As he then rose to go, Mr.Ratcliffe added that entire secrecy was necessary, as the interests involved in obstructing the search were considerable, and it was not well to wake them up.

Mr.Keen assented and went his way.
All this was natural enough and entirely proper, at least so far as appeared on the surface.

Had Mr.Keen been so curious in other people's affairs as to look for the particular legislative measure which lay at the bottom of Mr.
Ratcliffe's inquiries, he might have searched among the papers of Congress a very long time and found himself greatly puzzled at last.

In fact there was no measure of the kind.

The whole story was a fiction.
Mr.Ratcliffe had scarcely thought of Baker since his death, until the day before, when he had seen his widow on the Mount Vernon steamer and had found her in relations with Carrington.