The Mission of Poubalov — page 21: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AN EXPLANATION SUGGESTED. 17 the young men who were already half way up the stairs; ‘‘T don’t remember seeing it when I cleaned up.”’ When Ralph and Paul had vainly examined the catch- alls, the vases, and every probable place into which a vis- itor’s card might have been tucked, the Russian asked what had been done with the contents of the waste basket. ““My daughter Lizzie helped me,’’ replied Mrs. White, ‘‘and took the waste papers downstairs. I’llask her to find them and look for the card.’”’ She left the room, and while she was gone the young men moved about nervously, repeatedly asking who the caller could have been, what possible connection his call could have had with Ivan’s failure to appear at his wed- ‘ding, and all manner of questions, vain and irritating, that arise when men are confronted by an emergency that teems with mystery. Mrs. White reported that her daughter had gone out and that the waste paper from Mr. Strobel’s room had been burned. ‘‘Lizzie may have seen that card,’’ she said, ‘‘and I'll ask her when she comes in. I can’t think where she can have gone.”’ ‘“Was she here when the stranger called?’’ asked Ralph. _ **Oh, yes, and until after Mr. Strobel started away. I didn’t know that she had left the house, and I can’t imag- in what she went out for. Perhaps she’ll be back soon.”’ ‘*‘Do you know where Strobel hired his carriage?’’ inquired Paul. ‘‘No, I don’t, Lizzie might, for I remember he said something to her about it the day before. I wonder where she——’’ | ae ‘‘He probably ordered his carriage from Clark & Brown,’’ said Ralph to Paul. He had no intention of ig- noring Mrs. White’s motherly anxiety about her daugh- ter, but he saw no reason for attaching significance to her absence, and his mind was burdened with a growing con- (2) (0) _viction that something serious had happened to awdmitetertks