His assistant, Chick, was there. Nick knew his aide had recently been doing some shadowing on the East Side, and, after greeting him, he said: “Chick, you have been piping on the East Side of late?” “I have.” “Whom have you run across recently in the cracksman line?” A number of names were mentioned, but not the one Nick wanted to hear. He then questioned: “Did you see Dick Maxwell on your rounds?” “No.” “Nor Sandy Pete?” “No.” “Nor Jim Noonan?” “I did not.” “How about Demas Lorton? Did you see him?” “No. But it so chanced that I heard of him only last night.” “What about him?” “Nothing special. I only heard a couple of chaps speaking of him and wondering what had become of him. It is said that he has not been seen around the city for a month or more.” “Did the men who said this know who you were?” “No. Why?” “I didn’t know but that they had known you and were saying it for a blind.” “I am sure that is not the case.” “You are under the impression that they spoke what they believed to be true?” “Decidedly. Do you want to know anything special about Lorton?” “Only whether he was in the city. I don’t even suspect the man, but I wanted to learn who in his class are around. By the way, did you ever know much about him?” “Yes, considerable.” “Was he married?” “As to his being married I can’t say, but he used to live with a woman who passed as his wife.” “Lived with her?” “Yes.” “They had rooms together?” “No, not exactly. That question brings up things more clearly in my mind. The woman who passed as his wife was seen with him quite frequently, although she did not live with him regularly, and I am under the impression she was employed somewhere in a store.” “You are not positive about that?” “No. Yet I think it is so, for I made some investigation at the time, thinking it possible that this woman was in the store for the purpose of ‘laying the pipes’ for a job, and I wanted to be posted and ready for a pounce on them in case there was a burglary.” “I suppose you saw this girl?” “I did.” “Do you recall what she looked like?” “Yes.” “How old was she?” “She was very young, not a day over sixteen, and very much of a lady in appearance.” “Innocent looking, eh?” “Yes.” “Handsome?” “As a picture.” “Dressed modestly?” “She did, almost to shabbiness, although I thought that was due to Demas being down on his luck.” “Brown hair?” “Yes.” “Eyes to match?” “Correct! You must have seen the girl yourself.” Without paying any attention, Nick Carter went on: “A small, slender figure?” “Yes.” “A ripe, full mouth?” “That suits her!” “A soft and winning way of looking up at you when she speaks?” “Even so! She was as well calculated for the ‘siren’ business as any woman I ever saw.” “Do you remember what name she answered to?” “Yes. She was called Helen by Lorton.” Nick smiled, grimly. This girl at Mr. Field’s house bore that name; Helen Doane she called herself.