"About eleven o'clock, when I was polishing his boots in the kitchen, he called me," answered the man, without hesitation. "He gave me a note, and told me to go to the departure platform of King's Cross Station, and wait under the clock there for a youngish lady, who would wear a bunch of white flowers in her breast. I was to ask her if she expected him, and if so, to give her the letter. I took a cab there, waited at the spot he indicated for two whole hours, but saw no one answering the description; therefore I returned." "And the note?" asked the officer. "Here it is," answered Ash, placing his hand in his coat-pocket, and producing a letter. The detective took it eagerly. "It is not addressed," he remarked in surprise. Then, tearing it open, he took out the single sheet of note-paper. There was no writing upon it. The paper was perfectly blank. "This complicates matters," he said, turning to me. "The unknown lady who had made the appointment at King's Cross evidently wished for an answer in the affirmative or negative. This was the latter. A blank sheet of paper, denoting that there was nothing to add." "Extraordinary!" I ejaculated. Then addressing Ash, I asked: "When you left your master what was he doing?" "Sitting at the table, sir. He had his cheque-book open, for just before I went out he gave me a cheque for my month's wages. They were overdue a week, and I was hard up; so I asked for them." "Did he hesitate to give you them, or did he make any remarks to lead you to think he was financially embarrassed?" I inquired. "Not at all, sir. He had forgotten, and added an extra sovereign because he had kept me waiting. My master always had plenty of money, sir." "Do you remember him going to Monte Carlo?" I asked. "No, sir. Once I heard him tell Captain Hamilton that he'd been there, but it isn't since I've been employed by him." "How long is that?" "Nine years next May, sir." "And have you had no holiday?" "Of course I have, sir. Sometimes a week, sometimes a fortnight; and last year he gave me a month." "What time of the year was it?" "In February. He went up to Aberdeen, and told me there was no need for me to go, and that I could shut up the chambers and have a holiday. I did, and went down to Norfolk to visit the friends of the girl I'm engaged to." "And he was gone a month?" "Yes. A few days over a month." "You had letters from him, I suppose?" I suggested. "Only one, about four or five days after he had left." "Then for aught you know he may have left Aberdeen and gone to Monte Carlo?" I said. "Of course he may have done, sir. But he told me nothing about it." "Did you notice anything unusual about his manner when he came back to town?" "He seemed nervous; especially when I've gone in to him to announce a lady visitor. He seemed to fear that some lady would call whom he didn't want to see."