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made over there."
"Couldn't you get somethin' over there?" inquired Mrs. Butler. "Besides, you've got two or three
weeks here yet."
"They wouldn't want a man around as a sort of guide and adviser, would they, mother?" put in
Callum.
"I might offer my services in that capacity myself," observed Owen, reservedly.
"I'm sure I don't know," returned Mrs. Butler, smiling, and at the same time chewing a lusty
mouthful. "You'll have to ast 'em, my sons."
Aileen still persisted. She did not want to go. It was too sudden. It was this. It was that. Just then
old Butler came in and took his seat at the head of the table. Knowing all about it, he was most
anxious to appear not to.
"You wouldn't object, Edward, would you?" queried his wife, explaining the proposition in
general.
"Object!" he echoed, with a well simulated but rough attempt at gayety. "A fine thing I'd be doing
for meself--objectin'. I'd be glad if I could get shut of the whole pack of ye for a time."
"What talk ye have!" said his wife. "A fine mess you'd make of it livin' alone."
"I'd not be alone, belave me," replied Butler. "There's many a place I'd be welcome in this
town--no thanks to ye."
"And there's many a place ye wouldn't have been if it hadn't been for me. I'm tellin' ye that,"
retorted Mrs. Butler, genially.
"And that's not stretchin' the troot much, aither," he answered, fondly.
Aileen was adamant. No amount of argument both on the part of Norah and her mother had any
effect whatever. Butler witnessed the failure of his plan with considerable dissatisfaction, but he
was not through. When he was finally convinced that there was no hope of persuading her to
accept the Mollenhauer proposition, he decided, after a while, to employ a detective.
At that time, the reputation of William A. Pinkerton, of detective fame, and of his agency was
great. The man had come up from poverty through a series of vicissitudes to a high standing in
his peculiar and, to many, distasteful profession; but to any one in need of such in themselves
calamitous services, his very famous and decidedly patriotic connection with the Civil War and
Abraham Lincoln was a recommendation. He, or rather his service, had guarded the latter all his
stormy incumbency at the executive mansion. There were offices for the management of the
company's business in Philadelphia, Washington, and New York, to say nothing of other places.
Butler was familiar with the Philadelphia sign, but did not care to go to the office there. He
decided, once his mind was made up on this score, that he would go over to New York, where
he was told the principal offices were.
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