“Do you know who she is?” “Yes, I do,” replied the girl Alice, with a laugh. “She comes from our old city, Bessie, and if she keeps this racket up much longer, if there won’t be a swell divorce case with fine trimmings, I’m no guesser.” “Why do you say that?” asked Chick. “The thing with me is,” said Alice, “why the burst hasn’t come long ago. She is the wife of a rich young fellow in Philadelphia. She is herself of a good family and she’s going with the best. Her husband is a man engaged in business and lets her go her own gait, while he is working night and day to get rich. This young woman has been sporty for two or three years; but I don’t think she’s guilty of anything worse than a keen desire to have a good time. She respects the moral code, though she goes into places which the majority of wives avoid.” “How is it,” asked Chick, “that she’s in with such a fellow as Lannigan?” “I don’t know how to answer that,” said Alice. “I don’t know how much she knows of Lannigan. But you know Lannigan is very swell. He’s a handsome fellow, so I suppose that he’s caught her fancy.” “She’s taking big chances,” said Patsy, “in traveling around with a fellow so well known as he is.” “She’s taking big chances all the time,” said Alice. “The wonder is that she hasn’t been dropped to. Up to two or three months ago she was traveling around in all sorts of places with a young Englishman. But then he was one of her kind.” “You mean,” said Merton, “that he moved in her circle of fashionable life.” “Yes,” said Alice, “and there was a lot of talk about her in her own circle then. I had a friend who was one of the young sports in that circle who told me all about it. This young Englishman had her out on a yacht for a week, and her husband never knew anything about it.” “Not alone?” asked Merton. “Oh, no,” said Alice, “there was quite a party.” “When was this?” asked Patsy. “Let me see,” said Alice. “I can get pretty close to the time. It was last September.” “Do you know the name of the young Englishman?” “No, I’ve forgotten it if I ever heard of it. Anyhow, he was here in New York and used to run over to Philadelphia to see her.” “What is her name?” “Ladew. Her husband’s name is Thomas. That won’t be her name long,” continued Alice, with a laugh, “if she let’s Jimmy Lannigan show her around New York very often. She’s taking chances I wouldn’t dare to take, if I were in her place.” It seemed to Chick and Patsy as if they had secured all the information which they were likely to obtain at that time. Bess looked at Chick meaningly, as if to ask if he had gotten all he wanted, and Chick nodded in reply. The conversation was then changed, and Chick gave the signal to Merton that he would like to get out. Merton took the lead and the party rose. CHAPTER XIX. CHICK’S STRANGE ENCOUNTER. The three detectives went to the door, but on reaching it, Merton said: