Dalton had any other than a passing interest in this matter, and neither his partners nor those others intimately acquainted with the man suspected that this gossip contained any element of truth Indeed, he had come to be regarded as of stoical build.
When this rumor came to the ears of Mrs. Van Rartan, she received it with almost suspicious composure, and a few days later sent for Dalton, her solicitor, and inquired if she could dispose of her entire property. To this Dalton replied that she could, the title to all property having passed to her by virtue of her husband's will, of which she was the sole beneficiary. Thereupon she smiled, and said that she might require his services further on.
The wedding and receptions which followed were great social functions, and for three years thereafter Mrs. Van Bartan maintained the two young people in the veriest profligate magnificence, the elder woman anticipating every wish of the younger, and heaping upon her the costliest gowns and jewels to be had.
During this time, Carpenter and Lomax watched Dalton closely, but they could detect
