Then, to his surprise and only half-concealed mortification, a reference made by Laurence Vanderlyn to an incident which had taken place the year before--that is, to the disappearance of an American citizen--followed by the production of the diplomatist's card, brought about a magic change. Immediately the two friends were introduced into the presence of an important official; and a moment later Tom Pargeter's outraged dignity and sense of importance were soothed by an outpouring of respectful sympathy, while in an incredibly short time the full particulars of every accident which had occurred in the streets of Paris during the last twenty-four hours were laid before the anxious husband. But it soon became clear that in none of these had Mrs. Pargeter been concerned. The official left the room a moment; then he returned with a colleague. This man, the chief of the detective force, proceeded with considerable tact to examine and cross-examine both Pargeter and Vanderlyn concerning the way in which Mrs. Pargeter had spent the earlier part of the previous day--that is, the day on which she had disappeared. The man's manner--that of scenting a secret, of suspecting that more lay behind the matter than was admitted by the husband and friend of the woman they were seeking--produced a disagreeable impression on Vanderlyn. For the first time he felt himself faced by a vague, but none the less real, danger, and the feeling braced him. "Then Monsieur did not see this lady yesterday at all?" "No," said Vanderlyn, shortly; "the last time I saw Mrs. Pargeter in her house was the day before yesterday, when I called on her about five o'clock." "Monsieur is not related to the lady," asked the detective quietly. "No," said Vanderlyn again. "But I am an old friend of both Mr. and Mrs. Pargeter, and that is why he asked me to accompany him here to-day." "Then when and how did you yourself first learn of Madame Pargeter's disappearance?" asked the other suddenly. Vanderlyn hesitated; for a moment his tired brain refused to act--when was he supposed to have heard of Peggy's disappearance? He looked helplessly at Pargeter, then said suddenly, "I met my friend at L'Union last night." "Then you already knew of Madame's disappearance last night?" said the official eagerly. "No! no!" exclaimed Pargeter crossly. "Of course we didn't know then! We didn't know till just now--that is, till this morning, when Mr. Vanderlyn went out to Madame de Lera's villa to fetch my wife. It was Madame de Lera who told us that she had never arrived at Marly-le-Roi. She disappeared yesterday afternoon, but we did not know it till this morning."