Produced by D Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE BY GORDON HOLMES NEW YORK EDWARD J. CLODE 156 FIFTH AVENUE 1905 Copyright, 1905, by EDWARD J. CLODE _The Plimpton Press Norwood Mass._ CONTENTS I "_Last Seen at Victoria_!" 1 II _Inspector White_ 12 III _The Lady's Maid_ 22 IV _No. 61 Raleigh Mansions_ 30 V _At the Jollity Theatre_ 41 VI _Miss Marie le Marchant_ 48 VII _In the City_ 56 VIII _The Hotel du Cercle_ 64 IX _Breaking the Bank_ 72 X _Some Good Resolutions_ 83 XI _Theories_ 91 XII _Who Corbett Was_ 101 XIII _A Question of Principle_ 109 XIV _No. 12 Raleigh Mansions_ 119 XV _Mrs. Hillmer Hesitates_ 131 XVI _Foxey_ 142 XVII _A Possible Explanation_ 152 XVIII _What Happened on the Riviera_ 163 XIX _Where Mrs. Hillmer Went_ 175 XX _Mr. Sydney H. Corbett_ 183 XXI _How Lady Dyke Left Raleigh Mansions_ 194 XXII _A Wilful Murder_ 205 XXIII _The Letter_ 216 XXIV _The Handwriting_ 225 XXV _Miss Phyllis Browne Intervenes_ 234 XXVI _Lady Helen Montgomery's Son_ 246 XXVII _Mr. White's Method_ 254 XXVIII _Sir Charles Dyke's Journey_ 264 XXIX _How Lady Dyke Disappeared_ 274 XXX _Sir Charles Dyke Ends His Narrative_ 285 XXXI _Valedictory_ 297 CHAPTER I "LAST SEEN AT VICTORIA!" Alice, Lady Dyke, puckered her handsome forehead into a thoughtful frown as she drew aside the window-curtains of her boudoir and tried to look out into the opaque blackness of a November fog in London. Behind her was cheerfulness--in front uncertainty. Electric lights, a nice fire reflected from gleaming brass, the luxury of carpets and upholstery, formed an alluring contrast to the dull yellow glare of a solitary lamp in the outer obscurity. But Lady Dyke was a strong-minded woman. There was no trace of doubt in the wrinkled brows and reflective eyes. She held back the curtains with her left hand, buttoning a glove at the wrist with the other. Fog or no fog, she would venture forth, and she was already dressed for the weather in tailor-made costume and winter toque.