“I am not entirely unaware of them,” she said frankly! “I saw the man myself one night. I spoke to him. My sister also--also spoke to him. But I have not seen nor heard of him since. Nor has Rosie.” “Of that you are sure?” “Yes, I think I may say I am sure.” “Then I must undeceive you,” Carpentaria spoke firmly. “I also have acquired a certain curiosity as to that strange individual. And to satisfy my curiosity I have kept a considerable number of vigils. And I am in a position to state that, not only on the first night of your arrival, but every night your sister has had speech with that person from the window of her room.” “Who is he? What can he want?” demanded Pauline, nervously. “That is a question that I meant to put to you,” said Carpentaria in reply. “As for me, I know nothing.” “When you spoke to him, as you admit you did, did he not ask you to do something?” “Yes, and I refused his request.” “But your sister? What did she do?” “Oh! Mr. Carpentaria,” murmured Pauline, “can I trust you?” “You know that you can.” She related to him all the details of the episode of the black box. “And after that,” Carpentaria commented, “your sister continues to have stolen interviews with this man.” “I can’t help thinking you are mistaken. Rosie would never keep such a secret from me.” “It will be very easy to throw some light on the matter,” said Carpentaria. “Let us go to your house and see whether Miss Rosie is in Mrs. Ilam’s room as you imagine her to be, and as I imagine her not to be. I may tell you quite openly my opinion that Miss Rosie has had something to do with the disappearance of Mr. Ilam. I am convinced, indeed I know, that he has been spirited away, together with a trifling amount of money, by our mysterious visitor, and since our mysterious visitor talks to Miss Rosie each night, she on her balcony and he beneath it--well, I leave the inference to yourself.” Pauline started back. “Yes,” she said, in a low voice, “let us go and see.” And they went, walking side by side in silence across the gardens. “I will wait here,” said Carpentaria, when they arrived at the side-door of the Ilam bungalow. “You can ascertain whether anything unusual has occurred in the house, and particularly if your sister is still at her post, and then you will be kind enough to come back and report to me. I will watch here.” Without replying Pauline passed into the house. In a few minutes she returned. Tears stood in her eyes. “Well?” queried Carpentaria. “Rosie is not in the house,” she answered. “Mrs. Ilam is alone. Happily she is asleep. Everything is quiet. But Rosie----!” A sob escaped her. PART III--JETSAM CHAPTER XXIV--The Boat Carpentaria and Pauline continued to stand motionless outside the house, both of them hesitant, recoiling before the circumstances which faced them. The night remained clear, almost brilliant. “The entire situation is changed,” said Carpentaria at length. “A new factor has entered into it.”