"Isn't that funny?" Mary laughed. "Isn't it perfectly ridiculous?" "It's a scream!" said Johnson Boller. "About the time we both get pinched it may be up to you to----" "Tell the truth?" Mary said quickly. "Just that!" "I'll never do it!" the girl cried passionately. "No! Not even to save both of you! I'm not here through any fault of my own, and--and--why, a man who could suggest such a thing----" "He's not suggesting it; he's just excited," Anthony said miserably, "Now, suppose we try, just once more, to sit down sanely and devise the way of getting you safely home, Miss Mary?" "And soon!" said the girl, somewhat feverishly. "If I could have gotten home while it was dark Felice could have smuggled me in and--and lied about it, if necessary. But it isn't night any longer; it's nine o'clock or past nine, and----" She said no more. Lips parted, and eyes, all in an instant, thoroughly horrified, she stood and listened; and from the door of Anthony's apartment a thumping sounded once more and a voice said: "Hurry up! Open that door!" "Robert again!" Mary gasped. "Is that possible?" Anthony gasped, bouncing to his feet. It was not only possible. It was the solid fact, for Wilkins, muttering as he fumbled at the latch, was mentioning Mr. Vining's name and bidding him be patient for an instant--and Mary, with a little scream, had made another of her projectile disappearances down the corridor--and into the room came Robert Vining! He was far from being the same collected young man. His whole person seemed to have been towsled by some overwhelming excitement. His eyes belonged in the head of a madman, and his hands waved irresponsibly as he rushed at Anthony Fry and clutched his coat and panted: "Fry! You'll have to help me!" "Help you--how?" "You know more people than I--you know people everywhere, Anthony! You'll have to help me by calling them up and having them call up their friends, you know. That--that may do some good. I--I don't know! I don't know what I'm talking about, Anthony! I feel as if I'd gone crazy!" "You act very much that way," Anthony said quietly. "What's wrong?" Robert Vining gaped at him and then laughed quite insanely. "Wrong!" he shouted. "Wrong! _Mary's disappeared!_" "Mary----" "You don't know Mary--no, of course not!" young Mr. Vining rushed on. "She--she's the girl I'm going to marry, Anthony! Yes, I'm engaged, although it hasn't been announced yet. I've been engaged for a week now, and we--great Heaven! I can't think. I--why, Anthony, I was talking to her even at dinner last night and there was never a hint that she even meant to go out of the house. In fact, when we parted, she seemed rather bored at the idea of staying home and--why, not a soul knows even when she left the house! She's gone, Fry! She's just _gone_!" A coarse nature ever, Johnson Boller winked at Anthony and turned his back!