“But for heaven’s sake pity my wife!”

“What’s the matter with her?”

“She will be crazy when she gets back and finds me gone.”

“One of my men will tell her where you are.  Why did you lie to me about her going out?  I’ve a great mind to place her, too, under arrest.”

“You can’t do it.  It’s no crime to dodge a detective.  I admit that she did it, but for a very innocent purpose.  She has gone to see our lawyer.”

“Very well; I will attend to that later.  Now, come with me.”

Nick took Jones to the street.  Musgrave got a policeman, and Jones was put in his care.

Musgrave remained on the watch for Mrs. Jones, while Nick went to get a report from Patsy, who was shadowing Gaspard.

Jones’ last words to Nick were these: 

“I am a victim of circumstances.  I had nothing to do with the murder in the restaurant, nor with any attempt upon your life.  You are doing me a grave injustice.  If you were not as blind as a bat you would see who the real criminals are.”

These words were pronounced in a calm and steady tone, and it cannot be denied that they produced a great effect upon Nick.

“If it should prove that I have wronged you,” he said, “I will repay you for the injury to the limit of your demand.”

And the detective did a lot of hard thinking while he was walking toward Gaspard’s lodgings, where he expected to meet Patsy.

Certainly if Jones ever succeeded in establishing his innocence he would have won a friend in Nick Carter, whose good will is worth a fortune to any man.

Nick found Patsy outside the house where Gaspard lodged.

“I’m dead onto this fellow,” said the youth.  “He’s just about ready to flit.  He’s bought lots of stuff to-day, and is flush with money.

“A man just went in there with a suit of clothes.  Two delivery wagons from dry goods stores have been here.  I suppose that the stuff they brought belongs to the woman who is going with Gaspard.”

“Have you seen her?”

“No; she has kept mighty dark.”

“Hello! what’s this?”

Nick drew Patsy more closely into the shadow of the steps by which they were standing.

A carriage rumbled over the pavement and stopped before the door of Gaspard’s lodging-house.

“Upon my word,” said Nick, “it’s my old friend Harrigan on the box.  The way people keep bobbing up in this case is something wonderful.”

“Perhaps the woman’s in the cab,” whispered Patsy.

On the contrary, the cab was empty.

Harrigan got off the box and rang the bell.

Nick heard him ask for Gaspard Lebeau.  Gaspard was summoned.

“I’ve two trunks for you,” said Harrigan.

“For me?” asked Gaspard.

“Yes; a young woman hired me to bring them, and she said it would be all right.  You’d pay the price.”

“What sort of a woman?”