Eva Wilkinson's disappearance, and afterwards Sir Michael journeyed down
with us to Whiteladies. The local police were already scouring the
country, and under intelligent supervision had accomplished a great deal
of the spade work. I may just state the facts as far as they were known.

Mrs. Reville, who was in the drawing-room when the girl went out on the
terrace, had heard nothing. A quarter of an hour or twenty minutes later
she went out herself with the intention of telling Eva that she ought to
put on a wrap. The girl was nowhere to be seen, and calling brought no
answer. Becoming alarmed, Mrs. Reville summoned the servants, and their
search proving fruitless, she had a telegram sent to Sir Michael. When I
questioned her with regard to Cayley, she was sure there was nothing
serious in the affair. He certainly could have had nothing to do with
Eva's disappearance, she declared, for he had gone to Paris two days
before. Since Sir Michael had spoken to Eva about him he had hardly
visited Whiteladies at all.

The servants had searched everywhere--in the house, in the grounds, and
in the ruins, and later the police had gone over the same ground, and
had searched everywhere on the estate; not a sign of the missing girl
had been found. A footman, however, said he had heard a motor-car in the
road about the time of the disappearance. He had listened, wondering who
was coming to Whiteladies at that hour. The house stood in one corner of
the estate, and there was a public road quite close to it, but it was a
road little frequented. The marks of a car, which had stopped and turned
at a point near the house, were plainly visible, and so far this was the
only clue forthcoming. It proved an important one, because a tramp was
found by the police who had seen a closed car traveling at a great speed
toward the London road. The time, which he was able to fix very
definitely, was about a quarter of an hour after Eva Wilkinson had gone