knew that there must be many causes at work, that no one cause
could be responsible for all or perhaps a majority of the cases.
There were suicides and murders and elopements, family troubles,
poverty, desire for freedom and adventure; innumerable complex
causes, even down to kidnapping.

The question was, however, which of these causes had been in
operation in the case of Betty Blackwell? Where had she gone?
Where had this whole army of vanishers disappeared? Were these
disappearances merely accidents--or was there an epidemic of
amnesia? I could bring myself to no such conclusions, but was
forced to answer my own queries in lieu of an answer from Kennedy,
by propounding another. Was there an organized band?

And, after I had tried to reason it all out, I still found myself
back at the original question, as I rejoined Kennedy at the
laboratory, "Where had they all--where had Betty Blackwell gone?"




II

THE BLACK BOOK


I had scarcely finished pouring out my suspicions to Kennedy when
the telephone rang.

It was Carton on the wire, in a state of unsuppressed excitement.