“This is a most mysterious affair. I am much humiliated over the action of the man to whom I had given my daughter. But I am willing to suspend my judgment until such time as I find whether or not he is really guilty of wrong. I place this case in your hands and I ask you to unravel the mystery, and spare no expense in doing so.” “The case shall be taken up immediately,” replied Nick. “Now, as the first thing, I wish to call your attention to the fact that one of my assistants is guarding that treasure above, and I want her relieved at once. Is there no place here in which they can be placed in safety.” “Yes,” replied Mr. Sanborn, “there are safes here in which the valuables may be placed.” Nick and his assistants superintended the transfer of the jewels from the room to the safe pointed out by Mr. Sanborn, and, having done so, Nick said to the millionaire: “Roughly estimating, I should say that at least there is a million of value in those jewels and that plate. Your safes are not a sufficient guard for so much value. Let me urge you to take immediate measures toward a better care of them.” With this Nick went away with Chick, Patsy and Ida for a consultation as to the best means of proceeding to unravel as strange and peculiar a mystery as they had met with in a long time. CHAPTER XVI. MR. ELLISON’S PAST. Nick and his assistants had returned to Nick’s apartments, which were not far distant from Mr. Sanborn’s house. There, settling themselves down to look over the new case on which they were engaged, the first thing that they were confronted with was a want of knowledge as to the antecedents of Norman Ellison, who had so mysteriously disappeared. “Although Mr. Sanborn,” said Nick, “confided this thing to our hands immediately, it was no time, when he was so agitated and so anxious over the condition of his daughter, to ask him the questions which immediately leaped into my mind. But, what is apparent is, that we cannot even make a place of beginning until we know more about this man, Norman Ellison.” He got up and paced up and down his room for a while, and finally, stopping at the table, he said: “His face haunts me. I have seen it somewhere before. Where, I cannot determine. But it is associated with London, and, not only with London, but with the Criterion restaurant, in Piccadilly. But it is all so vague that I can fix nothing.” “Well,” said Chick, “Ellison is an Englishman and a Londoner. The Criterion is one of the chief restaurants of London, and its bar a great gathering place for the young bloods at night.” “Yes,” replied Nick, “and I have been there many times. It was there that I caught Commerville, who had run to England after that big forgery of his. But I have seen, perhaps, a thousand faces in that place, first and last, and why should Ellison’s face stick out more prominently than any of the others, if there was nothing wrong in it?”