“And so Mr. Pinkerton is after sending me to England, as he kindly says, for the betterment of my health, an’ to look after the King Bee of all the forgers,” remarked McParlan, in his pleasant way, the next afternoon, to my cashier, as he received the advance of money for his expenses. He repeated about the same manner of adieu when handed his papers by the chief clerk, and it soon spread throughout the apartment, among the clerical force, that the happy man was “to take the tour of Europe at my expense.” After bidding all good-by, and the reception of a warm grasp of the hand and an earnest word of caution from me to “have a care of himself,” McParlan left the Agency. The man had been found, and was at last entering upon his extra-hazardous mission—not bound for England, however. It was well enough, under the circumstances, that all of the detective’s personal friends and acquaintances—especially those outside the office—should believe that he was about to cross the wide Atlantic. McParlan’s instructions were as complete and comprehensive as they well could be made at short notice; but of course, after generally counseling him concerning the true object of his labors, considerable had to be confided to his own judgment and discretion, at least until fairly launched upon his undertaking, when all would see what was best, and not best, to be done. Leaving the detective to perform his difficult _rôle_, under my directions, I shall now proceed to give, in detail, a description of his acts, as represented in the reports. It should be understood, however, though the fact may not appear in this narration of events, that McParlan was almost daily in communication with me, through Mr. Franklin, the Philadelphia superintendent, and was required to keep us aware of his every important movement, by letter. He was particularly enjoined to use discretion in the sending of messages and documents, and a plan, not necessary to be divulged, arranged by which all interruptions through the mails would be prevented. I was to know where and how to connect with him any day of the week, and all changes of locality were to be noted as early as might be possible. The detective’s adventures in the mountains of Pennsylvania are sufficiently romantic and attractive, if properly related, to satisfy the most exacting reader, without the author having recourse to the smallest amount of extraneous matter, employing any of the powers of the imagination, or the tricks of the professional novel-writer in enchaining attention. As “Loveliness Needs not the foreign art of ornament, But is, when unadorned, adorned the most,” so with the simple truth; in this instance it demands no elaborate decoration, no enchanting _couleur de rose_, to make it entertaining. ————●———— CHAPTER III. THE DETECTIVE SEEKS THE HAUNTS OF THE MOLLIES.