"Well, under the circumstances I should say so," exclaimed the old detective. "The man I refer to died shortly after the fire." "Then he was the Gong Schow over the bay," was the reply. "The other one so far as I know is living still." Here was information of real value. Hurrying back to the hotel Old King Brady found Harry had just come in. "Have you accomplished anything?" he asked. "Nothing, I may say," replied Harry, "except that by mere accident I learned that Dr. Garshaski took the princess to the North Beach last night and made a hunt for Gong Schow's house, but failed to find it." "Which North Beach?" "What? Are there two?" "Sure." "You don't mean it. Do you know that is just what I was wondering. You certainly know San Francisco better than I do, Governor." Old King Brady smiled. "Oh, I can't lay claim to have been in possession of the knowledge for any length of time," he said, and went on to explain. "Singular that I should have been seized with the same idea," remarked Harry. "Alice, how does it strike you? Can this and not the regulation North Beach be the place?" "Easily," replied Alice. "Skeep Hup knows nothing of San Francisco, remember. When she said North Beach, she was only repeating what she had read in her grandfather's letter. She told me that the letter stated that the house was a little frame affair standing back under the bluff, and that it had a green door; that there were other houses near it and that all had been abandoned." "Hello!" exclaimed Harry. "You did not mention the green door before." "Didn't I? Then it must have slipped my mind. But when one comes to think of it, no Chinaman in his senses would ever think of hiding money anywhere around North Beach, San Francisco." "Dr. Garshaski seems to have been as badly deceived as ourselves," observed Harry. "Yes, but he may have become undeceived by this time," replied Old King Brady. "We want to get across the bay at once and do our investigating there." They lost no time in putting this plan into effect, starting for the foot of Clay street where, as Old King Brady knew, there was a man who had naphtha launches to rent. As they were about to enter the little office of this individual who should they run into but Detective Leggett. "Volckman has given us the slip," said Leggett. "I am going across the bay after him." "You started to arrest him?" "I didn't; Narraway sent a man to do it; some one must have tipped Volckman off, for he didn't come to business this morning nor send any word. I happened to be at the office when the man came in with this report; Narraway told me to go to Volckman's house and see if I could nail him there." "And you failed?" "Failed because he wasn't there. Wasn't any one there? The house was shut up. I managed to get in all the same. Found most everything packed up. I prowled about and came across some letters in an old desk which are mighty interesting. Want to see them?" "What are they about?"