CHAPTER XVIII
MR. SPEARMAN GOES NORTH
THE message, in blurred lettering and upon the flimsy tissue paper of a carbon copy—that message which had brought tension to the offices of Corvet, Sherrill, and Spearman and had called Constance Sherrill and her mother downtown where further information could be more quickly obtained—was handed to Constance by a clerk as soon as she entered her father's office. She reread it; it already had been repeated to her over the telephone.
"4:05 a. m. Frankfort Wireless station has received following message from No. 25: 'We have Benjamin Corvet, of Chicago, aboard.'"
"You've received nothing later than this?" she asked.
"Nothing regarding Mr. Corvet, Miss Sherrill," the clerk replied.
"Or regarding— Have you obtained a passenger list?"
"No passenger list was kept, Miss Sherrill."
"The crew?"
"Yes; we have just got the names of the crew." He took another copied sheet from among the pages and handed it to her, and she looked swiftly down the list of names until she found that of Alan Conrad.
Her eyes filled, blinding her, as she put the paper
