She was not going to meet Vane on the
night of her disappearance.
"Then whom?"
"The old love! He who some months earlier had had over fifty
seductive pictures of this undoubtedly pretty girl prepared for a
purpose of his own!"
"Vane interfered?"
"When the girl saw that they meant to take her away, she no doubt
made a fuss! He ran to the rescue! They had not reckoned on his
being there, but these are clever villains, who leave no clues--
except for one who has met them on their own ground!"
"On their own ground! What do you mean, Harley? Who are these
people?"
"Well--where do you suppose those fifty photographs went?"
"I cannot conjecture!"
"Then I will tell you. The turmoil in the East has put wealth
and power into unscrupulous hands. But even before the war there
were marts, Knox--open marts--at which a Negro girl might be
purchased for some 30 pounds, and a Circassian for anything from
250 pounds to 500 pounds! Ah! You stare! But I assure you it
was so. Here is the point, though: there were, and still are,
private dealers! Those photographs were circulated among the
nouveaux riches of the East! They were employed in the same way
that any other merchant employs a catalogue.
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