim.
"I have never heard Maud speak of her father having any valuablepossessions there," he said simply.
"But he may have done so, and a theft may have been committed!"
"Of course. But the whole affair from beginning to end is mostpuzzling. I wonder the papers didn't get hold of it. They could haveconcocted lots of theories if it had become known."
"And now, at this lapse of time, the Press could not mention it for fearof libel. They'll think that the Doctor had done a moonlight flit,instead of paying his rent."
"It certainly looks like that," remarked Max with a laugh. "But I onlywish we could induce Marion to tell us all she knows."
Charlie sighed.
"Yes," he said. "I only wish she would say something. But she refusesabsolutely, and so we're left entirely in the dark."
"Well, all I can say is, that the Doctor would never wilfully leave mein ignorance of his whereabouts, especially at this moment. We havecertain business matters together involving a probable gain of a goodround sum. Therefore, it was surely to his interest to keep me in touchwith him!" Max declared.
The man before him was silent.
Was it possible that he had misjudged him? Was he lying; or had hereally gone to Cromwell Road in search of the Doctor and found the houseuntenanted and empty?
"It is a complete mystery," was all that Rolfe could say.
"Do you know, Charlie, a curious thought struck me the other day, and Imention it to you in all confidence. It may be absurd--but--well,somehow I can't get it out of my head."
"And what is it?" asked his friend with an eagerness just a littleunusual.
Max paused. Should he speak? Or should he preserve silence? Themystery now held him bewildered. What had become of the dear old Doctorand the pretty girl with the tiny wisp of hair straying across her whitebrow? Yes. He would speak the vague impression that had, of late, beenuppermost in his mind.
"Well," he said, "old Statham has financial interests in Servia, has henot?"
"Certainly. Quite a number. He floated their loan a few years ago."
"And has it not struck you then that he and the Doctor might beacquainted?"
"They were strangers," he exclaimed quickly, darting a strange lookacross at Barclay.
Max was somewhat surprised at the vehement and decisive nature ofCharlie's declaration.
"And Maud never met the old fellow?"
"Never--to my knowledge."
"Statham has a number of friends and acquaintances whom you do not know.The Doctor may have been one of them."
"Oh, Sam has very few secrets from me. I am his confidentialsecretary," was the other's rather cold response.
"I know--I know. But would it not be to Statham's interest to be onfriendly terms with such a powerful factor in the Servian politicalworld as Dr Petrovitch?"
"Well, it might. But you know how independent he is. He never goesinto society, and has no personal friends. He's utterly alone in theworld--the loneliest man in London."
"Then let us go a trifle further," said Max at last. "Answer me onequestion. Is it or is it not, a fact that you were at the house inCromwell Road on the night of--of their disappearance?"
Rolfe's countenance changed in an instant. His lips went white.
"Why?" he faltered--"what do you mean to imply?--why--?"
"Because, Rolfe," the other said in a hard, determined voice, "because Isaw you there--saw you with my own eyes!"
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.
TWO MEN AND A WOMAN.
The face of Charlie Rolfe went pale as death.
He was in doubt, and uncertain as to how much, or how little, was knownby this man who loved his sister.
"I saw you there, Rolfe, with my own eyes," repeated Max, lookingstraight into his face.
He tried to speak. What could he say? For an instant his tongue claveto the roof of his mouth.
"I--I don't quite understand you," he faltered. "What do you mean?"
"Simply that I saw you at the Doctor's house on the night of theirdisappearance."
"My dear fellow," he laughed, in a moment, perfectly cool, "you musthave been mistaken. You actually say you saw me?"
"Most certainly I did," declared Max, his eyes still upon his friend.
"Then all I can say is that you saw somebody who resembled me. Tell meexactly what you did see."
Max was for a moment silent. He never expected that Rolfe would flatlydeny his presence there. This very fact had increased his suspicions ahundredfold.
"Well, the only person I saw, Charlie, was you yourself--leaving thehouse. That's all."
"Somebody who closely resembled me, I expect."
"Then you deny having been at the house that evening?" asked Max ingreat surprise.
"Why, of course I do. You're absolutely mistaken, old chap," wasCharlie's response. "Of course, I can quite see how this must havepuzzled you. But what now arises in my mind is whether someone has notendeavoured to personate me. It seems very much as though they have.You say that I left the house. When?"
"After the removal. You were in the empty house, which you leftsecretly."
"And you were t
here also, then?" he asked.
"Of course. I called, ignorant that they had left." Charlie Rolfe didnot speak for several moments.
"Well," he exclaimed at last, "it seems that somebody has beenimpersonating me. I certainly was not there."
"Why should they impersonate you?"
"Who knows? Is there not mystery in the whole affair?"
"But if somebody went there dressed to resemble you, there must havebeen a motive in their visit," Max said.
"Well, old fellow, as