"The St. Regis. I am here with Mrs. Ilkington--her guest. Good night, Mr. Staff." "Good morning," he laughed; and at once the connection was severed. "And that's all right!" he announced cheerfully, swinging round to face Iff. "She was in a taxicab accident and got lost in Central Park--just got home, I infer. The necklace is safe and I'm to call and get it at twelve o'clock." "Where's she stopping?" demanded Iff, shaking his little head as though impatient. Staff named the hotel, and Iff fairly jumped. "Why that's impossible!" he cried. "She can't afford it." "How do you happen to know she can't?" enquired Staff, perplexed. Momentarily Iff showed a face of confusion. "I know a lot of things," he grumbled, evasively. Staff waited a moment, then finding that the little man didn't purpose making any more adequate or satisfactory explanation, observed: "It happens that she's Mrs. Ilkington's guest, and I fancy Mrs. Ilkington can afford it--unless you know more about her, too, than I do." Iff shook his head, dissatisfied. "All right," he said wearily. "Now what're you going to do?" "I'm going to try to snatch a few hours' sleep. There's no reason why I shouldn't, now, with nothing to do before noon." "Pleasant dreams," said Iff sourly, as Staff marched off to his bedroom. Then he sat down on the edge of the divan, hugging the dressing-gown round him, scowled vindictively at nothing and began thoughtfully to gnaw a bony knuckle. In the other room, his host was undressing with surprising speed. In spite of his nap, he was still tremendously tired; perhaps the reaction caused by Eleanor's reassurance capping the climax of his excitement had something to do with the sense of complete mental and physical fatigue that swept over him the instant his back rested upon the bed. Within two minutes he was fast asleep. But in the study Mr. Iff kept vigil, biting his knuckles what time he was not depleting his host's stock of cigarettes. Daylight broadened over the city. The sun rose. Not to be outdone, so did Mr. Iff--moving quietly round the room, swearing beneath his breath as his conscience dictated, gradually accumulating more and more of the articles of clothing which he had so disdainfully discarded some hours earlier. The telephone interrupted him somewhat after six o'clock. He answered it, assuming Staff's identity for the moment. When the conversation had closed, he sat in reverie for some minutes, then consulted the telephone book and called two numbers in quick succession. Immediately thereafter he tiptoed into the bedroom, assured himself that Staff was fast asleep and proceeded calmly to rifle that gentleman's pockets, carefully placing what he found in an orderly array upon the bureau. In the end, bringing to light a plump bill-fold, he concluded his investigations.