He returned within 1/4 of an hour to say he could find no traces of Leslie except his tooth-brush in the back garden and a pocket handkerchief on the stairs. "Oh I hope he is not lost" cried Mrs. Woodcock "my dear son, where can he be?" "Oh but you have me" said Albert with a faint smile. "What do I care for you?" said Mrs. Woodcock bitterly. Albert immediately began shuffling about and took a drink of water to hide his blushes. "As you are so _very_ stupid" continued Mrs. Woodcock "perhaps you can _manage_ to walk ** far as Yellowflower Hall and see if you find any traces of Leslie." Albert pushed on his hat and stamped out and returned in 1/2 hour in a rather more excited mood than he went out. "I say Aunt" he cried running into the dining room "would you believe it just by that railing near Yellowflower Hall I found Miss Monton's shoe and Leslie's watch key, I brought both back to show it is true." Mrs. Woodcock uttered a terrified "Oh" and sank nearly unconscious on the sofa. CHAPTER 11 JOHNSON'S SEARCH Johnson arrived in London at 25 minutes to ten. It was a dark foggy night and the air was cold. Johnson gave a shiver as he wrapped his ulster round him. He wandered hopelessly about for an hour or two and oddly enough he took the very same lodgings as Sylvia and Leslie had spent their first night in London; being in that part of the city and too tired to look for better apartments. Towards noon on the following day Johnson encountered a friend, Thomas Bench by name, and forgetting all about his errand he turned into a public house close by to enjoy a quiet drink with his friend. "What are you up here for Jim?" said Thomas Bench. "Well" said Johnson stirring up his hot whisky and water "its rather a serious matter, my master's niece has gone and run away with her young man and I am on the look out for her." "Aye aye" answered Bench scratching his oily head "what sort of a young miss is she eh?" "Well she's a pretty sort of girl with plenty of fair hair and blue eyes there is no mistaking she belongs to the upper ten my man" "Oh indeed" replied Bench taking a piece of blue paper from his pocket "what is the young lady's name?" "Miss Morton by your leave" roared the butler. "Well" replied Bench "look here." Johnson snatched the bit of crumpled paper and read it through. On the paper was written MISS SYLVIA MONTON. Homer Villa, Margate. "Mercy" screamed Johnson "wherever did you find it?" "Well" replied Thomas Bench "I was walking in Orange Alley where old Nan lives and outside the door I found this scrap of paper, what do you think it means old pal?" "I should say" said Johnson biting his lips "it looks as though it meant that our young lady had taken up her abode there."