ere a week had passed they were snugly quartered in the St. Lawrence
Hall, Montreal. The day after their arrival they called on me to
know if I could assist them in their search, bidding me spare no
expense in order to effect the desired object. I promised them every
assistance in my power, and at once placed myself in communication
with all those whom I had known to have any dealings with Beatrice's
unfortunate mother. It was truly painful to see the anxious face of
the young woman as she came daily to me to enquire if I had heard
any news, and when I showed her a letter from Mr. MacNee, her
mother's eldest brother, stating that his sister had gone to New
York as nurse, she immediately persuaded her husband to give chase.
Their efforts were in vain, however. The girl, it was true, had
taken service in New York, but had subsequently left there for her
home in Glengarry, and had never been seen since either there or in
New York. Detectives having again been employed to assist in tracing
her movements, it was discovered that she had returned by rail to
Montreal _en route_ to Glengarry, but here all traces vanished, and
the supposition was either that she had committed suicide, or met
with some accidental death. Beatrice would have it, however, that
she was still alive, and would leave no stone unturned to find her.
It was suggested that New York should again be visited, as the
probability was that she returned there after her trip to Montreal;
various other plans were thought of, and some of them, doubtless,
would have been acted upon, had not a new light shone in upon the
scene.

At the outset of the proceedings I had communicated with the
principals of the various Houses of Refuge in this city, and,
although the authorities had done their utmost to facilitate our
search, so far we had failed to advance in any way. At this time,