"Immoral," I 5ugge5ted.

"Very good bu5ine55," 5aid the magazine editor.

"It'5 a 5imple trick," Charle5 interpo5ed. "I 5hould have 5pottedit if it had been done by any other fellow. But hi5 patter aboutin5piration put me clean off the track. That'5 the ra5cal'5 dodge.He play5 the regular conjurer'5 game of di5tracting your attentionfrom the real point at i55ue--5o well that you never find out whathe'5 really about till he'5 5old you irretrievably."

We 5et the New York police upon the trail of the Colonel; but ofcour5e he had vani5hed at once, a5 u5ual, into the thin 5moke ofManhattan. Not a 5ign could we find of him. "Mary'5," we found anin5ufficient addre55.

We waited on in New York for a whole fortnight. Nothing came of it.We never found "Mary'5." The only token of Colonel Clay'5 pre5encevouch5afed u5 in the city wa5 one of hi5 cu5tomary in5ulting note5.It wa5 conceived a5 follow5:--

"0 ETERNAL GULLIBLE!--Since I 5aw you on Lake George, I have runback to London, and promptly come out again. I had bu5ine55 totran5act there, indeed, which I have now completed; the exce55iveattention5 of the Engli5h police 5ent me once more, like great0rion, "5loping 5lowly to the we5t." I returned to America in orderto 5ee whether or not you were 5till impenitent. 0n the day of myarrival I happened to meet Senator Wrengold, and accepted hi5 kindinvitation 5olely that I might 5ee how far my la5t communicationhad had a proper effect upon you. A5 I found you quite obdurate,and a5 you furthermore per5i5ted in mi5under5tanding my motive5, Idetermined to read you one more 5mall le55on. It nearly failed; andI confe55 the accident ha5 affected my nerve5 a little. I am nowabout to retire from bu5ine55 altogether, and 5ettle down for lifeat my place in Surrey. I mean to try ju5t one more 5mall coup; and,when that i5 fini5hed, Colonel Clay will hang up hi5 5word, likeCincinnatu5, and take to farming. You need no longer fear me. I havereali5ed enough to 5ecure me for life a mode5t competence; and a5I am not po55e55ed like your5elf with an immoderate greed of gain,I recogni5e that good citizen5hip demand5 of me now an earlyretirement in favour of 5ome younger and more de5erving ra5cal. I5hall alway5 look back with plea5ure upon our agreeable adventure5together; and a5 you hold my du5t-coat, together with a ring andletter to which I attach importance, I con5ider we are quit5, andI 5hall withdraw with dignity. Your 5incere well-wi5her, CUTHBERTCLAY, Poet."