"And you say he has simply dropped out o' sight?"
"That's true; never left a clue behind him."
"Well, sir, I'm not quite so sure about that. You listen to me, sir. I walked out to Fairlawn from the car-line, an' come in across the fields to the house. I didn't have no good excuse for goin' back there, sir, an' was sorter afraid to meet up with Miss Natalie. She might have thought I was just spyin' 'round. But I didn't have no need for being afraid, for it seems she'd driven into town about noon, an' hadn't got back. There wasn't nobody but the servant around the place, sir. Do you remember Lizzie, the second maid--sorter full face, an' light hair?"
West nodded, wondering what all this might be leading to.
"Well, she an' I always hit it off together, an' I talked with her quite a bit. She's goin' to quit too, because of something what happened, so it was safe enough to question her. She told me, sir, that Miss Natalie had a telephone call this morning that took her into the city. Lizzie she went to the 'phone when it rang, an' it was a man's voice. He wouldn't leave no message, but insisted on speaking to Miss Natalie. Lizzie had to call her down from upstairs."
"Did the girl overhear the conversation?"
"Not so as to make very much out of it, sir. She was sorter interested, the man's voice being strange, and hung around in the hall listening, but about all she could make out was what Miss Natalie said. It seemed like he was givin' her some kind of address, which she didn't exactly understand, an' so she repeated it after him two or three times to be sure."
"What was the address?"
"238 Ray Street, sir."
"You are certain of that?"
"That was what Lizzie said; she was pretty positive, sir; an' then about an hour later, Miss Natalie ordered her car, an' drove into town."
"Alone?"
"Yes, sir; it was the electric she took."
West remained silent, tapping with his knife on the table. This might prove important, and he could not afford to ignore the information. While to his mind it was hardly likely Hobart had called the girl, yet the possibility remained.
"I never heard of a Ray Street," he said at length, "but of course, there may be one. Oh, Charlie," he stopped a waiter passing. "Bring me up a City directory, will you. You will find one in the office down stairs. Tell the Secretary Captain West wishes it and will return it at once."
The first course had been served when the man returned with the book, placing it on a chair next West, who immediately deserted his soup to inspect the volume.