"Certainly, certainly; smoke, if you feel so inclined, by all means," replied the detective, watching with a puzzled twinkle in his eye the fair, boyish face of his visitor. "No, thank you," he said, as Rex tendered him an Havana; "I never smoke during business hours." "I wish to engage your services to find out the whereabouts of--of--of--my wife," said Rex, hesitatingly. "She has left me--suddenly--she fled--on the very night of our marriage!" It hurt Rex's pride cruelly to make this admission, and a painful flush crept up into the dark rings of hair lying on his white forehead. Mr. Tudor was decidedly amazed. He could not realize how any sane young woman could leave so handsome a young fellow as the one before him. In most cases the shoe was on the other foot; but he was too thoroughly master of his business to express surprise in his face. He merely said: "Go on, sir; go on!" And Rex did go on, never sparing himself in describing how he urged Daisy to marry him on the night of the fête, and of their parting, and the solemn promise to meet on the morrow, and of his wild grief--more bitter than death--when he had found the cottage empty. "It reads like the page of a romance," said Rex, with a dreary smile, leaning his head on his white hand. "But I must find her!" he cried, with energy. "I shall search the world over for her. If it takes every cent of my fortune, I shall find Daisy!" Rex looked out of the window at the soft, fleecy clouds overhead, little dreaming Daisy was watching those self-same clouds, scarcely a stone's throw from the very spot where he sat, and at that moment he was nearer Daisy than he would be for perhaps years again, for the strong hand of Fate was slowly but surely drifting them asunder. For some moments neither spoke. "Perhaps," said Mr. Tudor, breaking the silence, "there was a previous lover in the case?" "I am sure there was not!" said Rex, eagerly. Still the idea was new to him. He adored Daisy with a mad, idolatrous adoration, almost amounting to worship, and a love so intense is susceptible to the poisonous breath of jealousy, and jealousy ran in Rex's veins. He could not endure the thought of Daisy's--his Daisy's--eyes brightening or her cheek flushing at the approach of a rival--that fair, flower-like face, sweet and innocent as a child's--Daisy, whom he so madly loved. "Well," said Mr. Tudor, as Rex arose to depart, "I will do all I can for you. Leave your address, please, in case I should wish to communicate with you." "I think I shall go back to Allendale, remaining there at least a month or so. I have a strong conviction Daisy might come back, or at least write to me there."