Johnson arrived in London at 25 minutes to ten. It was a dark foggy night and the air was cold. Johnson gave a shiver as he wrapped his ulster round him.

He wandered hopelessly about for an hour or two and oddly enough he took the very same lodgings as Sylvia and Leslie had spent their first night in London; being in that part of the city and too tired to look for better apartments.

Towards noon on the following day Johnson encountered a friend, Thomas Bench by name, and forgetting all about his errand he turned into a public house close by to enjoy a quiet drink with his friend.

"What are you up here for Jim?" said Thomas Bench.

"Well" said Johnson stirring up his hot whisky and water "its rather a serious matter, my master's niece has gone and run away with her young man and I am on the look out for her."

"Aye aye" answered Bench scratching his oily head "what sort of a young miss is she eh?"

"Well she's a pretty sort of girl with plenty of fair hair and blue eyes there is no mistaking she belongs to the upper ten my man"

"Oh indeed" replied Bench taking a piece of blue paper from his pocket "what is the young lady's name?"

"Miss Morton by your leave" roared the butler.

"Well" replied Bench "look here." Johnson snatched the bit of crumpled paper and read it through. On the paper was written

Miss Sylvia Monton. Homer Villa, Margate.

"Mercy" screamed Johnson "wherever did you find it?"

"Well" replied Thomas Bench "I was walking in Orange Alley where old Nan lives and outside the door I found this scrap of paper, what do you think it means old pal?"

"I should say" said Johnson biting his lips "it looks as though it meant that our young lady had taken up her abode there."

"So should I" said Bench with a broad grin and so saying the two men walked out arm in arm. Outside they parted and Johnson took the first train for Margate and whilst waiting at the station a telegram was brought to him by dirty old Nan.

Tearing it open he found it was from Mayfield saying Mr. Earlsdown was dying and he was wanted at once.

"Oh lor!" ejaculated the butler making a rush for the ticket office. Johnson did not arrive at Mayfield till 4.0 o'clock, then he instantly made his way to Mr. Earlsdown's bedroom.

All the servants in the household were standing round the bed and on it lay the unconscious figure of Mr. Earlsdown.

"What is it?" cried Johnson pushing his way through the crowd.

"Appoplexy" answered Susan the housemaid holding her apron to her streaming eyes "the poor dear master was so excited thinking about Miss Monton and then all of a sudden he received a note telling of the engagement of Mr. Albert Morris with Miss Saunders and then that sent him off because he always wanted Mr. Albert to marry Miss Monton, and when Mary went into the drawing room, there he was in a fit."

Just then the door opened and in walked Doctor Mason. The result of his visit will be seen later on.