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　　Vaguely reminiscent of a large bumble bee,Chief-Inspector Fred Davy wandered around the confines of the Criminal InvestigationDepartment, humming to himself. It was a well-known idiosyncrasy of his, and caused noparticular notice except to give rise to the remark that "Fatherwas on the prowl again."

　　His prowling led him at last to the room whereInspector Campbell was sitting behind a desk with a bored expression. Inspector Campbellwas an ambitious young man and he found much of his occupation tedious in the extreme.Nevertheless, he coped with the duties appointed to him and achieved a very fair measureof success in so doing. The powers that be approved of him, thought he should do well anddoled out from time to time a few words of encouraging commendation.

　　"Good morning, sir," saidInspector Campbell, respectfully, when Father entered his domain. Naturally he calledChief-Inspector Davy "Father" behindhis back as everyone else did; but he was not yet of sufficient seniority to do such athing to his face.

　　"Anything I can do for you, sir," he inquired.

　　"La, la, boom, boom," hummedthe Chief-Inspector, slightly off key. "Why must they call meMary when my name‘s Miss Gibbs?" Afterthis rather unexpected resurrection of a by-gone musical comedy, he drew up a chair andsat down.

　　"Busy?" he asked.

　　"Moderately so."

　　"Got some disappearance case or other on, haven’t you, to do with some hotel or other. What‘s thename of it now? Bertram’s. is that it?"

　　"Yes, that‘s right,sir. Bertram’s Hotel."

　　"Contravening the licensing hours? Call girls?"

　　"Oh no, sir," saidInspector Campbell, slightly shocked at hearing Bertram‘s Hotel being referred to in sucha connection. "Very nice, quiet, old-fashioned place."

　　"Is it now?" saidFather. "Yes, is it now? Well, that’s interesting, really."

　　Inspector Campbell wondered why it was interesting.He did not like to ask, as tempers in the upper hierarchy were notoriously short since themail train robbery, which had been a spectacular success for the criminals. He looked atFather‘s large, heavy, bovine face and wondered as he had onceor twice wondered before, how Chief-Inspector Davy had reached his present rank and why hewas so highly thought of in the department. "All right in hisday, I suppose," thought Inspector Campbell, "but there are plenty of go-ahead chaps about who could do with somepromotion, once the deadwood is cleared away." But thedeadwood had begun another song, partly hummed, with an occasional word or two here andthere.

　　"Tell me, gentle stranger, are there any more athome like you?" intoned Father and then in a sudden falsetto, "A few, kind sir, and nicer girls you never knew. No, let’s see, I‘ve got the sexes mixed up. Floradora.That was a good show, too."

　　"I believe I’ve heardof it, sir," said Inspector Campbell.

　　"Your mother sang you to sleep in the cradle withit, I expect," said Chief-Inspector Davy. "Now then, what‘s been going on at Bertram’sHotel? Who was disappeared and how and why?"

　　"A Canon Pennyfather, sir. Elderly clergyman."

　　"Dull case, eh?"

　　Inspector Campbell smiled.

　　"Yes, sir, it is rather dull in a way."

　　"What did he look like?"

　　"Canon Pennyfather?"

　　"Yes – you‘ve got a description, I suppose?"

　　"Of course." Campbellshuffled papers and read: "Height 5 ft. 8. Large thatch ofwhite hair – stoops…”

　　"And he disappeared from Bertram’s Hotel –when?"

　　"About a week ago – November19th."

　　"And they‘ve justreported it. took their time about it, didn’t they?"

　　"Well, I think there was a general idea the he‘d turn up."

　　"Any idea what’sbehind it?" asked Father. "Has adecent God-fearing man suddenly gone off with one of the churchwardens‘ wives? Or does he do a bit of secret drinking, or has he embezzled churchfunds? Or is he the sort of absent-minded old chap who goes in for this sort of thing?"

　　"Well, from all I can hear, sir, I should say thelatter. He’s done it before."

　　"What – disappearedfrom a respectable West End hotel?"

　　"No, not exactly that, but he‘s not always returned home when he was expected. Occasionally he’s turned up to stay with friends on a day when they haven‘t asked him, or not turned on the date when they had asked him. That sort ofthing."

　　"Yes," said Father. "Yes. Well that sounds very nice and natural and according to plan, doesn’t it? when exactly did you say he disappeared?"

　　"Thursday. November 19th. He wassupposed to be attending a congress at –” He bent down andstudies some papers on his desk. “– oh yes, Lucerne. Societyof Biblical Historical Studies. That‘s the English translationof it. I think it’s actually a German society."

　　"And it was held at Lucerne? The old boy –I suppose he is an old boy?"

　　"Sixty-three, sir, I understand."

　　"The old boy didn‘tturn up, is that it?"

　　Inspector Campbell drew his papers towards him andgave Father the ascertainable facts in so far as they had been ascertained.

　　"Doesn’t sound as ifhe‘d gone off with a choirboy," observedChief-Inspector Davy.

　　"I expect he’ll turnup all right," said Campbell, "butwe‘re looking into it, of course. Are you – er – particularly interested in the case, sir?"He could hardly restrain his curiosity on this point.

"No," said Davythoughtfully. "No, I’m notinterested in the case. I don‘t see anything to be interestedabout in it."