'-' *■- will acknowledge that tbe time I have spenfchore hasnot been idly bestowed.' ' ' Issachar Trent't cottage, being tie last place where Zara, was seen, was ~ y - naturally a place of much interest tc the'detective; he got quite confi ; dential with the curious creature whc. ' lived there, and managed to be al lowed to explore and rummage every inch of the tiny house and its garden, He gave it as his opinion that it was '" '' unsafe, one side of it having sunk ec ■ that there was an alarming crack in the wall, which Issachar had -. ' plastered up with cement; it was at "* * tbe end he usedto occupy, and he bad * " moved to where his grandmother ' ' died, and left his old room vacant There was nothing in it now except J heap of rubbish in one corner, and there was an appearanco of shakiucss ' ' about the whole room which made il. pleasauter to avoid it than remain ii it any time; nevertheless the de :\ tective spent much of his time at th< cottage, not only by day but by night "\ ' That he was watching and waiting - "for something ho acknowledged, anc even went so far at last, in answer t( Neville Trohernu's importunities, ai to tell him what he believed. 'That madman knows wheroyoui daughter is,' he said; «whether alirc or dead, I cannot guess yet, The onlj way to get at what I want to know is to watch and wait. If ho once gets t notion of what 1 am driving at, 1 shal get nothing out of him. I must watcl and listen a bit at night as well, audi shall get at it in time.' It was hard to wait and be patient but nothing else could be done, anc night after night Mr. Withers, the do°ective, went up the cliff anc watched Issachar Trent, hoping, tc /X catch some word in-his half-crazj babblings to himself that might lead ' - to what he wanted. It was fromßetsj ' ' Pengellv that he had obtained the - first clue to the theory ho had built up about the affair; ho had gathered '. 