"Don't you remember me, sir?" "Ha! I believe it _is_ the little girl who came from the coast with me last week," said the man. "Not from the coast; from Montana," corrected Helen. "But you are dressed differently now and I was not sure," he said. "How have you been?" "Very well, I thank you. And you, sir?" "Well. Very. But I did not expect to see you again--er--_here_." "No, sir. And you are waiting to see Mr. Grimes, too?" "Er--something like that," admitted the old man. Helen eyed him thoughtfully. She had already glanced covertly once or twice at the clerk across the room. She was quite bright enough to see between the rungs of a ladder. "_You_ are Mr. Grimes," she said, bluntly, looking again at the old man, who was adjusting his wig. He looked up at her slily, his avaricious little eyes twinkling as they had aboard the train when he had looked over her shoulder and caught her counting her money. "You're a very smart little girl," he said, with a short laugh. "What have you come to see me about? Do you think of investing some of your money in mining stocks?" "No," said Helen. "I have no money to invest." "Humph. Did you find your folks?" he asked, turning the subject quickly. "Yes, sir." "What's the matter with you, then? What do you want?" "You _are_ Mr. Grimes?" she pursued, to make sure. "Well, I don't deny it." "I have come to talk to you about--about Prince Morrell," she said, in a very low voice so that the clerk could not hear. "_Who_?" gasped the man, falling back in his chair. Evidently Helen had startled him. "Prince Morrell," she replied. "What are you to Prince Morrell?" demanded the man. "I am his daughter. He is dead. I have come here to talk with you about the time--the time he left New York," said the girl from Sunset Ranch, hesitatingly. Mr. Grimes stared at her, with his wig still awry, for some moments; then the color began to come back into his face. Helen had not realized before that he had turned pale. "You come into my office," he snapped, jumping up briskly. "I'll get to the bottom of this!" His movements were so very abrupt and he looked at her so strangely that, to tell the truth, the girl from Sunset Ranch was a bit frightened. She trailed along behind him, however, with only a hesitating step, passing the wondering clerk, and heard the lock of the door of the inner office snap behind her as Mr. Grimes shut it. He drew heavy curtains over the door, too. The place was a gloomy apartment until he turned on the electric light over a desk table. She saw that there were curtains at all the windows, and at the other door, too. "Come here," he said, beckoning her to the desk, and to a chair that stood by it, and still speaking softly. "We will not be overheard here. Now! Tell me what you mean by coming to me in this way?" He shot such an ugly look at her that Helen was again startled.