"She's gone amongst five hundred thousand other men and women," replied Polke ruefully. "I've found out that much. Drove off in a taxi-cab to Ecclesborough, as soon as Miss Fosdyke had been here this morning. And--mark you!--after a few minutes' conversation with Joseph Chestermarke. Ecclesborough, indeed! Might as well look for a drop of water in the ocean as for one woman in Ecclesborough! She was set down at the Exchange Station--why, she may be half-way to London or Liverpool, or Hull, by now!" Starmidge was listening intently. And passing over the superintendent's opinions and regrets, he fastened on his facts. "After a few minutes' conversation with Joseph Chestermarke, you say?" he observed. "How do you know that?" "The servants told me, just now," replied Polke. Starmidge glanced at the door of the private parlour. "He's gone out," said Polke. Just then the door opened and Gabriel emerged, closing and locking it after him. He paid no attention to the two men, and was passing on towards the outer hall when Polke hailed him. "Mr. Chestermarke," he said, "sorry to trouble you--do you know that the housekeeper, Mrs. Carswell, has disappeared? You heard what that girl said this morning? Well, she hasn't come back, and----" "No concern of mine, Mr. Police-Superintendent!" interrupted Gabriel. "Nothing of this is any concern of mine. I shall be obliged to you if you'll confine your very unnecessary operations to the interior of the house, and not stand about this outer hall, or keep this door open between outer and inner halls--I don't want my customers interfered with as they come and go." With that the senior partner passed on, and Starmidge smiled at his companion. "I'm glad he interrupted you, all the same, Mr. Polke," he said. "I was afraid you were going to say that you knew this woman had gone, in a hurry, to Ecclesborough." "No, I wasn't," replied Polke. "I told him what I did--because I wanted to know what he'd say." "Well--you heard!" said Starmidge. "And what's to be done, now? That woman's conduct is very suspicious. I think, if I were you, Mr. Polke, I should get in touch with the Ecclesborough police. Why not? No harm done. Why not call them up, give them a description of her, and ask them to keep their eyes open. She mayn't have left Ecclesborough--mayn't intend leaving. For--look here--!" he drew Polke further away from the two doors between which they were standing, and lowered his voice to a whisper--"Supposing," he went on, "supposing there is any secret understanding between this Mrs. Carswell and Joseph Chestermarke (and it looks like it, if she went off immediately after a conversation with him), she may have gone to Ecclesborough simply so that they could meet there, safely, later on. Eh?" "Good notion!" agreed Polke. "Well--we can watch him."