"I had thought of that idea myself, but, on consideration I dismissed it as quite untenable. Mr. Thornton, I have come to the conclusion, has either disappeared intentionally, or he is dead. Now I can see nothing to indicate an intentional disappearance: the state of his health would seem absolutely to forbid it." "Then you think he is dead?" asked Gilbert, as Gale paused. "I can't say, please remember, but it looks rather like it." "But what about the body?" "Oh, bodies can be made to disappear." "Do you mean that you think he has been murdered?" "I won't go so far," said Gale, cautiously, "but Mr. Thornton was a rich man, and probably had valuables about him; he was in a weak, feeble state, and so would fall an easy victim. And it was late in the evening when he went out. I am afraid it is possible--I will not say probable, for there is no evidence--that he was murdered the night he left the hotel." "Is it not dreadful? I've been thinking much the same. But how did you know he was rich?" "We took possession of what property he had at the hotel. It was not much, but what there was hinted pretty plainly at wealth. There was one extraordinary thing--we could not find his address, I mean the address of the place he lived in." "That was odd, and I cannot explain it," said Gilbert. "You know now he lived in Vancouver?" "Yes, you have told me so, but I did not know it before. We made inquiries by cable in New York--the label on his luggage showed he had come from that city--but he was unknown to the police there, nor could they find out anything about him. Now we shall make inquiries in Vancouver." "I hope you will let me know if you hear of anything," said Gilbert, rising to leave, after thanking the inspector for his courtesy. "Miss Thornton is very anxious about her father, and she will be more anxious than ever after she has heard what I have to tell her." "Certainly." Gilbert was just about leaving, when it struck him as very desirable that the officer should communicate with his father, Francis Eversleigh. He had already told Mr. Gale that his father's firm were Morris Thornton's solicitors, and now he suggested to the inspector-detective to accompany him, if he had the time, to see his father, and tell him exactly how the case stood. Gale thought for a moment, and then said that if he would wait for a short while until he had finished a memorandum he had been engaged on when Gilbert had been shown in, he would go with him to his father. "I really ought to see him in the circumstances," said Gale. "He may be able to give us some clue."