Part 37 (1/2)

”Hah! yes, that is a good glass of brandy,” he ar froan to smoke, as he seated himself at a table, dreard a blotter, and spent so hi off into sleep which lasted a couple of hours

He woke and in the most business-like ent downstairs into the basee screw-driver, walked to the chests, cut the ropes, and carefully exa thean to take out the screws from the lid of the first chest

He had reached the last screhen he suddenly stopped short and stood listening The next e, to stand listening again, till apparently satisfied, he went into a dark corner and pulled at a knob as if ringing a bell Then he went sharply back to the chests, laid down the screw-driver, and hurried up the stairs to the dining-room with all the activity of a man of forty

Here he went to a book-case and took down an ancient-looking massive tome, laid it upon the table, lifted the cover, and showed that it was only an i to be the lid of a box in which lay a any case, fro its six chambers to see if they were loaded, he carefully concealed it in the breast of the vest he wore beneath the old dressing-gown

Then the spectacles were resued aspect ca-gown and took an old-fashi+oned coat fro, donned it, and then completed his old-world aspect with a quaint broad-brientley umbrella from the stand, went out, closed the door after his for a few steps, and then turned up the steps to the Clareboroughs' door, passing into the hall so quickly that it seeh anyone who had watched would have seen that there was a very quick, clever application of a latch-key

His movements noere slow, deliberate and silent He laid down umbrella and hat upon a table, and, apparently quite at horound floor before ascending to the drawing-rooher and then descended to the hall, where frooing on below

For some time he seemed undecided how to act, but at last he was in the act of descending, when steps belowRoach go into the pantry The next an to ascend, and as actively as a cat, and with as silent a step, the professor ran to the foot of the grand staircase and bounded up to the drawing-room floor, ensconced himself behind a heavy curtain which draped one of the doors, and made out that whoever it was reached the hall and went into dining-roo-room, before he went back to the stairs and descended once more to the basement

The professor was after him directly, and at the head of the stairs in tiain, and the chink of a glass against a bottle

He descended the gloooing on, and hearing the sound of tools, the whisperings, and after a long period of waiting and another forced retreat when Roach went again to the pantry to

”Someone who knows the place well,” he said to himself ”Quite at home

Where can the old woman be? They can't have killed her”

He raised one hand quickly to his breast, as the thought sent a thrill through hie of a busy ti were heard, he stole right down, stepped cautiously along the passage, and then darted into the first open doorway, for there was an impatient utterance from so discovered But the ent on again, and he glanced round, found that he was in the butler's pantry, and saw at the sahtly-bound woman upon the table

He was at her side in an instant, and as he bent over her the wild eyes were opened and gazed intently in his

There was no occasion for hier to his lips, for the old housekeeper, as the tapping went on, gave hi perfectly still again

The professor nodded sharply, tapped his breast, and then drew a pen-knife from his pocket, hose keen blade he quickly divided the rope which bound hands and feet Then, pressing his finger to his lips once more, he went silently out of the pantry, followed by the housekeeper's eyes, as breathing hard she watched him and then lay perfectly still with her face contracted by pain and dread, waiting for the denoue, for the professor's movements were slow and cautious in the extreme But there was to be no more retreat He did not knoere there for soht be

At last he was in a position froe turned sharply, and as he gazed into the lobby a few yards off, where Roach directed the light of the bull's-eye lantern with quivering hand, his own treain and again to take aihtened his lips into a line, for he saw his opportunity

In the very nick of ti close up, he threw himself forward, and with one heavy thrust drove the butler forward over his co out the key, before he retreated and turned the corner to listen for the explosion which did not coht went out, I suppose,” he muttered ”Pity too Pleasanter for others, and it would have been accidental”

He thrust back the revolver, placed the key in his pocket, and without stopping hurried into the pantry

”Got them--safe,” he said, and ran upstairs to the handsome library, where he unlocked a cabinet, touched a button and waited for a minute, before a little weird voice answered--

”Who is it?”

He gave his number to the questioner, and asked to be switched on to X987654321

In a few ic of the telephone, there canal and question and satisfactory proof of identity, before the professor said sharply--