a little parlor.
"We have taken this house, furnished, for a few weeks," she said. "You see we had to hide, for, of course, I knew father – I mean Mr. Butler – would send detectives after us. I hear he did it, too – the Bradys. You were with them last night. Tell me all about it, Eddie, and then perhaps I'll tell you something which will make you open your eyes."
"Come, cut that out!" broke in Pow Chow. "We haven't decided yet whether to tell him or not, you know. Anyway, we have got him safely out of Chinatown. I understand the Bradys were looking for him half the night."
"And they didn't find him. Oh, I am so glad. It's a shame he had to suffer so, though. I think you might have made it easier for my brother, Pow."
Ed was on the point of breaking in with: "I'm not your brother," but he concluded that it would pay him best to hold his tongue until he understood better what all this meant.
He had his suspicions, however.
He felt quite certain that it had something to do with the papers stolen from his father about which there had been much mystery.
Ed knew something about these papers, but not all.
What he knew we shall later explain.
CHAPTER III
WORKING FOR A CHINESE CLEW
It was true that the Bradys spent much time searching for Ed.
In this they were aided by a wardman from the Elizabeth street station, who was supposed to know much about the secret dens of Pell street, and we want it understood that the Bradys are by no means ignorant on that subject themselves.
But as it happened they did not know of any secret dens under that particular house, nor did the wardman, nor could they find any. At last they broke down the wall on two sides of the vault from which Ed had vanished.
Then they discovered the secret passage.
They traced it to its end, and it took a turn, bringing them in under another house.
Here there were two secret rooms where there had once been a private joss house conducted by the Chinese "Tong" or guild known as the Brother of the Red Door.
This particular place, as it happened, had been pulled by the Bradys about a year before.
They found the rooms empty and deserted.
Thus they missed it so far as Ed was concerned, and they finally gave up, feeling satisfied that they had overlooked some hidden door or passage which, of course, must have been the case.
It was now too late to look up Alice, as intended.
Where she was must now be explained.
Alice some time before had made a friend of a certain Chinese woman whose husband was a sort of detective or spy for the On Leong tong or merchants society in Chinatown.
This man's operations were confined to his own people.
He also knew Alice and liked her.
It was he who suggested that she come to his wife's rooms in Chinese disguise, and so be on hand ready to talk with the missing girl as soon as he could locate her, which he felt quite certain he would be able to do, for he had received positive knowledge that the girl had been seen in Chinatown along with an Americanized Chink, a stranger there, whom he believed to be Pow Chow.
But it would have done the Bradys little good if they had taken Mr. Butler to Alice, as they originally intended to do, for the detective did not come home that night.
Next morning his wife heard that he had gone to Chicago on business for the On Leong tong, so Alice gave it up, and about nine o'clock turned up at the offices of the Brady Detective Bureau, on Union Square, in her ordinary dress.
"Oh, you are here," exclaimed Old King Brady. "Harry was just going down to Chinatown to look you up. I suppose you are wondering what became of us last night?" and he went on to explain.
"This is a bad beginning," remarked Alice. "I don't know that I can help any more, either," and she went on to tell about the Chinese detective being called away.
"I am sorry," said Old King Brady. "I should have liked to have had his advice. The disappearance of that boy is certainly a puzzle. I shall never rest until I have found him. I wish now I had never touched the case."
"It does look pretty hopeless," remarked Harry, who had entered just in time to overhear this remark, "but never mind. We will get there. One thing, though. If it was me I wouldn't do a thing further than to try to find the boy until I knew more about the case. Mr. Butler ought to at least tell us what these papers are he is so anxious to find."
"He is singularly reticent about them," replied Old King Brady, "frank as he is on other points, especially his dislike for his wife. But we must decide upon some course of action. I don't propose to be downed."
Just then a clerk handed in a card.
It was a lady's visiting card and bore the name of Mrs. Butler.
"Another surprise," muttered Old King Brady. "Not satisfied with sending his son to us, the man has now sent his wife."
The visitor proved to be an overdressed, loud-voiced woman of forty odd.
"I suppose you are surprised to see me, Mr. Brady!" she exclaimed, making eyes at the old detective as she proceeded to seat herself. "The fact is, Mr. Butler was taken sick. He sent his son to you yesterday. The foolishness of it. Ed is a good boy, but he is only a boy. Where is he? Has he been here yet?"
"No, madam, he has not been here," replied Old King Brady, who saw at once that the woman was acting on her own account, and probably without the knowledge of her husband.
"The lazy fellow has probably overslept himself," said the woman, working her fan. "Just like him. I thought it might be so. I am just as well pleased. I wanted a chance to talk to you first. Have you heard anything of Ethel – my daughter, I mean?"
"No, madam; nothing definite as yet," replied the old detective.
"I was afraid it would be so. Pow is a very slick fellow. But you must certainly find her, Mr. Brady. You see, not only do I love the poor deluded girl dearly, but she has robbed us. Three thousand in cash, Mr. Brady; money that I have been saving for years. Then there are certain important papers. Those are what we are most anxious to obtain."
"Yes, ma'am. And what may the nature of those papers be?" the old detective asked.
"That I should prefer not to explain."
"But, my dear madam, you leave us in the dark. How can we be expected to find papers of which we know nothing?"
"Oh, you just find my daughter. She will give up the papers quick enough."
"You are sure?"
"Quite sure if I can only once get my hands on her."
"Where are you staying?"
"I haven't made up my mind yet. You see I came here directly from the train. I shall make it a point to send you my address once I am located."
"And this boy! Shall we send him home?"
"That
