The Tracer of Lost Persons | Page 9

to end it and go home."
In his distress he began to hedge, saying: "Of course, she is rather tall
and her feet are in some sort of proportion--in fact, they are perfectly
symmetrical feet--"
Never in his life had he encountered a pair of such angrily beautiful
eyes. Speech stopped with a dry gulp.
"We now come to 'General Remarks,'" she said in a voice made
absolutely steady and emotionless. "Have you any remarks of that
description to offer, Mr. Gatewood?"
"I'm willing to make remarks," he said, "if I only knew what you
wished me to say."
She mused, eyes on the sunny window, then looked up. "Where did you
last see her?"
"Near Fifth Avenue."
"And what street?"
He named the street.
"Near here?"
"Rather," he said timidly.
She ruffled the edges of her pad, wrote something and erased it, bit her
scarlet upper lip, and frowned.
"Out of doors, of course?"
"No; indoors," he admitted furtively.
She looked up with a movement almost nervous.

"Do you dare--I mean, care--to be more concise?"
"I would rather not," he replied in a voice from which he hoped he had
expelled the tremors of alarm.
"As you please, Mr. Gatewood. And would you care to answer any of
these other questions: Who and what are or were her parents? Give all
particulars concerning all her relatives. Is she employed or not? What
are her social, financial, and general circumstances? Her character,
personal traits, aims, interests, desires? Has she any vices? Any virtues?
Talents? Ambitions? Caprices? Fads? Are you in love with her? Is--"
"Yes," he said, "I am."
"Is she in love with you?"
"No; she hates me--I'm afraid."
"Is she in love with anybody?"
"That is a very difficult--"
The girl wrote: "He doesn't know," with a satisfaction apparently
causeless.
"Is she a relative of yours, Mr. Gatewood?" very sweetly.
"No, Miss Southerland," very positively.
"You--you desire to marry her--you say?"
"I do. But I didn't say it."
She was silent; then:
"What is her name?" in a low voice which started several agreeable
thrills chasing one another over him.
"I--I decline to answer," he stammered.

"On what grounds, Mr. Gatewood?"
He looked her full in the eyes; suddenly he bent forward and gazed at
the printed paper from which she had been apparently reading.
"Why, all those questions you are scaring me with are not there!" he
exclaimed indignantly. "You are making them up?"
"I--I know, but"--she was flushing furiously--"but they are on the other
forms--some of them. Can't you see you are answering 'Form K'? That
is a special form--"
"But why do you ask me questions that are not on Form K?"
"Because it is my duty to do all I can to secure evidence which may
lead to the discovery of the person you desire to find. I--I assure you,
Mr, Gatewood, this duty is not--not always agreeable--and some people
make it harder still."
Gatewood looked out of the window. Various emotions---among them
shame, mortification, chagrin--pervaded him, and chased each other
along his nervous system, coloring his neck and ears a fiery red for the
enlightenment of any observer.
"I--I did not mean to offend you," said the girl in a low voice--such a
gently regretful voice that Gatewood swung around in his chair.
"There is nothing I would not be glad to tell you about the woman I
have fallen in love with," he said. "She is overwhelmingly lovely;
and--when I dare--I will tell you her name and where I first saw
her--and where I saw her last--if you desire. Shall I?"
"It would be advisable. When will you do this?"
"When I dare."
"You--you don't dare--now?"
"No . . . not now."

She absently wrote on her pad: "He doesn't dare tell me now." Then,
with head still bent, she lifted her mischief-making, trouble-breeding
brown eyes to his once more.
"I am to come here, of course, to consult you?" he asked dizzily.
"Mr. Keen will receive you--"
"He may be busy."
"He may be," she repeated dreamily.
"So--I'll ask for you."
"We could write you, Mr. Gatewood."
He said hastily: "It's no trouble for me to come; I walk every morning."
"But there would be no use, I think, in your coming very soon. All
I--all Mr. Keen could do for a while would be to report progress--"
"That is all I dare look for: progress--for the present."
During the time that he remained--which was not very long--neither of
them spoke until he arose to take his departure.
"Good-by, Miss Southerland. I hope you may find the person I have
been searching for."
"Good-by, Mr. Gatewood. . . . I hope we shall; . . . but I--don't--know."
And, as a matter of fact, she did not know; she was rather excited over
nothing,