Produced by Mardi Desjardins & the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at https://www.pgdpcanada.net [Illustration] NATALIE PAGE BY KATHARINE HAVILAND TAYLOR AUTHOR OF “YELLOW SOAP,” “TONY,” “STANLEY JOHNS’ WIFE,” ETC. HODDER AND STOUGHTON LIMITED LONDON _Copyright, 1921, by_ _George W. Jacobs and Company._ MADE AND PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY BILLING AND SONS, LTD., GUILDFORD AND ESHER DEDICATION TO VERY DEAR “AUNT EVA” (Mrs. O. F. HOFFMAN) Contents Chapter Page I. HOW IT BEGAN 9 II. GOOD-BYES 22 III. MRS. CRANE’S STORY 31 IV. WHAT MARY ELINOR TOLD ME 47 V. NEW YORK AND MY NEW HOME 59 VI. THE SECOND BRACELET 73 VII. REAL EXCITEMENT 85 VIII. AGAIN AWAKE 99 IX. A STRANGE HAPPENING 106 X. WHAT MR. KEMPWOOD TOLD ME 119 XI. STRANGE NOISES ARE HEARD 131 XII. WHAT HAPPENED 152 XIII. BLUE MONDAY 164 XIV. EVELYN BLAMES ME 180 XV. WHAT OCCURRED 188 XVI. ALL SORTS OF BRUISES 198 XVII. WHO CAUGHT THE MOUSE-TRAP? 215 XVIII. HEART AFFAIRS 224 XIX. TWO SURPRISES 238 XX. CHRISTMAS FUN 255 XXI. S. K. FORCES MY CONFIDENCE 265 XXII. DETECTIVE WORK 278 XXIII. WAITING FOR THE HUMAN MOUSE 291 XXIV. WHAT MADE THE CHASE 304 Chapter I--How it Began