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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Mansion of Mystery, by Chester K. Steele
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: The Mansion of Mystery
+       Being a Certain Case of Importance, Taken from the Note-book of Adam Adams, Investigator and Detective
+
+
+Author: Chester K. Steele
+
+
+
+Release Date: July 4, 2005  [eBook #16204]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MANSION OF MYSTERY***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Al Haines
+
+
+
+THE MANSION OF MYSTERY
+
+Being a Certain Case of Importance, Taken
+from the Note-book of Adam Adams,
+Investigator and Detective
+
+by
+
+CHESTER K. STEELE
+
+Author of "The Disappearance of John Darr"
+
+International Fiction Library
+Cleveland                New York
+Press of the Commercial Bookbinding Co., Cleveland
+
+1911
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+THE STORY OF A DOUBLE TRAGEDY
+
+The young man was evidently in a tremendous hurry, and as soon as the
+ferryboat bumped into the slip he was at the gate and was the first one
+ashore.  He beckoned to one of the alert taxicabmen, and without
+waiting to have the vehicle brought to him, ran to it and leaped inside.
+
+"Do you know where the Vanderslip Building is?" he questioned abruptly.
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Then take me there with all possible speed."
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+The door slammed, the taxi driver mounted to his seat, and off the taxi
+started at the best rate of speed the driver could attain.  The young
+man sank down among the cushions and buried his chin in his hands.
+
+His face, normally a handsome one, was now wrinkled with care, his hair
+was disheveled, and he looked as if he had lost much sleep.  At times
+his mouth twitched nervously and he clenched his fists in a passion
+which availed him nothing.
+
+"To think that she is guilty!" he muttered.  "It is horrible!
+Horrible!"  And then his whole frame shook as if with the ague.  Twice
+he started up, to see if he had not yet arrived at his destination.
+But the drive was a long one, and to him, in his keen anxiety, it
+appeared an age.
+
+"If he is away--out of town--in Europe, or on some case which he cannot
+leave, what am I to do?" he murmured.  "I've pinned my whole faith on
+him."
+
+Presently there was a jar, and the taxicab came to a halt in front of a
+large office building.  The young man gave one look, and, before the
+driver could get down, had the door open and was on the pavement.
+"Here you are," he said and thrust a dollar bill into the fellow's
+hand.  Then he crossed the broad pavement and was lost to sight in the
+corridor beyond.
+
+"In a hurry and no mistake, and looks a heap worried, too," was the
+chauffeur's comment.  "Well, I'm a quarter ahead on that fare."
+
+For a moment the young man studied the directory on the corridor wall.
+Then he entered an elevator and alighted at the eighth floor.  He,
+walked down a side hall until he came to a door upon the glass of which
+was inscribed the name:
+
+        _Adam Adams_
+
+"This must be the place," he murmured, and opening the door he entered
+the office, to find himself in a plain but neatly furnished apartment,
+containing several chairs, and a flat-top desk, at which a young lady
+was writing.
+
+"Is Mr. Adams in?" he asked, as the young lady arose to meet him.
+
+"What name, please?" was the counter question, and the young lady gave
+the visitor a keen glance.
+
+"Raymond Case."  The young man brought forth his card.  "Tell Mr. Adams
+I am the son of the late Wilbur Case, and wish to see him on important
+business."
+
+The young lady disappeared through a door leading to an inner
+apartment.  From this she entered another apartment, much larger, and
+overlooking the little city park far below.  The room was filled with
+books and pictures, and some wall brackets contained several bits of
+finely-carved statuary.  There was one large roller-top desk and three
+comfortable leather chairs.
+
+At the desk sat a man of uncertain age, with a strong face, a somewhat
+bald head, and eyes that were neither light nor dark.  The man was of
+ordinary height, but muscular to a surprising degree.  His face showed
+a high order of intelligence and his mouth a determination not easily
+thrust aside.
+
+"A gentleman to see you," said the young lady.  She placed the card
+before him.  "He told me to tell you that he is the son of the late
+Wilbur Case, and wishes to see you on important business."
+
+The man at the desk drew a long breath and looked up from a slip of
+paper which he had been studying through a microscope.  "Raymond Case,
+eh?  All right, Letty, show him in."
+
+In another moment the visitor was in the private office.  Adam Adams
+arose and gave him a warm handshake.
+
+"Glad to meet you, Mr. Case," he said cordially.  "I knew your late
+father quite well--a fine man--a very fine man, indeed.  Have a chair
+and make yourself at home."  He noted that his visitor was much
+agitated and flushed.  "Sit down by the window; there is a nice breeze
+there from across the park."
+
+"Mr. Adams, I would like to see you in private," returned the young
+man, as he took a seat and mopped his forehead with his handkerchief.
+
+"Very well," and the office door was carefully closed.  Then came a
+brief pause, during which Raymond Case cleared his throat several times.
+
+"Mr. Adams, you do not know much about me, but I know a great deal
+about you," he commenced.  "Three or four years ago you recovered some
+stolen mining shares for my father, and last year you cleared up the
+Sandford mystery, after the police and the other detectives had failed
+completely."
+
+Adam Adams bowed.  He rarely spoke unless there was occasion for it.
+
+"May I ask if you are now at liberty?" pursued the young man.
+
+"At liberty?  Bless you, no!  I have half a dozen cases on hand.  Two
+here in the city--one over in New Jersey--one in Yonkers, and--"
+
+"But you will undertake a case for me, if I pay you well for it, won't
+you?" interrupted the young man eagerly.  "Don't say no--please don't!"
+And there was a ring of agony in his speech.  "I am depending upon you!"
+
+The detective paused before replying, and looked the young man over
+with care.  The clean-cut features showed not a sign of dissipation,
+and the expression was honesty itself.  Certainly the young man had not
+gotten into trouble on his own account.
+
+"I should want to know something about the case before I promised to do
+anything."
+
+"Certainly--of course--"  The young man cleared his throat again.
+
+"You can tell me what the trouble is and if I decline to take the case
+I will give you my promise not to say a word to any outsider of what
+has passed between us."
+
+"Oh, I know I can trust you, Mr. Adams, otherwise I should not have
+called here.  My father said you were the squarest man he had ever
+dealt with.  I came to see you about the Langmore affair."
+
+"You mean the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Barry Langmore at Beechwood Hill?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+Adam Adams was surprised, although he did not show it.  What had this
+rich young man, who lived in Orange, New Jersey, and did business in
+Wall Street, to do with that double tragedy which had so shocked the
+community?
+
+"I presume you know some of the particulars of the sad affair," resumed
+Raymond Case.  "The newspapers have been full of it."
+
+"I know that the pair were found murdered.  I have not looked into
+details, being so busy with other matters."
+
+"It was an outrageous deed, Mr. Adams!" cried the young man, jumping up
+and beginning to pace the floor.  "One of the foulest of which I have
+ever heard."
+
+"A murder is always foul, no matter under what circumstances it is
+committed.  What do you wish me to do?"
+
+"Find the murderer."
+
+"That may not be easy.  Are not other detectives already working on the
+case?"
+
+"Yes, but they are only local men and not worth their salt."
+
+"They may be doing all that can be done.  It is a mistake to presume
+that every mystery of this sort can be solved.  Here in New York men go
+to their death every year and nobody ever finds out how, or by what
+hand."
+
+"But the local men simply jump at conclusions.  They are a set of blind
+fools, and--"  The young man stopped short.
+
+Adam Adams smiled faintly.  He knew something of the bungling work done
+by detectives of small caliber.  Had he not himself once saved a poor
+Jew from hanging after several country detectives had apparently proved
+the fellow guilty?  And had not those same sleuths of the law been
+angry at him ever since?
+
+"Excuse me, Mr. Case, but how is it that you take an interest in this
+affair?" he asked.  "Are you related to the Langmores in any way?"
+
+"I am not."  The young man began to blush.  "Is it necessary that I
+tell you why?" he stammered.
+
+"It is not necessary for you to tell me anything," responded the
+detective dryly.
+
+"I didn't mean to say--"
+
+"Let me give you a word of advice.  Never try to get a detective to do
+anything for you unless you are willing to tell him all you know and
+all you suspect.  It is generally hard enough to solve an enigma
+without having other mysteries attached to it."
+
+The young man lowered his face and looked confused for a moment.
+
+"Then I will tell you everything," he said.  "You may take notes if you
+wish."
+
+"It is not necessary, since I have a good memory."
+
+"The Langmores lived just on the outskirts of the town, on the road
+leading to Sidham, which is several miles distance."
+
+"I have a general idea of the location."
+
+"The house is a fine, old-fashioned stone mansion, setting well back
+from the road, and surrounded by a well-kept lawn and numerous trees
+and bushes.  At the rear of the garden is a small stream, which flows
+into the river a mile and a half below."
+
+"Is the place surrounded by a fence?"
+
+"On two sides only.  In the front there is a hedge and in the rear the
+little stream forms the boundary of the property."
+
+"I understand."
+
+"At the time of the tragedy there were four persons in the house, so
+far as known--Mr. and Mrs. Langmore, Mr. Langmore's daughter, Margaret,
+and a servant, Mary Billings."
+
+"Wait a moment.  You said Mr. Langmore's daughter.  Was she not Mrs.
+Langmore's daughter also?"
+
+"No.  You see Mr. Langmore was a widower when he married the present
+Mrs. Langmore, who was a widow.  There are two sets of children."
+
+"I understand.  When did the tragedy occur?"
+
+"At some time between eleven and twelve in the morning.  During that
+time Margaret Langmore was in her room writing several letters, and was
+practicing on the piano in the parlor.  The house is a large one, with
+sixteen rooms and several hallways and stairs."
+
+"Where was the servant?"
+
+"In the kitchen and out to the barn.  There are two other girls, but
+one is in the hospital sick and the other was to town on an errand."
+
+"Where were Mr. and Mrs. Langmore?"
+
+"The daughter thought her stepmother had gone out to visit a neighbor,
+as she had said something about doing so earlier in the morning.  Mr.
+Langmore had gone to the bank in town at nine o'clock and Margaret saw
+him come home about half-past ten or eleven."
+
+"What was she doing at the time?"
+
+"Practicing on the piano.  She heard her father go directly to his
+library, which is situated across the hallway from the parlor.  She
+heard the door shut, and then went on with her practicing."
+
+"Did she hear anything in the library?"
+
+"She thinks she heard something, but is not sure.  She was practicing a
+very difficult piece by Wagner--"
+
+"And it was loud enough to drown out every other sound."
+
+"That's it.  When the clock struck twelve she stopped practicing to
+learn if lunch was ready.  She also wanted to speak to her father, and
+so crossed the hallway and opened the library door."  The young man's
+voice began to tremble a little.  "She found her father stretched
+lifeless in an armchair."
+
+"How had he been killed?"
+
+"That is a part of the mystery.  He was either choked or smothered to
+death, or else he was poisoned.  The doctors don't seem to be able to
+get at the bottom of it."
+
+For the first time since Raymond Case had begun his recital Adam Adams
+began to show an interest.
+
+"If the man was strangled his throat should show the marks," he
+observed.
+
+"There are no marks, and the doctors have found no trace of poison."
+
+"Humph!"  The detective rubbed his chin reflectively.  "What next?"
+
+"Margaret Langmore was so horrified she ran from the room screaming
+wildly.  Her shrieks brought the servant to the spot, and a minute
+later two of the neighbors, Mrs. Bardon and her son Alfred, came over
+from next door."
+
+"Where was Mrs. Langmore at this time?"
+
+"Nobody knew.  Alfred Bardon is a physician, and, thinking there might
+still be a spark of life in Mr. Langmore, did all he possibly could to
+resuscitate the gentleman.  The servant girl ran upstairs to find some
+drugs for him and in the upper hallway stumbled over the dead body of
+Mrs. Langmore."
+
+"And how had she died?"
+
+"In the same manner as her husband.  This news of a double tragedy was
+too much for Margaret, and she fainted.  The others notified more of
+the neighbors and the police, and of course, the news spread like
+wildfire.  I was stopping at the Beechwood Hotel at the time and as
+soon as I heard of the tragedy, I jumped into an automobile that was
+handy and rode over."
+
+"Then you arrived at the house about as soon as the police?"
+
+"A little before."
+
+"What did you see?"
+
+"Just what I have told you.  The doctor had been trying to bring Mr.
+Langmore around but had suddenly been taken sick and could do nothing."
+
+"Humph, sick, eh?  Did he say what made him sick?"
+
+"He did not know.  He thought it might be from leaning over the dead
+man, or from working in that position.  I think the sudden sickness
+frightened him a little."
+
+"When the police arrived what did they find of importance?"
+
+"Nothing."
+
+"Had anything been stolen?"
+
+"Nothing, so far as they could learn."
+
+"Of course, you must have known these folks pretty well to take such an
+interest."
+
+"I knew Mr. Langmore very well and I was acquainted with his wife."
+
+Adam Adams knit his brow for a moment and tapped lightly on his desk
+with his forefinger.
+
+"Have the police any idea as to how the murderer got into the house and
+got out again?" he asked.
+
+At this question Raymond Case's face flushed.
+
+"They do not think the murderer left the house," he answered in a low
+tone.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+LOVE UNDER A SHADOW
+
+Raymond Case dropped back into his chair and buried his face in his
+hands.  Adam Adams eyed him curiously and with something of a fatherly
+glance.
+
+"It is plain to see what his trouble is," thought the detective.  "He
+is in love."
+
+He was right, Raymond Case was furiously, desperately, hopelessly in
+love.  He had met Margaret Langmore at Bar Harbor but a few short weeks
+before, and it had been a case of love at first sight upon both sides.
+A few automobile rides and a few dances, and he had proposed and been
+accepted, and he had counted himself the happiest man in all this wide
+world.  And now--
+
+"Then they suspect the servant girl?" queried Adam Adams, knowing they
+did nothing of the sort.
+
+"No!" came sharply.  "They suspect Margaret--Miss Langmore."
+
+"Ah!"
+
+"Yes.  It is--is preposterous--absurd, but they insist.  And that is
+what has brought me to you.  I want to prove her innocence to the
+world.  Do that, and you can name your own price, Mr. Adams."
+
+"You have a high regard for the young lady--you are close friends?"
+
+"More.  I may as well tell you, though so far Margaret and I have kept
+the matter more or less a secret.  I love her and we are engaged to be
+married."
+
+"Did Mr. Langmore know of his daughter's engagement?"
+
+"He did, and he approved of it."
+
+"And what of Mrs. Langmore, didn't she approve?"
+
+"She did not know of it.  Margaret did not tell her."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Because--well, the young lady and her stepmother did not get along
+very well together.  Margaret wanted to be friendly, but Mrs. Langmore
+was very dictatorial, and besides she loved her own children better
+than Mr. Langmore's."
+
+"Let me ask, was the daughter on good terms with her father?"
+
+"Yes, excepting on one point.  He wished her to obey her stepmother and
+that she was not always willing to do.  This brought on a run of petty
+quarrels which fairly made Margaret sick."
+
+"And this is the reason why the police think Miss Langmore the guilty
+person?"
+
+"It is.  Their theory is that she first quarrelled with her stepmother
+and murdered her, and then struck down her father to cover her guilt,
+he having discovered what she was doing."
+
+"How old is Miss Langmore?"
+
+"She has just passed her twenty-third birthday."
+
+"Humph!  Rather young to commit such a cold-blooded crime as this."
+
+"She never did do it--I'll wager my life on it!  Oh, it's
+absurd--insulting!  But what are you going to do with a lot of
+pig-headed country police--"
+
+"How did they come to suspect her?  Was there nothing else?"
+
+"Yes, there was.  Mrs. Bardon, the woman who lives next door, is a
+great gossip and one who is continually poking her nose into other
+folks' business.  She told the police that she was out in the garden
+cutting a bouquet early in the morning, and she heard a violent quarrel
+going on at the breakfast table between Mrs. Langmore and Margaret, and
+that Mr. Langmore took his wife's part.  Margaret wished to give a
+small house party and Mrs. Langmore would not listen to it."
+
+"Did Mrs. Bardon hear all that was said?"
+
+"No, only enough to make her run to the police with the tale."
+
+"Is any other house near by?"
+
+"The Harrison mansion, but it is locked up, as the family is in Europe."
+
+"Did you hear if Mrs. Bardon and her son were home all morning?"
+
+"They were, excepting when the doctor went out to make some calls,
+between nine and eleven."
+
+"Did they see any suspicious characters around the Langmore mansion?"
+
+"Not a soul."
+
+"Did Mary Billings, the servant, see anybody?"
+
+"She thinks she saw somebody near the river, but she is not sure; in
+fact, she is so scared that she is all mixed up.  She has told the
+police a thousand times that she had nothing to do with the crime."
+
+"Did Miss Langmore see anybody?"
+
+"She saw a Doctor Bird pass in his buggy and a farmer named Carboy go
+by on foot."
+
+"When was this?"
+
+"While she was at the piano.  She doesn't know the exact time."
+
+There was a pause and the detective gave a faraway look out of the
+window and down the bustling thoroughfare.
+
+"So far as you are aware, Mr. Case, did Mr. Langmore have any personal
+enemies?"
+
+"I never heard of any."
+
+"He was rich?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"What was his business?"
+
+"He was a dealer in patents and a promoter.  Some thought he was rather
+eccentric, but I never found him so.  He used to have an office here in
+New York but gave that up a year ago."
+
+"Well, what is your idea of this crime?"
+
+"I haven't any.  But I know Margaret Langmore is not guilty."
+
+"Evidently if they suspect her they have concluded that Mrs. Langmore
+was killed first."
+
+"That is their idea, but it looks to me as if both were killed at about
+the same time, although I know that couldn't very well be."
+
+"No, not if one was upstairs and the other down.  Do you think it
+possible that one killed the other and then committed suicide?"
+
+At this Raymond Case started back.
+
+"I had not thought of that!" he cried.  "If it is true then that clears
+Margaret."  Evidently he was thinking only of the girl he
+loved--everything else concerning the mystery was of secondary
+consideration.
+
+"Such a thing is possible, although not probable, unless the two had a
+bitter quarrel between themselves.  Every crime must have a motive.
+People do not commit murder unless there is a reason for it or unless
+they are insane.  Motives may be divided into three classes--jealousy,
+revenge, or gain.  In this instance I think we can throw out
+jealousy--"
+
+"Mrs. Langmore was jealous of Margaret."
+
+"And wasn't the young lady jealous of her stepmother in a way?"
+
+"But she is not guilty--I'll stake my life on her innocence."
+
+"Then let us come down to revenge or gain.  You say nothing was stolen.
+Was there a safe in the house?"
+
+"Yes, and it is closed, and will remain so until the experts open it."
+
+"Nobody knew the combination but Mr. Langmore?"
+
+"That's it.  Margaret did know, but her stepmother had her father
+change the combination and keep it to himself."
+
+"Had he much money in the house?"
+
+"I think not.  Margaret says her father was in the habit of depositing
+cash in the bank as soon as he received it."
+
+"What sort of promoting did he do?"
+
+"He organized companies to manufacture his patents.  He also speculated
+in real estate and in mortgages.  He owned two buildings in this city
+and several in the country."
+
+"Who are the other members of the family?"
+
+"Margaret's married sister, Mrs. Andrew Wetherby, of Sanhope, and Mrs.
+Langmore's two sons, Tom and Dick Ostrello."
+
+"Where are these people located?"
+
+"Mrs. Wetherby is traveling with her husband in South America.  The
+Ostrello brothers are commercial travelers and somewhere on the road."
+
+"Then the Ostrellos are not rich?"
+
+"No, they are poor, and Mrs. Ostrello was poor, too, before she married
+Mr. Langmore."
+
+There was another pause.
+
+"Can you tell me anything else?" asked Adam Adams.
+
+"Nothing of much importance.  It's a deep mystery, isn't it?"
+
+"Yes, it's very simplicity makes it deep."  The detective drew a long
+breath.  "I was thinking of taking a vacation.  My doctor says I need
+it."
+
+"Oh!"  There was a world of disappointment in the word.  "Don't say
+that!  You must take hold of this.  I planned it all out as I came to
+town.  I know you can clear Margaret if you will only try.  Think of
+her position--the disgrace--my position--  Oh, you can't refuse me,
+Mr. Adams!"  The young man came closer and caught the detective by the
+shoulder.  "If it's money, set your price."
+
+"If I take hold, I'll charge you only what is fair, Mr. Case.  But I
+never take a case, unless--"
+
+"Any request you have to make is already granted."
+
+"Unless I can first interview the person who stands accused of the
+crime."
+
+"You can see Miss Langmore at any time.  I told her that I was coming
+to town to interview you, and that I would bring you back with me, if
+you would come.  I told her what a wonderful man you were and what you
+had done for others.  I think it cheered her a little, although she was
+terribly cast down."
+
+"You must not promise too much on my account, young man.  I am no
+wizard, and I cannot perform the impossible, much as I might wish to do
+so."
+
+"But you will come?"
+
+"Yes, I will come."
+
+"At once?" cried Raymond Case impatiently.
+
+"At once."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+MARGARET LANGMORE
+
+As Raymond Case had said, the Langmore mansion was a large one, setting
+in the midst of an extensive lawn, sprinkled here and there with maples
+and oaks and fine flowering bushes.  The hedge in front was well kept
+and the side fences were also in good repair.  In the rear was a stable
+and also an automobile shed, for the late master of this estate had
+been fond of a dash in his runabout when time permitted.  Down by the
+brook, back of the stable, was a tiny wharf, where a boat was tied up,
+a craft which Margaret Langmore had occasionally taken down to the
+river for a row.
+
+The mansion now looked dark and lonesome, although many folks passed on
+the highway and whispered to each other that there was the spot where
+the gruesome tragedy had been committed.  "And to think that the man's
+own daughter did it," they would generally add.  "Beats all how
+bloodthirsty some folks can get.  He must have cut her short on money
+or something and she was too high-strung to stand it."
+
+"No, it ain't that," another would answer.  "She's been flirting around
+with a certain young man, a Wall Street gambler, and her mother
+wouldn't have it and told her so.  That's the real trouble, my way of
+thinking."
+
+Inside of the house all was as quiet as a tomb save for the ticking of
+the long clock in the lower hall.  Below, a single policeman was on
+guard, in company with a woman, who had been sent in to help:  Upstairs
+another woman was stationed, to see that Margaret Langmore might not
+take it upon herself to leave for parts unknown.
+
+Margaret sat in her own room, in the wing on the second floor, a dainty
+apartment, trimmed in blue and containing all her girlish treasures.
+On the walls were numerous photographs of her old schoolmates and the
+flag of the seminary she had attended.  And on the mantel rested the
+picture of Raymond Case, the high polish of the surface marred in one
+spot where a tear had fallen upon it.
+
+The girl was tall and slender, with a wealth of light-brown hair and
+eyes of deepest blue.  It was more than a pretty face, for it had a
+certain sadness that was touching.
+
+For several minutes the girl had not moved.  Now, as the door opened
+and the woman who was on guard upstairs came in, she gave a long sigh.
+
+"Can I do anything?" asked the woman, in a voice that was not unkindly.
+
+"Nothing, thank you, Mrs. Morse."
+
+"Would you like a cup of tea, or a bit of toast?  Mrs. Jessup can make
+it easy enough--she has nothing at all to do."
+
+"I do not care to touch a thing."
+
+The answer came in a dreary monotone.  The girl's trials were beginning
+to tell upon her.  At first she had tried to bear up bravely, and the
+words Raymond had spoken had comforted her, but now he was gone and the
+whole world looked dark once more.
+
+"Has anybody called?" she asked at length.
+
+"Nobody to see you."
+
+"Nobody?"  Margaret began to pace the floor.  "When did the coroner say
+the examination was to be continued?" she went on.
+
+"To-morrow morning at eleven o'clock."
+
+"And who is to be put on the stand?"
+
+At this question the woman in charge began to fidget.  "Excuse me,
+miss, but I was ordered not to answer questions.  I'm sorry, and I wish
+you wouldn't worry so much.  If I can do anything else--"
+
+"You can do nothing."
+
+At that moment came the sounds of carriage wheels and a cab from the
+depot drew up to the door.  Margaret looked through the slats of a
+blind and saw that the arrivals were Raymond Case and a stranger, a man
+wearing a rather ordinary suit of clothing and a rough slouch hat.
+
+"Thank Heaven, Raymond has brought somebody!" murmured the girl.
+
+There was a short consultation at the front door and she heard the
+young man say: "He has a perfect right here and I demand admittance for
+us both."  Then another murmur followed and the pair came upstairs.
+They knocked on the door of Margaret's room and were admitted, and Mrs.
+Morse was told that she might go.
+
+"This gentleman has come to give Miss Langmore some advice," said
+Raymond Case.  "If we want you we will call."
+
+"But I have orders--"
+
+"Miss Langmore will remain in this room, so you have nothing to fear.
+She has a legal right to receive advice."
+
+"Oh, if the gentleman is a lawyer I have nothing to say," was the
+retort, and Mrs. Morse swept from the room.
+
+The instant she was gone, the young man closed the door and then rushed
+up to Margaret Langmore and kissed her.
+
+"I have succeeded!" he cried.  "I told you I would.  This is Mr. Adam
+Adams.  Mr. Adams, this is Miss Margaret Langmore.  Now, I guess we are
+going to show these country bumpkins a thing or two!" he added
+earnestly.
+
+The detective advanced and shook hands.  Margaret Langmore was a trifle
+disappointed in his appearance and her face clouded for an instant.
+Raymond was quick to notice it.
+
+"You mustn't judge a man by his appearance.  Mr. Adams makes himself
+look that way on purpose.  He's the smartest, swiftest--"
+
+"That will do," interrupted the detective with a brief smile.
+
+"Will you help me?"  The girl eyed the detective squarely.  "I--I need
+help so much."
+
+"I must hear your story first."
+
+"Oh, I thought Raymond would tell you everything."
+
+"He has told me all he knows.  But I want to hear the story from your
+own lips.  Something may have slipped him, you know."
+
+"I will tell you everything.  Please sit down."
+
+Margaret Langmore began her narrative.  It was fully an hour before she
+finished.  Occasionally the detective asked a question, but for the
+most part he sat back with his eyes closed, as if thinking of something
+else.
+
+"Now, Miss Langmore," he exclaimed, as he straightened up at the
+conclusion of her recital, "whom do you suspect of this crime?"
+
+"I suspect no one, sir."
+
+"Have you any idea why this awful deed was committed?"  The detective
+had been on the point of saying "murder" but had checked himself.
+
+"Not the least in the world."
+
+"Some of the windows were, of course, open.  What of the doors?"
+
+"The front door and that to the side piazza were locked.  The back door
+was open."
+
+"Then a person might have sneaked in by the back way?"
+
+"I presume so."
+
+"Your father was quite dead when you found him?" asked the detective
+quickly.
+
+"I--I--thought so."  The girl began to choke up and sob.  "It--it was
+such a shock--I--I--"  She could not go on.
+
+Adam Adams watched her keenly and noted how she trembled from head to
+foot.
+
+"Do not take it so hard, Margaret," put in Raymond Case, placing his
+hand upon her shoulder.  "It will all come out right in the end--I am
+sure of it."
+
+"But it will not bring back my father!" sobbed the girl.  "And he was
+so dear to me!  And to think that we should quarrel at all--"
+
+"The quarrel took place at the breakfast table, so you said," came from
+Adam Adams.  "And you rushed out to get away from what your stepmother
+was saying to you?"
+
+"Yes.  I could not bear it any longer."
+
+"Your father took Mrs. Langmore's part?"
+
+"He did, but at the same time he told her not to be so hard on me--that
+I had been without a mother to guide me so many years, and all that."
+
+"Do you think they quarreled between themselves after you left, or
+after your father came back from the bank?"
+
+"I cannot say as to that."
+
+"Mr. Adams has an idea that possibly one or the other of them was
+responsible," put in Raymond.  "He thinks one might have killed the
+other and then committed suicide."
+
+"I do not think so.  I said it was possible," corrected the detective.
+"In taking up an affair of this sort one must look at it from all
+sides."
+
+"I do not believe my father either killed her or committed suicide,"
+answered Margaret Langmore firmly.
+
+"Do you think Mrs. Langmore would act in such a fashion?"
+
+The girl pondered for a moment.
+
+"Honestly I do not.  She may have killed my father, but if so she would
+have run away."
+
+"The safe was closed at the time of the tragedy?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And absolutely nothing was stolen?"
+
+"Nothing, so far as we have been able to ascertain."
+
+"Was anything out of order, as if the assassin had been scared off
+while hunting around for something to steal?"
+
+"I did not see anything.  But I was so upset I noticed scarcely
+anything."
+
+"That was natural, of course.  The safe has not yet been opened?"
+
+"No, we are waiting for a man to come from the safe makers."
+
+"Now, one thing more.  After you came back to the house before
+practicing what did you do?"
+
+"I wrote some letters to girl friends, telling them I could not give a
+house party."
+
+"And before that?"
+
+"I--I, must I tell?  I threw myself on the bed yonder for a good cry.
+It was silly, I know--but--but--"
+
+"Did you hear anything unusual while you were here?  Think carefully."
+
+"I have tried to think it out several times.  Sometimes I think I heard
+some sort of a shriek, but I am not at all certain.  Then, again, I
+think I heard the fall of something heavy on the floor.  But it may be
+all fancy."
+
+"And that is all you can tell me?"
+
+"Yes."  Margaret Langmore gave a long sigh.  "Oh, Mr. Adams, can you
+not do something for me?  It is horrible to be suspected in this
+fashion.  I cannot make a move without being watched!"
+
+"It is certainly a cruel situation."  The detective paused.  "I am sure
+of one thing, Miss Langmore."
+
+"And that is--"
+
+"That you are innocent.  Those who think you are guilty are fools, as
+Mr. Case says."
+
+"Yet more than half the folks around here think that way."
+
+"Let them.  We'll set to work to prove their mistake."
+
+"Good!" almost shouted Raymond Case, and his face broke out into a look
+of relief.  "Then you will take the case, Mr. Adams?"
+
+"I will."
+
+"I know you will succeed."
+
+"If you do succeed, I shall be grateful to you all my life," came from
+Margaret Langmore warmly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+DETECTIVE AND DOCTOR
+
+As already intimated, Adam Adams, in his career as an investigator and
+detective, had solved many difficult criminal problems, yet this
+somewhat remarkable individual realized that the mystery before him was
+as difficult of solution as any he had yet encountered.
+
+The most tantalizing thing about the whole affair was its simplicity.
+Two people had been murdered in their own home in broad daylight.  No
+one had been seen around the place, and even the manner in which the
+foul deed had been committed was a secret.
+
+A score of possibilities presented themselves to his mind when he left
+Margaret Langmore and Raymond Case to begin the task he had set before
+himself--to clear the fair name of the beautiful girl who had placed
+her faith in him and his ability.
+
+"I'll take a look around the house first," he reasoned.  "Then I'll
+find out a little more about these dead folks and their connections."
+
+Thinking that he must be some noted lawyer from New York, Mrs. Morse
+was very gracious to him, and readily consented to show him around.
+
+"Here is the spot where Mrs. Langmore's body was found," said the
+woman, leading the way to a bend in the upper hallway.  "The servant
+girl tripped over it in her hurry, and went sprawling.  She was about
+scared out of her wits."
+
+"Naturally enough.  Do you know how the body was lying?"
+
+"At full length, they say, face downward, and with the fists clenched."
+
+"Was that window open?"
+
+"Yes, but not the blinds."
+
+"Where does that door lead to?"
+
+"Mrs. Langmore's dressing room.  The door was open when they found
+her--as if she had come out and was trying to get downstairs."
+
+"Humph!"  The detective pushed the blinds of the window open and began
+to examine the carpet on the floor.
+
+"We've looked around, but we couldn't see a thing," pursued the woman.
+
+"We?  Who?"
+
+"The coroner and the police officers."
+
+"Oh!  You say the body was lying right here?"
+
+"Yes--the head there, and the feet there.  I suppose you are going to
+try to clear Miss Langmore, aren't you?" went on Mrs. Morse curiously.
+
+"I am--if she is innocent."
+
+"You'll have a task doing it.  Everybody around here thinks her guilty."
+
+To this Adam Adams did not reply.  He was down on his hands and knees,
+close to where the head of the murdered woman had rested.  He placed
+his nose to the carpet and drew in a long breath.  His olfactory nerves
+were sensitive, and detected a certain pungent, stinging odor, of a
+sort not easily forgotten.
+
+"You must be pretty short-sighted," was the woman's comment.  The sight
+of the man on his hands and knees amused her.
+
+"Well, I might have a better pair of eyes, I admit."
+
+From his examination of the carpet, the detective turned to the window.
+Outside was the roof to the side piazza of the mansion.  On the tin
+roof were some dried-up spots of mud.  He looked them over carefully,
+and came to the conclusion that they were footprints, but how old was a
+question.
+
+"When did it rain last around here?" he asked.
+
+"We haven't had a real storm for ten days or two weeks.  We have had
+several showers, though."
+
+He took a glance into Mrs. Langmore's dressing room.  Everything was in
+perfect order, even to the powder-box and the cologne bottles on the
+dresser.
+
+"That is all I wish to see up here," he said, and passed below, where
+he encountered the policeman in charge.  Like the woman, this officer
+had taken him to be a lawyer, and he readily consented to let the
+detective inspect the library.
+
+"Mr. Langmore was found in that chair," said he.  "He looked as if he
+had suffered great pain before he died.  I think he was strangled,
+although he didn't show the marks of it."
+
+The library was a richly-furnished apartment.  Along two walls were
+rows of costly volumes, many relating to modern inventions.  On the
+walls hung some rare steel engravings, including one of Fulton and his
+first steamboat.  There was a large library table, with a student's
+lamp, a mahogany roller-top desk, half a dozen comfortable chairs, and
+a small, but well-built safe, which, as said before, was closed and
+locked.
+
+"The coroner locked and sealed the desk, and put all the loose papers
+in it," said the policeman.
+
+There were two windows to the library, and one was close to the side
+porch, the roof of which the detective had examined from above.  A
+person dropping from above could easily have entered the library by the
+window, thus saving himself the trouble of walking through the halls
+and down the stairs.  Adam Adams looked outside, and saw on the ground
+a number of footprints, some running to a gravel path but a few feet
+away.
+
+"Where are the bodies?" he asked, as he continued his examination of
+the room.
+
+"At Camboin's morgue.  The doctors have been looking for poison, but
+they can't find any."
+
+The detective got down in front of the safe and examined it critically.
+Had it been opened after the murder and then closed again?  That was an
+important question, but he was unable to answer it.
+
+More by instinct than anything else, he got down and peered under the
+safe.  A crumpled-up bit of paper caught his eye, and he picked it up
+and slipped it into his pocket without the policeman being the wiser.
+
+"Has anybody else been here?" he asked.  "I mean any outsiders."
+
+"A good many folks from the village."
+
+"Anybody else?"
+
+"Yes, a detective from Brooklyn.  He thought there might be a job for
+him, but there wasn't, so he went away," and the policeman smiled
+grimly.
+
+"What was his name?"
+
+"I think he said it was Peterson."
+
+"Is that the Bardon house yonder?"  And Adam Adams pointed through the
+window and across the side lawn.
+
+"Yes.  Doctor Bardon was the first to come over--he and his mother."
+
+"So I heard.  I think I'll step over and speak to them a moment."
+
+"So you are working for Miss Langmore?"
+
+"Yes, in a way."
+
+"You'll have an uphill job clearing her.  The coroner thinks he has a
+clear case against her."
+
+"Do you know what evidence he possesses?"
+
+"Not exactly.  He isn't telling all he knows," returned the officer of
+the law.  "There is the doctor now."
+
+A buggy was coming down the road.  It turned in at the next house, and
+a young man, carrying a small case, leaped out and disappeared into the
+dwelling.
+
+In a few minutes more, Adam Adams made his way next door.  An elderly
+servant admitted him and ushered him into the doctor's office, where
+the young physician sat marking down some calls in his notebook.
+
+"This is Doctor Bardon, I believe.  I just came over from the Langmore
+house.  I am working on this mystery, and I understand you were the
+physician who tried to bring Mr. and Mrs. Langmore to life after they
+were found."
+
+"I worked over Mr. Langmore, yes," was the young physician's answer.
+"I saw at once that it was impossible to do anything for his wife.  She
+had a weak heart naturally, and was stone dead some time before I got
+there."
+
+"You thought you saw a spark of life in Mr. Langmore?"
+
+"Not exactly a spark, but I thought there might be hope.  But I was
+mistaken, although I did everything I could."
+
+"I have been told that working over the corpse made you sick."
+
+At these words, the face of the young physician showed his annoyance.
+He drew himself up.
+
+"Excuse me, but you are--" and he paused inquiringly.
+
+"I am working on this case in the interests of Miss Langmore.  My name
+is Adams."
+
+"Oh!"
+
+"What I would like to know is, What made you sick?  Was it merely that
+a crime had been committed--something you were not accustomed to?"
+
+"No, it was not, Mr. Adams.  I am young, I know, but I have had a good
+hospital experience, and such things do not unnerve me.  To be sure,
+Mr. Langmore was a good neighbor, and I thought much of him.  But it
+was not that."
+
+"Then what was it?"
+
+"It was something about the corpse.  As I worked I had to
+sneeze--something seemed to get into my nose and throat, and in a
+minute more I began to have cramps and grew deathly sick.  It was the
+queerest sensation I ever experienced in my life.  I haven't gotten
+over it yet."
+
+"You had to go out to get some fresh air?"
+
+"I did.  If I had not, I think I should have suffered much more."
+
+"And you found no trace of any poison, or anything of that sort?"
+
+"Not the slightest.  Another doctor was called in, and then I went
+back.  The peculiar odor, or whatever it was, was gone, and I could
+find no further trace of it."
+
+"You think it must have evaporated?"
+
+"What else is there to think?  The windows and blinds had been thrown
+wide open, and the sun was shining into the room."
+
+This was all the young doctor could tell, and as he was in a hurry to
+get away on more business, the detective did not detain him further.
+He ascertained that Mrs. Bardon was also away, and then left the house.
+
+In his pocket he still carried the bit of paper which he had picked up
+from under the safe.  It had evidently been part of the wrapper around
+some small object, and bore the following, printed in blue ink:
+
+      nder & Co.,
+      ley Street,
+      ter, N. Y.
+      ark.
+
+The paper might be valuable, and it might be worthless.  It had
+evidently been around a small box or bottle.  The address was evidently
+that of some firm doing business in some town in New York State.  What
+the "ark" could stand for, he could not surmise.
+
+As the detective left the Bardon house, he saw a middle-aged man
+entering the Langmore mansion.  The man was well dressed and carried a
+dress-suit case.
+
+"A visitor of some sort," he mused.  "Perhaps a relative."
+
+When he stepped up on the piazza Raymond Case came out to meet him.
+The young man wished to know if he had learned anything from the doctor.
+
+"Not a great deal," answered Adam Adams.  "Who was that man who just
+came in?"
+
+"Thomas Ostrello, one of Mrs. Langmore's sons by her first husband."
+
+"Is he a frequent visitor here?"
+
+"I believe not.  He is a commercial traveler, and on the road nearly
+all the time."
+
+"Has he been here since the tragedy?"
+
+"No.  He was here the day before it occurred, but went away in the
+evening.  I suppose his mother's death has shocked him a good deal."
+
+"I believe you said the Ostrellos are not well off?"
+
+"No; they are poor, so Margaret told me.  Both of the sons are on the
+road, one for a paint house and this one for a drug house.  By the way,
+I am going to town, to see the coroner.  Do you want to come along?"
+
+"No, I'll see him later.  I want to take a walk around this place
+first.  I may pick up a stray clue."
+
+Left to himself, Adam Adams walked slowly around the mansion, noting
+the several approaches.  He looked in at the stable and the automobile
+shed, and strolled down to the brook.  He made no noise, for it was his
+practice to move about as silently as possible and without attracting
+attention.
+
+Suddenly he halted and stepped out of sight behind some bushes not far
+away from the brook.  He heard a splashing, which told him that
+somebody was near.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE MAN AT THE BROOK
+
+Beside the brook stood a shabbily-dressed man, apparently fifty-five or
+sixty years old.  He wore an old rusty black coat and a soft hat with a
+hole in it.  His face was tanned and partly covered with a beard.
+
+The man was acting in a manner to excite anybody's curiosity.  He
+carried a stick in his hand, and was poking around in the water with
+it.  Every once in a while he looked around, to see if anybody was
+observing him.
+
+Straining his eyes, Adam Adams saw a strip of white floating on the
+water.  Once or twice it disappeared.  Finally the end of the strip
+caught on an overhanging bush, and then the strange man withdrew his
+cane from the brook.
+
+As he turned around the detective dodged out of sight.  Apparently
+satisfied that he was not observed, the strange man leaned down at the
+bank of the brook, took something from his pocket and placed it down on
+the moist dirt.  Then he took another object from his pocket and
+repeated the operation.
+
+"Can they be shoes he has in his hands?" mused the detective.  "And if
+they are, what is he doing with them?"
+
+Hearing the slamming of a door at the mansion, Adam Adams drew still
+further back among the bushes.  A minute later he saw the man make a
+long leap, clear the brook, and hurry away among the trees and
+brushwood on the other side.
+
+"Humph!  Perhaps this is worth investigating," mused the detective, and
+made his way to the spot the strange individual had occupied.  On the
+bank of the brook he saw the marks of the man's broad shoes and also
+some prints made by smaller shoes.  The latter prints were irregular,
+and at once arrested the detective's attention.  He smiled grimly to
+himself.
+
+"Clue number one!" he muttered.
+
+Adam Adams looked around in the water.  Soon he came upon the strip of
+white, and, pulling on it, brought to light a white silk shirtwaist,
+torn to ribbons in front and at one sleeve.  He wrung the water and mud
+from the garment and examined it.  Inside of the collar band were the
+initials, "M. A. L."
+
+"Margaret A. Langmore," he murmured.  "Those initials are hers.  If the
+shirtwaist was hers, how did that fellow get possession of it?  And did
+he place it here or find it here?"
+
+Drying the garment as much as possible, he placed it in his pocket, and
+continued his search around the vicinity.  He spent fully an hour in
+the locality, and then walked back the way he had come, and into the
+mansion.  There he found Thomas Ostrello in conversation with the
+policeman.
+
+"It is a terrible blow to me," the commercial traveler was saying.
+"And to think I was here just the day before it happened!  If I had
+remained here over night, it might not have occurred at all!"
+
+"Well, that's the way things happen," answered the policeman.  "Once I
+was at one end of my beat when a thief broke into a store at the other
+end and stole sixteen dollars and two hams."
+
+"And I suppose they blamed you for it."
+
+"Sure they did.  I was laid off for a week, without pay.  If anything
+happens it is always the poor copper who is to blame."
+
+"Well, the family are not blaming you for this."
+
+"They can't--especially as they've got the person who did the deed."
+
+At this Thomas Ostrello shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"I don't know about that."
+
+"You don't?"
+
+"No.  I'd hate to believe any girl could do such a fearful thing as
+this." The commercial traveler paused.  "I'm going to take a look
+around.  I suppose it's all right."
+
+"Certainly, Mr. Ostrello," answered the policeman, and then the
+commercial man stepped into the library, closing the door after him.
+
+Adam Adams had passed into the dining room, just back of the library,
+but had heard what was said.  Now, looking through the doorway, which
+had a sliding door and a heavy curtain, the latter partly drawn, he saw
+the man glance around hurriedly, moving from one object to another in
+the library.  He looked under the table and the chairs, in the corners,
+and even into the various bookcases.  Then he came and knelt down
+before the safe, and tried the knob of the combination half a dozen
+times.
+
+"He is more than ordinarily interested," reasoned the detective.  "But
+then it was his own mother who was murdered."
+
+The commercial man continued his search until he had covered every
+object in the room several times.  He even looked behind the pictures,
+and into the drawer of the table, something which had escaped the
+coroner's eye when sealing up the desk.  Adam Adams saw him shake his
+head in despair.  He took a turn up and down the apartment and clenched
+his hands nervously.
+
+"Gone!" he muttered to himself.   "What could have become of it?"
+
+He drew from his pocket a notebook he carried, and studied several
+items carefully.  A long sigh escaped from his lips as he restored the
+notebook to his pocket.
+
+As the commercial traveler moved toward the dining room, the detective
+stepped into a side apartment, used in the winter as a conservatory.
+He saw Thomas Ostrello make an examination of several places, including
+a sideboard.  Then the woman who had been placed in charge of the
+downstairs portion of the mansion entered.
+
+"Won't you have a bite to eat, Mr. Ostrello?" she asked.
+
+"Perhaps so, later on.  I do not feel like eating now.  Can I take a
+look at my mother's room?"
+
+"Why, yes.  I suppose you know where it is?"
+
+"Certainly; I often visited her there when she was not feeling well."
+
+He passed out without another word, and was soon mounting the
+heavily-carpeted stairs.  Once in the room, he closed the door tightly.
+Coming up softly after him, Adam Adams tried the door and found it
+locked.  More interested than ever, the detective, just avoiding Mrs.
+Morse, who was passing through the hallway, slipped into the adjoining
+room, and finding, as he had imagined, a door between the two, applied
+his eye to the keyhole.
+
+This might mean nothing, and it might mean everything.  He saw Mrs.
+Langmore's son moving around the dressing room precisely as he had
+moved around the library.  He heard the bureau drawers opened and shut,
+and then heard the squeak of a small writing desk that stood in a
+corner, as the leaf was turned down.  Then came a rattle of papers and
+a sudden subdued exclamation.  The desk was closed again, and the man
+came out of the room, leaving the hall door partly open.
+
+"Whatever he was looking for, he must have found it," reasoned the
+detective.  "Now, what was it?"
+
+He waited in the hallway and heard Thomas Ostrello enter the dining
+room.  A minute later came the rattle of dishes.  Then Mrs. Morse
+confronted him.
+
+"Back again, I see," she said rather sharply.
+
+"Yes; I wish to have another talk with Miss Langmore," he returned,
+and, brushing her aside, knocked on the girl's door, and was admitted.
+The woman pursed up her lips.
+
+"How very important some of those city lawyers are," she muttered.
+"Think they know it all, I guess.  Well, he'll have a job clearing her,
+if what Coroner Busby says is true."
+
+"Oh, I did not know you were coming back!" exclaimed Margaret.  "Has
+anything happened?"
+
+"I want to know something about this, Miss Langmore," and he brought
+out the torn and wet shirtwaist.  "Is it yours?"
+
+"Oh, certainly; but where did it come from?  And it is all torn, too!
+It was almost new when I had it on last!"
+
+"When was that?"
+
+The girl thought for a moment, and then turned pale.
+
+"On the morning that--that--"
+
+"That the tragedy occurred?"
+
+"Yes.  I don't know what made me put it on, but I did."
+
+"And when did you take it off?"
+
+"Why, let me see.  Some time in the afternoon, I think.  I--I fainted,
+and it got dirty, and so I put on another and threw this in the clothes
+closet."
+
+"Are you certain you put it in the clothes closet?"
+
+"Positive.  Where did you find it?"
+
+"Never mind that just now.  Do you keep your shoes in that closet?"
+
+"I do.  But why--"
+
+"Will you kindly see if all of your shoes are there?"
+
+The girl ran over, opened the closet door, and began an immediate
+examination.
+
+"One pair is missing--a pair I use a great deal, too," she said a
+minute later.  "Oh, Mr. Adams, what does this mean?"
+
+"I don't know--yet.  While you are at it, you might let me know if
+anything else is missing."
+
+Margaret began a close examination of everything in the closet, the
+detective watching her as keenly as he had before.
+
+"She is either innocent, or else the greatest actress I've ever met,"
+was his mental conclusion.  "I think her innocent, but the best of us
+get tripped up at times.  If she is innocent, that evidence was
+manufactured to prove her guilty.  If only I had followed that man up!
+I might have learned something worth knowing."
+
+"Nothing else seems to be missing," announced the girl, at length.
+
+"Very well; then don't waste time by searching further.  By the way,
+did you know Mr. Thomas Ostrello had arrived?"
+
+"Yes; I told Raymond to telegraph for him.  He used to call quite often
+to see his mother."
+
+"What about the other son--Dick?"
+
+"I do not know where he is."
+
+"Didn't he come here?"
+
+"He came once.  But he is a dissipated young man, and I do not think my
+stepmother cared much for him."
+
+"But she did think a good deal of the one who is now downstairs?"
+
+"Yes, although they occasionally had their quarrels, just as we had
+ours.  Tom would plead for his brother Dick, who seemed to be always
+wanting money.  Once my father took a hand and said his wife shouldn't
+give Dick a cent more, as he only squandered it.  That made Tom angry,
+and he had a quarrel with my father, and after that when Tom came he
+would ask to see only his mother, although he and I remained on fairly
+good terms."
+
+"Tom was here the day before the tragedy?"
+
+"Yes.  I think he came to see his mother about some private business.
+They had a long talk in her room, and she seemed to be quite excited
+when he went away.  I don't know what it was all about.  But, Mr.
+Adams, are you not hungry, and won't you have a lunch?"
+
+"Thanks, I'll take a bite."
+
+The lunch was served in Margaret's apartment, and the detective did
+ample justice to it, for he never allowed business to interfere with
+his appetite.  As he ate, the girl watched him curiously.
+
+"Mr. Adams," she said presently, "do you know, you do not seem a bit
+like a detective to me--I mean like the detectives you read about--the
+men going about in wonderful disguises and the like, and doing
+marvelous things?  And yet, I know you have a wonderful
+reputation--Raymond told me about it."
+
+At that he smiled broadly.  "Wonderful disguises, eh?  Well, I use them
+when I think them necessary, and not otherwise.  When I started out,
+years ago, I used a great many more than I do now.  To me a mystery of
+this sort is a good deal like a cut-up picture that you give a child to
+put together.  First, you want to make sure you have all the pieces,
+and then you want to sit down, put on your thinking-cap, and match the
+pieces together.  To you this is an awful tragedy," his tone softened
+greatly, "to me it is another case, nothing more.  Work such as I have
+done is bound to harden a fellow, in spite of all of his finer
+feelings.  But I feel for you and you have my sympathy."
+
+"And you will aid me?  You said you would," she pleaded.
+
+"I am going to do what I can--no man can do more."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+THE MYSTERY DEEPENS
+
+From the Langmore mansion Adam Adams went to town, and at the morgue
+made a careful inspection of the pair who had been the victims of the
+tragedy.  This critical examination brought nothing new to light, and
+he turned away from the place with something of disappointment.
+
+"I'll take a look around that brook again, and see if that strange man
+is anywhere in sight," he told himself, and got back to the vicinity
+without delay.
+
+Fortune favored him for once, for scarcely had he reached the back of
+the Langmore mansion when he saw the stranger leap the brook again and
+come up towards the house.
+
+"Just in time," murmured the detective.  "He shall not slip me again in
+a hurry."
+
+The stranger was very much on his guard, and Adam Adams had all he
+could do to keep out of his sight.  It was now growing dark, especially
+under the trees which surrounded the mansion.
+
+At length the fellow gained a point almost under one of the library
+windows.  He gazed around sharply, and then appeared to be searching
+for something on the ground.  The detective saw him start to pick
+something up, but at that moment the side door of the mansion opened
+and the policeman came out.
+
+"Hullo!  What are you doing here?" demanded the officer.
+
+"Oh, that's all right," was the low answer.  "Don't mind me."
+
+"But what are you doing here?"
+
+"Just looking around, that's all."
+
+"You haven't any right in this yard."
+
+"I think I have."
+
+"Who are you?"
+
+"My name is Watkins--Jack Watkins," and then some words followed which
+Adam Adams did not catch.
+
+"Oh, then I suppose that makes a difference," came from the policeman
+in a more humble tone.  "Do you want to come in the house and see Miss
+Langmore?"
+
+"No, I don't want to see the girl.  But I'll come into the house,"
+answered the strange man, and walked up the piazza steps and into the
+mansion, with the policeman by his side.
+
+As soon as the fellow was ought of sight, Adam Adams drew closer and
+looked under the bushes where the other had been searching.
+
+At first he saw nothing, but then his keen eye detected a bit of paper,
+caught at the foot of some shrubbery.
+
+"More documentary evidence, perhaps," he murmured, as he shoved the
+paper into his pocket.  "I wonder if this connects with the piece I
+found under the safe?"
+
+He approached the window, the blinds of which were closed, and peered
+through the slats.  A light had been lit, and the policeman and the
+stranger had just entered the room.
+
+"I don't think you'll find much to interest you," said the officer.
+"All of the others have hunted around, and they didn't find much."
+
+The stranger walked around the apartment slowly, and then sank into an
+armchair.
+
+"Sit down and have a smoke with me," he said, pulling out his cigar
+case.  "You've got a long night before you."
+
+"I am not going to stay up all night.  The women folks and me are going
+to take turns.  They should have sent another man here, but the Chief
+couldn't spare him, two of the men being sick."
+
+Cigars were lit, and the pair smoked away for several minutes, talking
+of the case in all of its details.  Evidently the stranger agreed with
+the general public regarding Margaret Langmore's guilt.
+
+"Of course she'll put on a good front," said he, blowing a ring of
+smoke into the air.  "She's that sort--so I've heard.  What does her
+stepbrother say about it?"
+
+"Not much, now.  At first he didn't think her guilty, but after he
+talked with me and the women folks, he changed his mind, I reckon.
+It's a blow to him, for he thought a good deal of the old lady."
+
+"Mr. Sudley!" came a call from the hallway.  "Mr. Sudley, where are
+you?"
+
+It was one of the women who was calling, and, laying down his cigar,
+the policeman left the library to see what she wanted.
+
+The door had scarcely closed on the officer when the demeanor of the
+other man changed.  He arose, looked into the dining room, and listened
+at the hall doorway for a second.  Then he recrossed the apartment and
+knelt before the safe.  Adam Adams heard him mutter something to
+himself as he twirled around the knob of the combination.  Twice he
+tried the door and failed to open it, but the third effort was
+successful.  But before he could do more than glance into the strong
+box, there was a noise in the hallway.  Instantly he shut the door
+again, dropped into his chair, and resumed his smoking.
+
+"Women folks are a regular nuisance," was the policeman's comment, on
+coming back.  "Want you to do this and then that--keep you on the go
+all the time.  I'm tired of it."
+
+"Take my advice, and don't marry," was the rejoinder, with a laugh.
+
+"Too late--I've got a wife and five children already.  But I've got to
+go to the barn.  Will you come along?"
+
+"Why--er--I suppose so."  The stranger hesitated.  "I'll have to be
+going pretty soon.  Going to stay in this room all night?"
+
+"No; I'm going to lock up and go upstairs."
+
+"That's right; nothing like resting on a good bed.  I don't think the
+girl will try to run away,"
+
+"She can't--we're watching her too closely."
+
+The pair left the library.  Scarcely had they gone when Adam Adams
+opened one of the blinds, made a quick leap, and came inside.
+
+"That fellow will bear watching, no matter who he claims to be," the
+detective told himself.  "But there is no use of following him now, for
+he will be back sooner or later.  He did not open this safe for
+nothing."
+
+With the policeman and the stranger gone, the lower portion of the
+mansion appeared deserted.  Adam Adams looked to make sure that he was
+not observed, and then went to the safe.  As he had anticipated, the
+door now came open with ease.
+
+The detective felt that he was in a ticklish position.  Had he a right
+to examine the contents of this strong box?  If discovered by any one,
+what would be the outcome?  Even the fact that he was in a way
+connected with the law might not clear him.
+
+But he felt he must take some risks.  He knew the sentiment against
+Margaret Langmore, and knew that sentiment in a country place is almost
+equal to a conviction.  The coroner had convinced himself that the girl
+was guilty, and would go to any extremity to prove the correctness of
+his theory.
+
+The safe was divided into several compartments, and on one side was a
+set of three metallic drawers.  The open side contained several account
+books and legal and patent papers.  The top drawer contained some old
+jewelry and a gold watch, the middle drawer some bank bills, not over a
+hundred dollars, all told.
+
+The bottom drawer was locked, but the key for it lay in the middle
+drawer, so Adam Adams opened the receptacle with ease.  As he did so, a
+cry of astonishment came to his lips, and he repressed it with
+difficulty,
+
+The drawer was packed with new and crisp one-hundred-dollar bills, all
+on the same bank, the Excelsior National, of New York City.  There were
+thirty of the bills, and evidently not one of them had been in
+circulation.  The detective started as he took them up, held them to
+the somewhat dim light, and started again.  He paused for a moment, as
+if deciding a weighty question.  Then he placed the package of bank
+bills in the inner pocket of his coat.
+
+"These have no right to be here," he muttered.  "The only place for
+them is in the hands of the federal authorities."
+
+Under the bills lay several legal documents.  One was labeled:
+
+"Mortgage of Matlock Styles to Barry S. Langmore, $8,000."
+
+There were likewise two other mortgages between the same parties, one
+for $3,000 and the other for $5,000.
+
+"Whoever Matlock Styles is, he evidently owes the Langmore estate
+sixteen thousand dollars," the detective told himself; "that is, if the
+obligations have not been cancelled.  I wonder what the mortgages were
+doing in with those bills?"
+
+"Mr. Adams!"
+
+A soft call from the window made the detective turn swiftly.  To his
+surprise, he saw Raymond Case peering at him through the blinds.  The
+young man's face showed his perplexity.
+
+"What brought you?" asked the detective.  He did not relish being
+caught off his guard.
+
+"I couldn't think of going to bed at the hotel, I was so upset.  I
+thought, if I came over here, I might discover something of value, or
+help you in some way.  I see you've managed to get that safe open.  It
+was certainly a clever piece of work."
+
+"As it happens opening the safe was not my work," was the answer.
+"Another man opened it and I took the liberty of looking inside.  But I
+can't talk about that here.  Wait a minute and I'll join you outside."
+
+Adam Adams swung the door of the safe open once more.  As he surmised,
+the combination could be set to a new series of numbers with ease.  He
+fixed it to correspond with the numbers of his own office safe, then
+closed the door, gave the knob a twirl, and hurried from the room by
+the same opening by which he had entered.
+
+"When I first came up I thought somebody was robbing the safe," said
+Raymond Case, when the pair were at a distance from the house.
+
+"What did you see me do?"
+
+"Take out a package of bankbills and put them into your pocket.  Oh, I
+know it must be all right, Mr. Adams.  But it looked queer."
+
+"I took them for safe keeping.  Look at them for a moment.  I'll strike
+a match behind this clump of trees.  Count them over, too.  It may be
+as well to have a witness for this."
+
+Raymond Case took the crisp bills and did as requested.
+
+"Three thousand dollars," he said.   "All brand new bills and each for
+a hundred dollars."
+
+"Exactly, and each on the same bank."
+
+"So they are.  That's rather odd; isn't it?"
+
+"And all of the same serial number."
+
+"Gracious!  Mr. Adams--"
+
+"Wait.  Mr. Case, I am going to trust you even as you have trusted me.
+I want you to keep this a secret."
+
+"Certainly, but--"
+
+"The bills are counterfeit."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+ONE OF THE PROFESSION
+
+"Counterfeit bank bills!" gasped the young man.  "And in Mr. Langmore's
+possession!  Taken from his safe! What does it mean?"
+
+"That remains to be found out."
+
+"This is--is astounding!  You don't suspect that he was in the habit--I
+mean that he--"  Raymond Case did not know how to go on.
+
+"It's too early to form a conclusion.  But one thing is certain, the
+counterfeits were in his private safe, and from all accounts that safe
+had not been opened since his death.  Consequently he must have placed
+them there."
+
+"I don't believe he dealt in counterfeits," returned the young man
+bluntly.
+
+"Facts are stubborn things to overcome.  Down in the town I learned
+that Mr. Langmore used to be a comparatively poor man.  All his wealth
+has come to him in the past six years."
+
+"He made his money out of his patents and out of various other schemes."
+
+"All of his wealth has come to him in the past six years," pursued the
+detective.  "I happen to know something about these counterfeits, which
+the federal authorities have been trying to trace to their source.  The
+first of these bogus one hundred dollar bills appeared about six years
+ago, at a bank in Brooklyn."
+
+The heart of the young man sank within him, and as he spoke his lips
+began to quiver.
+
+"Mr. Adams, are you going to give this news to the world at large--to
+the United States authorities--are you going to brand Margaret's father
+as a counterfeiter, or a passer of queer money?  If you do that, even
+if you clear Margaret, you'll break her heart."
+
+"I am going to do nothing at present but keep on investigating.  We
+have not yet reached the end of this string by any means.  Did I not
+tell you that another opened the safe?--a fellow who has been acting
+queerly ever since I caught sight of him?  He is connected with this
+complicated affair, although how still remains to be seen."
+
+"Who was the man?"
+
+"He gave his name to the policeman as Jack Watkins."
+
+"I never heard that name before.  How does he look?"
+
+Adam Adams described the fellow minutely, but Raymond Case shook his
+head.
+
+"I can't place him.  But that is not strange," he added.  "I know very
+few folks in this neighborhood."
+
+"Do you know a man named Matlock Styles."
+
+"Not very well--I met him once, when he was calling on Mr. Langmore on
+business.  He is an Englishman, fairly well to do, who lives in an old
+colonial house on the Harper road, a mile and a half, I should say,
+from here."
+
+"Do you know what business this Styles had with Mr. Langmore?"
+
+"I don't remember very well--but hold up, yes, I do.  He owed Mr.
+Langmore some money.  The two put through some sort of real estate
+deal."
+
+"How much did Styles owe Mr. Langmore?"
+
+"I don't know exactly, but it was a large amount, fifteen or twenty
+thousand dollars."
+
+"What sort of a man would you take this Styles to he?"
+
+"Oh, he is a big, overbearing Englishman, one of the kind with
+mutton-chop whiskers and a red nose.  He is a great chap for fast
+horses, and I've heard he has quite a stable of them over to his place.
+He is also a dog fancier."
+
+"Has he been here lately?"
+
+"I don't know.  Perhaps Margaret could tell you.  But what has this to
+do--"
+
+"Nothing at all, perhaps.  In the safe with the bankbills were some
+mortgage papers given to Mr. Langmore by this Matlock Styles.  But the
+two may not have the least connection with each other."
+
+The two had been walking away from the house and now the detective
+turned back.  As he did so he thought of the bit of paper he had picked
+up in the shrubbery.  He struck a match with one hand and held up the
+slip with the other.  It was a memorandum, running as follows:
+
+      $8,000
+       5,000
+       3,000
+     $16,000
+     -------
+         .03%
+     -------
+     $480.00
+
+Adam Adams studied the memorandum with interest.  The amounts at the
+top were those of the mortgages given by Matlock Styles to Barry
+Langmore.  Evidently somebody had figured out what the interest would
+be at three per cent.
+
+"What is that?" asked Raymond Case.
+
+"A bit of paper I picked up around here.  It doesn't seem to amount to
+anything.  But I think we had better part now, Mr. Case.  If I have
+anything to report I'll see you to-morrow at the Beechwood Hotel."
+
+The pair separated, and Adam Adams watched the young man disappear down
+the road, the latter feeling that he ought not to interfere with the
+work of the man he had engaged to unravel the mystery.  In deep thought
+the detective went back to the neighborhood of the mansion and
+stationed himself where he could get a look at the library windows.
+
+Adam Adams felt that the case was growing deeper and deeper.  The
+finding of the counterfeit banknotes in Barry Langmore's safe was
+astonishing.  Where this thread of the skein would lead to he could not
+imagine.
+
+"I seem to be uncovering more than I bargained for," he mused.  "If the
+man was innocent of all wrong-doing why didn't he turn those bills over
+to the authorities?  Were he alive we should certainly say he was
+caught with the goods.  If this comes out it will create as much of a
+sensation as the murder itself."
+
+Two hours went by and still the detective kept to his post.  He was
+used to waiting--had he not waited in the bitter cold six hours to
+clear that poor Jew?--and he knew that sooner or later the man calling
+himself Jack Watkins would reappear.
+
+A light flared up in the library and then was turned lower.  He crept
+to the window and looked in as before.  The strange man was at the
+safe, working the combination knob backward and forward.
+
+In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Adam Adams was forced to
+smile.  The man worked hurriedly and tried the combination a score of
+times.  He muttered something under his breath which may well be
+omitted from these printed pages.  He even got into a heavy
+perspiration and had to pause to wipe his forehead with his
+handkerchief.
+
+"Hang the luck!" he went on.  "I had it open before.  What's got into
+the confounded combination?"
+
+Again he tried to work the figures.  But it was all of no avail, and at
+last he arose, fists clenched, and with a face full of baffled anger.
+He stalked around the library, gazed at the strong box several times,
+and then quit the apartment.
+
+Waiting once more, the detective presently saw the man come from the
+house and walk toward the road.  Following, he saw the fellow hurry
+past the Bardon home and then into a patch of timber.  Here he had a
+horse, and in a moment more would have been in the saddle had not Adam
+Adams caught him by the arm.
+
+"Hi! what's this, a hold-up?" cried the man, evidently frightened.
+"Let go of me!"  And he tried to pull away and then attempted to draw a
+revolver from a hip pocket.
+
+"Stop!  I am not going to hurt you," was the calm reply from the
+detective.  "I want to talk to you, that's all."
+
+"Really?" came with a sneer.  "A fine time of night to hold a man up.
+Be quick, for I am in a hurry."
+
+"I want you to explain several things to me," went on Adam Adams calmly.
+
+"Explain?  To you?"
+
+"That is what I said.  You can take your choice.  Either explain or
+consider yourself under arrest."
+
+"Eh?  Say, are you crazy?"
+
+"Not at all."
+
+"An officer of the law, I suppose."
+
+"I am--in a way."
+
+"Working on this Langmore affair?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Have you been following me?"
+
+"I've done more than that--I've been watching you."
+
+"What!  How long?"
+
+"Quite a long while.  I saw you in the library, twice, and down to the
+brook."
+
+The man started and was evidently much put out.  Then he forced a smile
+to his face.
+
+"Much obliged for playing the spy," he murmured.
+
+"Down at the brook you had a pair of Miss Langmore's shoes.  What were
+you doing with them?"
+
+"Did you see me with the shoes?"
+
+"I did, and I saw you with the silk shirtwaist."
+
+"Ah!  Anything else?"
+
+"I saw you at the safe in the library of the mansion."
+
+"When, now?"
+
+"Now and some hours ago.  You may as well make a clean breast of it."
+
+"I will, If you will tell me who you are."
+
+"I am Adam Adams, of New York City."
+
+The strange man let out a hissing sound between his teeth.  Then of a
+sudden he gave a wild, unnatural laugh.
+
+"Shake hands, Mr. Adams," he said, putting out his hand.  "I know you
+by reputation even if not personally.  You see, your reputation is so
+much larger than my own."  He laughed again, a sound which grated on
+the detective's nerves.  "I am John S. Watkins, of Bryport.  I am
+connected with the United States secret service."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+WHAT CEPHAS CARBOY SAW
+
+There was a brief pause after the man from Bryport made his
+announcement.  Adam Adams tried hard to see his face clearly, but in
+the gloom this was impossible.
+
+"Perhaps you do not believe me," said John Watkins.  "I can easily
+prove what I say."
+
+"Why shouldn't I believe you?"
+
+"Because you were on the point of arresting me, which proves that you
+took me to be--something else."
+
+"How long have you been connected with the secret service?"
+
+"About three years.  That is why I know you so well."
+
+"Did your work as a secret service man bring you to this place?"
+
+"Excuse me, but that is my business.  If you are working on this case,
+well and good.  But it is not fair to try to steal any of my thunder."
+
+"So far as I am concerned you shall get full credit for what you may do
+on this case, Mr. Watkins," said Adam Adams stiffly.  "But I should
+like to understand several points."
+
+"About the shoes and the shirtwaist, I suppose.  I got the shoes from
+the house to make certain that some footprints on the bank of the brook
+had been made by Miss Langmore."
+
+"What about the shirtwaist?"
+
+"It was there when I came, and I left it there, as it did not seem to
+have much of a connection with the affair."
+
+"Do you think you had a right to tamper with the safe in the library?"
+
+"Considering certain circumstances, which I do not intend just now to
+disclose to you, I think I had a right."
+
+"Did you take anything from the safe?"
+
+"Not a thing.  In fact, I couldn't get the safe open.  You must know
+this, if you saw me a while ago."
+
+"You opened the door the first time."
+
+"I do not deny it.  The policeman interrupted me and I shut the box up.
+When I came back the combination had gotten away from me."
+
+There was a pause.
+
+"Where are you stopping, Mr. Watkins, in case I wish to communicate
+with you again?"
+
+"At Hager's Hotel, in Sidham.  But I am on the jump nearly all the
+time," and the secret service man laughed again.  "Anything else?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Then I'll be going.  I've got to send a long secret message before I
+go to bed and it takes time to follow the code, you know that.
+Good-night," and in a moment more John Watkins was on his horse and
+riding away at a good rate of speed.
+
+Adam Adams watched his departure with a variety of thoughts chasing
+each other through his mind.  The man must be what he claimed, he had
+shown his badge on the inside of his coat, and been perfectly willing
+to prove his words.
+
+"If he is honest, he must be on the trail of those counterfeits, and
+perhaps it was my duty to tell him of my discovery," mused the
+detective.  "It is curious how these two cases have wound around each
+other, or is it all one case?"
+
+Concluding that there was nothing more to be done that night, Adam
+Adams took himself to the Beechwood Hotel, secured a room, and was soon
+in the land of dreams.  He arose early, obtained his breakfast, and
+without waiting to meet Raymond Case, started off to interview Doctor
+Bird, one of the two persons Margaret Langmore had seen go past the
+mansion about the time the tragedy was occurring.
+
+He found the doctor an individual with an exaggerated idea of his own
+importance.  It was hard to bind him down to tell what he actually knew
+and it took the detective the best part of an hour to learn that the
+physician knew nothing of real importance.
+
+A short while later Adam Adams learned that the farmer who had been
+seen going past the mansion was named Cephas Carboy.  He was a strange
+individual, of no education, who lived on a hillside road, running some
+distance to the rear of the Langmore house.  When the detective arrived
+there he found Carboy sitting under a tree smoking a short clay pipe.
+The farm was a neglected one, the house about ready to tumble down, and
+in the dooryard were half a dozen dirty and ragged children, who
+scampered out of sight on the approach of a stranger.
+
+"Good morning," said Adam Adams cheerfully.  He saw at a glance that
+the fellow before him was a thoroughly shiftless character.
+
+"Mornin' to you," was the short response.
+
+"This is Mr. Cephas Carboy?"
+
+"Cephas Carboy's my name--ain't much of a mister to it," and the man
+grinned feebly.
+
+"You're the man I want to see, Carboy," and the detective took a seat
+on a log close by.
+
+"Want to see me?  What fer?  I don't know you."
+
+"I want to see you about that Langmore murder."
+
+The shiftless man stared and withdrew his pipe from his mouth with
+trembling fingers.
+
+"I didn't have nuthin' to do with that.  They can't pitch it onto me
+nohow!  I came past the house, that's all I did.  I didn't go inside
+the gate, I didn't.  It was Miss Langmore did that murder--or else Mary
+Billings."
+
+"Did you see anybody round the place when you went past?"
+
+"Not a soul."
+
+"What were you doing around there?"
+
+"Are you an--an officer?"
+
+"Perhaps I am.  Anyway, you had best answer my questions."
+
+"I went down to Hopgood's place, to sell some fish I had caught--Mr.
+Hopgood can prove it.  Then I came straight home."
+
+"Which way did you go to get to Hopgood's?"
+
+"Took the road yonder, around the hill, and crossed the brook at
+Peabody's bridge--Peabody can prove that, too.  He was out in the
+hayfield and saw me."
+
+Adam Adams took a look at the road mentioned.  At a turn there was a
+cleared spot through the woods and a fair sight could be caught of the
+rear of the Langmore mansion and of the automobile shed.
+
+"Come here," he called to Cephas Carboy, and when the shiftless man had
+shuffled up, he continued: "You say you walked this way.  When you got
+to this spot did you happen to look over to the Langmore house?"
+
+"I--er--I did."
+
+"What did you see?  Come now, tell me the exact truth," and Adam Adams
+put as much of sternness as possible in his tone.
+
+"I saw--See here, I don't want to get in no trouble, I don't.  I'm a
+peaceful man, an' I tend to my own business, I do.  You ain't a-goin'
+to drag me into court."
+
+"I don't want to get you into trouble, Carboy--but I must know the
+truth of this.  I take it that you are poor.  Am I right?"
+
+"Humph!  Do I look like I was rollin' in wealth?"
+
+"Then a five dollar bill means something to you, eh?"
+
+The shiftless man opened his eyes widely.
+
+"Does it?  Say, I ain't had a fiver in my fist fer a month, two months!
+Farmin' don't pay, an' it ain't easy to git work outside, the season's
+been that poor.  If you--"
+
+"Tell me all you know, and perhaps I'll give you five dollars."
+
+"Ain't foolin'?"
+
+"No.  There's a dollar on account," and the detective passed over the
+bill.  The shiftless man clutched it eagerly, looked at it to make
+certain that it was real money, and rammed it into the pocket of his
+greasy vest.
+
+"Thanks, sir," he murmured.  Then he ran his hand through his somewhat
+matted hair.  "Mind now, I can't give you this fer dead certain," he
+commenced.
+
+"What do you mean by that?"
+
+"I think it happened, but I can't swear to it.  That house is putty far
+off, remember."
+
+"What do you think you saw?"
+
+"I saw a man run across the garden.  He had a satchel in his hand and
+he was in a hurry.  He slipped and fell and his hat rolled off.  Then
+he got up, put on his hat, and I lost sight of him behind the bushes."
+
+"How did the man look?"
+
+"Wait up, that ain't all.  I'm certain of that part of it, but I ain't
+so sure of the rest.  I waited here a minit, because my wife was
+calling to me to git some groceries when I came back.  I just started
+to fill my pipe when I looked over there again and I saw a man run from
+the automobile shed to the house.  The bushes was in the way, but hang
+me if I don't think he went in by a winder instead of a door."
+
+"You are sure you saw him go toward the house?"
+
+"Yes, that was plain enough, although he seemed to be sneakin' along
+the bushes."
+
+"Was it the same man?"
+
+"It must have been, but I couldn't see his valise, because he was
+behind the bushes."
+
+"How did the man look?"
+
+"He was a putty heavy fellow and he was dressed in a light gray suit
+and wore a soft hat to match."
+
+"Was the valise a light or a dark one?"
+
+"Light."
+
+"Could you see anything else?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Did the man have anything besides the valise?"
+
+"Not that I could see.  When he fell and his hat flew off I saw that he
+had a head of heavy dark hair."
+
+"And you are certain about the suit being a light gray one and the soft
+hat matched it?"
+
+"Yes, I'm dead sure of that."
+
+"What time was this?"
+
+"About half an hour before I passed the house.  I stopped at Peabody's
+to chat a while before I crossed his bridge."
+
+"Did you ever see the man before?"
+
+"Not that I remember."
+
+"You didn't see him after that?"
+
+"No."
+
+Adam Adams drew out a roll of bills and counted out four dollars, which
+amount he passed over to the fellow he had been interviewing.
+
+"That makes the five I promised you, Carboy.  Now then, will you do me
+a favor?"
+
+"Certainly, sir, anything you want."
+
+"I merely want you to keep what you have told me to yourself for the
+present."
+
+"Oh, that's easy--unless somebuddy tries to git me into trouble."
+
+"I don't think that will happen--if you keep your mouth shut."
+
+"Then I'll be as mum as an oyster," answered Cephas Carboy decidedly.
+
+"I may be along to see you again soon," continued Adam Adams, and then
+he drove away in the buggy that had brought him to the vicinity.
+
+He allowed his horse to walk, for he was in a more thoughtful mood than
+ever.  He was thinking of a man he had met the day before, in a suit of
+gray and with a soft hat of the same color.  The man had been Tom
+Ostrello.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+ON THE TRAIN
+
+"This is clearing itself by growing more complicated."
+
+Such was the deduction of the detective after he had reviewed the
+situation carefully.  Was it possible that the son of the woman who had
+been murdered was guilty of the double tragedy?  He remembered what he
+had been told about Tom Ostrello and his wayward brother Dick, and how
+mother and son had had an exciting meeting on the day previous to the
+tragedy.
+
+"I rather think it will pay to investigate a little further along this
+line," thought Adam Adams.  "More than likely he came here for money,
+either for himself or his brother Dick.  If his mother did not have it
+and wanted it she would have to go to Mr. Langmore for it.  That might
+cause a bitterness all around.  Or again, he might have thought that if
+his step-father were dead his mother would inherit his money and so
+plotted one murder, which, when he was discovered, ended in a second.
+It will do no harm to have a talk with this young man."
+
+He reached the Langmore mansion once more to find that Tom Ostrello had
+departed for the city on necessary business but was coming back before
+night.  Then at the hotel he found a message from his own office
+calling him to New York.
+
+"You are going away, Mr. Adams?" said Raymond Case, who chanced to see
+him departing.
+
+"Not for long.  I'll be back to-night or to-morrow."
+
+"Anything new?"
+
+"Nothing worth talking about, yet.  I must hurry to catch the train.
+What are you going to do?"
+
+"I am waiting for the inquest.  It will be a terrible trial for
+Margaret."  And the young man's face showed his concern.
+
+"Tell her for me to make the best of it," answered Adam Adams and
+hurried to the depot.  The train was just coming in and he saw Tom
+Ostrello get on board, and he entered the car directly behind the
+commercial traveler.  The young man passed through to the smoker and
+the detective did the same.  Two seats were vacant, directly across the
+aisle from each other and each took one.  Presently Ostrello looked at
+Adam Adams and started slightly and then bowed.
+
+"Excuse me, but I think I saw you up to the Langmore house," he began.
+
+"Yes, I called on Miss Langmore.  I believe you are Mrs. Langmore's
+son."
+
+"Yes.  Come over, won't you?"  Ostrello moved towards the window of the
+car.  "I've got to have a smoke to quiet my nerves, I'm so upset.  Will
+you have one?"  And he presented a case full of choice Havana cigars.
+
+"It must have upset you--it's enough to upset anybody," answered Adam
+Adams, as they lit up.  "It's a fearful happening, fearful."
+
+"You are acting for Margaret, I heard."
+
+"Yes--if there is a chance to do anything.  Do you know anything of the
+tragedy?"
+
+"Not a thing, outside of what I have heard.  When I got the telegram I
+was fairly stunned.  But let me tell you one thing."
+
+"Well?"
+
+"I don't think Margaret is guilty.  A girl like her couldn't do such a
+cold-blooded deed.  Why, it's enough to make a man shiver to think of
+it.  It would take a hardened criminal to do such a thing.  It's absurd
+to even suspect her."
+
+"What is your theory of the murders?"
+
+"I hardly know what to think.  If the house had been robbed I would say
+tramps did it."
+
+"But how?"
+
+"I don't know, excepting the--er--both were smothered.  But let us
+change the subject.  It breaks me all up to think about it.  I thought
+a whole lot of my mother."
+
+"Where is your brother?"
+
+"I don't know exactly.  He was in Los Angeles the last I heard of him.
+I have sent messages to half a dozen places, but so far have received
+no reply."
+
+"He is a commercial traveler like yourself?"
+
+"He was, up to two weeks ago.  Traveled for a paint house, but he and
+the firm had a row and Dick quit.  He's a rolling stone, and that is
+why I can't just locate him."
+
+"Do you represent a paint house, too?" questioned Adam Adams, after a
+pause, during which he appeared to enjoy the really fragrant Havana Tom
+Ostrello had tended him.
+
+"No, I'm with a drug house and have been for four years, one of the
+best in the country, Alexander & Company, of Rochester, New York.  I am
+their salesman for New York and the Eastern States.  We make some of
+the most noted preparations in the trade."
+
+"Alexander & Company, of Rochester," mused Adam Adams, thinking of the
+bit of paper he had picked up from under the safe.  "I believe I have
+seen their place.  Let me see, what street is it on?"
+
+"Wadley street and runs through to Hill--a fine six-story concern, with
+a laboratory that is second to none."
+
+"Yes, I remember it now.  I suppose you must have a pretty good
+position with them."
+
+"Fair.  I think they ought to raise my salary," answered Tom Ostrello.
+He stretched himself.  "I feel sleepy--didn't get a wink last night.
+When this affair is over I am going to ask for a week's vacation."
+
+"I don't blame you," answered Adam Adams, with a quiet smile.
+
+He settled back to smoke and his companion did the same, and thus the
+remainder of the trip to the city passed.  As he smoked the detective
+revolved the new revelation in his mind.  Tom Ostrello represented the
+very drug firm whose advertisement had appeared, in part, on the bit of
+paper picked up from under the library safe.
+
+"And he was there hunting for something," thought the detective.  "Was
+it for that bit of paper or for the something that he secured in his
+mother's room?"
+
+At the depot the pair separated.  Adam Adams lost no time in visiting
+his office, where his assistant awaited him anxiously.  "Well, Letty,
+how are you this morning?" he said pleasantly, as he dropped into his
+chair.
+
+He gave the girl a bright smile and she smiled in return.  Letty
+Bernard was an orphan, the daughter of one of his former friends, and
+he took a fatherly interest in her.  She lived with a second cousin,
+but wished to be independent and so the detective had given her the
+position, in his office, a place she filled with credit.  She was short
+and plump and had a wealth of curly hair that strayed over her forehead.
+
+"The Chief asked me to give you these papers," said the assistant.
+"You are to sign all three."
+
+"Um!  Then that's the end of the Soper case.  Anything else?"
+
+"Glackey was in.  He told me he had tracked the German and would report
+in full by to-morrow.  He thinks you were right and the German is the
+man."
+
+"What else?"
+
+"A Mrs. Caven-Demuth was here.  Wished to know if you ever found lost
+dogs."
+
+"Great Scott!  Dogs!"
+
+"She said her pet cocker-spaniel had disappeared and she was willing to
+spend five hundred dollars on finding him."
+
+"I am no dog detective.  Send her to McMommie."  McMommie was, as it is
+easy to guess, a rival.
+
+"I sent her to police headquarters."
+
+"And is that all?"
+
+"Mr. Folett telegraphed that he would be here at ten."
+
+"It's after that now--it's nearly noon.  You can go to lunch if you
+wish.  There's the door--  Hullo, it's Mr. Folett now.  Be back in an
+hour."
+
+"Yes, Uncle Adam," answered the girl.  She always called him uncle,
+since he had taken such an interest in her.  She went out as the caller
+entered, and left the two men talking over a business matter which has
+nothing to do with our story.
+
+It was two o'clock before Adam Adams found himself free once more.  He
+procured a lunch and then took a subway train halfway uptown.  He
+walked two blocks westward and ascended the steps of a fine brown-stone
+residence.  He asked for Doctor Calkey and was ushered into a private
+den, where the doctor, a tall, spare man of sixty, soon joined him.
+
+"My good friend Adams!" cried the doctor, shaking hands warmly.  "Where
+have you kept yourself?  Surely you have not been to see me for a year,
+or is it longer?  I have missed you so much--and the comforting smokes
+we had together?  Why did you desert me?  You knew I could not come to
+you--that I never go out.  And you do not bring any business to me--"
+
+"I had none to bring, and I have been very busy.  But I have missed our
+meetings, I must confess."
+
+"Ah, I am glad to learn I was not entirely forgotten.  And you have
+been busy, and still nothing for Rudolph Calkey to do, nothing to
+analyze, nothing to dissect--"
+
+"I've got a knot now for you."
+
+"Good! good!  I trust it is a good complication--I love them so--there
+is such a satisfaction when the end is reached.  But not yet--no, not
+yet.  A glass of wine first--something prime--I imported it myself, so
+that I would know what I am getting."
+
+The wine was soon forthcoming and then a cigar for the detective and a
+pipe for the doctor.  At last the latter threw himself into an old easy
+chair and gazed at his caller expectantly.
+
+"I am ready to untie the knot," he said.  "What is it?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART
+
+There was a moment of silence.
+
+"Briefly put, doctor, the case is this," said Adam Adams.  "I want to
+know if there is anything known to the medical world, a powder or
+something of that sort, strong enough to kill a person if he should
+breathe of it."
+
+"A powder strong enough to kill a person?" The brow of the old
+physician contracted.  "It would have to be very powerful to do that.
+You mean if a person was boxed up with it--like one killed by gas?"
+
+"No, not at all.  I mean a powder that could be held to a person's nose
+and mouth in the open, when it would make that person sick and give him
+cramps perhaps."
+
+"And kill him?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+The old doctor rubbed his hands in thought.  "That is a subject for
+speculation.  Certain cyanide compounds might be powerful enough to do
+so under certain conditions.  Any real dry powder would choke a person
+if he got a big dose of it.  I heard of a boy who came near dying as
+the result of breathing in a quantity of extra dry licorice powder.
+But he was smothered and did not have cramps."
+
+"Nothing in the shape of any foreign compound?  You once showed me a
+Turkish liquid that burnt when water was poured on it, and dyed
+everything blood red."
+
+"Ah, yes, the _fozeska_, something truly dangerous.  But I know of
+nothing--  But hold!"  The doctor clapped his hands together.  "Yes!
+yes!  That would do it, that and that only."
+
+"What?"
+
+"I had a sample of it given to me some six months ago.  It was called
+_yamlang-peholo_, and was made in China, from the roots of the
+_yamlang_ bush--a rare growth found only in the western part of the
+country.  By many Chinamen the _yamlang_ bush is supposed to be
+accursed, and whenever they come near one they utter a prayer for
+deliverance from its evils.  If you sleep near the _yamlang_ bush it
+will make you very sick."
+
+"And that powder, what did it look like?"
+
+"It was blue at first but on contact with the air quickly changed to
+brownish-white and lost itself, it was so fine."
+
+"Evaporated?"
+
+"You can call it that if you wish.  It was intense.  I held it at arms'
+length, yet it made me sick and I had cramps for over an hour
+afterwards."
+
+"It would have killed you if you had placed it to your mouth or nose?"
+
+"Not the slightest doubt of it."
+
+"May I ask where you got the stuff?"
+
+"It was imported into this country by a drug firm merely as a
+curiosity.  They put it up in tiny vials which I suppose were sent
+around to different persons like myself.  It was a dangerous piece of
+business and I gave them no credit for doing it."
+
+"What was the name of the firm?"
+
+"I would not tell everybody, but I know I can trust you to keep a
+secret.  The firm was Alexander & Company, of Rochester, who stand very
+high in the trade.  I buy many things from them, from time to time, and
+their traveling man, a Mr. Ostrello, gave me the powder when he called.
+He told me how the firm had experimented on a dog and an ox.  Both died
+in less than two minutes, and each with cramps.  But after death
+neither animal showed the least trace of the poison."
+
+"Wasn't this Ostrello afraid to handle the stuff?"
+
+"Not as much as I was.  He said he was a bit used to it.  I told him I
+didn't want to get used to it.  Have another glass of wine?"
+
+"No, I prefer to smoke, thanks just the same.  I am interested in this
+_yamlang_, as you call it.  Where can I get the stuff?"
+
+"No more of it can be had.  I rather think they got afraid of it.
+Wait, I'll get the vial it was in.  Perhaps there is a whiff left in
+it."
+
+"Thanks, but do you think I want to die?" queried the detective, and
+gave a laugh.
+
+When the empty vial was produced he opened it and took a short sniff.
+Then he drew his breath in sharply.  A faint odor was perceptible, the
+same odor he had detected in the carpet on the upper hallway of the
+Langmore mansion.
+
+"Do you smell it?" questioned the physician.
+
+"Yes, but not very well.  I don't think it will affect me much."
+
+"I trust not, my dear Adams.  We cannot afford to lose you.  Now, what
+is it all about?"
+
+"Another case, that's all.  I don't feel like talking about it just
+yet.  I'll give you the particulars some other time."
+
+"And have I helped you?"
+
+"I think you have."
+
+"Of course there are other powders--and there is chloroform--"
+
+"I think we have struck a clue in this.  But I must be going."
+
+"What, so soon!"  Rudolph Calkey looked hurt.  "I was thinking you'd
+stay the day out.  We could chat over old times--I'll order an extra
+supper--"
+
+"No, not to-day.  When this case is settled, I'll come over and we'll
+make an evening of it."  And then the detective had to fairly tear
+himself from the doctor and the house.  They were old friends and had
+worked on many a case together.
+
+Once back in his office Adam Adams smiled grimly to himself.
+
+"Now, Mr. Tom Ostrello, it looks as if we had you good and hard," he
+murmured.  "You were seen around the place at the time of the murder by
+Cephas Carboy, you left the bit of paper in the library, you quarrelled
+at one time with Mr. Langmore and also quarrelled with your mother.
+The murder was committed by means of that deadly Chinese powder, and
+you are one of the few persons in this country who knew of the
+heathenish compound.  If you are innocent I rather reckon you have a
+heap of explanations to make."
+
+There were two callers who took an hour of the detective's time, and
+then he prepared to return to Sidham, to learn if possible more
+concerning Tom Ostrello, and if anybody besides Cephas Carboy had seen
+him around that vicinity on the morning of the tragedy.
+
+"Letty, I may not be back to-night," he remarked, as he came out into
+the general office.  "And it may be that I'll not be back to-morrow."
+
+"All right, Uncle Adam.  What shall I tell Mr. Capes?"
+
+"Tell him that that bond matter must wait.  He'll have to get those
+numbers if he possibly can.  The other record was destroyed."
+
+As Adam Adams spoke he drew closer to the desk at which his assistant
+was sitting.  He glanced down at an envelope lying there, and started
+slightly.
+
+"Where did this come from, Letty?" he questioned.  The envelope was
+postmarked New York and the upper left-hand corner bore the notice:
+
+      Return in 10 days to
+      Alexander & Company,
+      Wholesale Druggists,
+      22-32 Wadley Street,
+      Rochester, N. Y.
+
+The girl glanced at the envelope and then at her employer and blushed
+deeply.
+
+"Oh, why that--that is a note from a friend of mine."
+
+"A gentleman friend, I suppose."
+
+"Yes, Uncle Adam.  I met him last winter, at Mrs. Dally's reception.
+He is a traveling salesman for this house," she pointed to the notice
+on the envelope.  "He wants me to go to the theatre with him, and I
+expect to go.  Mrs. Dally says he is a very nice young man.  We--we
+have been out a number of times."  And the girl blushed again.
+
+"I know some parties connected with that firm.  What's the young man's
+name, Letty?"
+
+"Mr. Tom Ostrello."
+
+"Indeed!  And he has invited you to go to the theatre with him?"
+
+"Yes.  Then you know him, Uncle Adam?  I didn't dream of that.  Don't
+you think he is--is rather nice?"
+
+"Evidently you think so."  For some reason the detective could scarcely
+steady his voice.  He was a bachelor, with only some distant relatives,
+and he thought a good deal of his protegée and her welfare.
+
+"I--I do, Uncle Adam.  He treats me so nicely.  I--I--don't you approve
+of him?" she went on hastily, searching his face for the smile that
+usually rested there when he spoke to her.
+
+"Why, I--er--I don't know him so well as all that, Letty."  For the
+first time in his life he was visibly confused.  "You say he has called
+on you a number of times?"
+
+"Yes, and he has taken me out, let me see, I guess it must be a dozen
+times all told.  I--I wanted to speak of this before, but I--well, I
+couldn't bring it around.  I hope you'll approve, Uncle Adam."
+
+"Approve?  Of your going out with him?"
+
+"Yes, and--and--"  The girl hesitated again.  Then she arose and
+buried her face on his shoulder.  "Oh! don't you understand, Uncle
+Adam?"
+
+"Letty!"
+
+"He is very nice--I know you'll like him when you get to really know
+him.  Of course he hasn't much money, but I don't care for that.  You
+always said money didn't count for so much anyway--that it was
+character--and he's got that."
+
+"Hum!"  For the life of him Adam Adams could not speak.  He felt
+himself growing hot and cold by turns.  He caught the girl closer.
+Never had he loved his friend's daughter so much as now.
+
+"I hoped you would approve," she went on, shyly.  "I--of course I
+didn't want to leave you--you've been so very good to me since papa and
+mamma died.  But--but Tom doesn't seem to want to wait.  He has asked
+me twice now and--and--I don't know how I am going to put him off.  He
+seems so miserable when I say wait."
+
+"Asked you to marry him?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And he wants you to go to the theatre with him--now?"
+
+"The invitation is for to-night--he sent it last week.  He has been
+traveling out of town, but he said he would be back some time to-day.
+I want you to meet him."  She paused.  "Isn't it all right, Uncle Adam?"
+
+He did not answer, and she gazed at him curiously.  Then the look in
+his face made her draw back, slowly and uncertainly.  At that moment he
+felt that the occupation of a detective was the most detestable in the
+world.
+
+"You--you know something?" she gasped.  "Oh, Uncle Adam, what is it?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+AT THE CORONER'S INQUEST
+
+Sidham was in a state of keen excitement.  No such mystery as the
+double tragedy had occurred in that neighborhood before, and all of the
+inhabitants were anxious to hear the latest news and learn what the
+coroner and the police were going to do.  A hundred theories were
+afloat, all centering on the one object--to find the murderer.
+
+"Find him or her, and swing him or her to the nearest tree," was the
+verdict of many.  "The law is all well enough, but this dastardly crime
+demands an object lesson."
+
+Coroner Jack Busby, who was a dealer in horses, had never had a murder
+case before, and was uncertain as to the method of procedure.  But with
+the eyes of the whole community on him he realized his importance, as
+he ran hither and thither, to arrange for the inquest.  He felt that
+his own little office was altogether too small for the occasion and so
+arranged to bring off the affair in the general courtroom.
+
+The place was soon crowded with people, and another crowd gathered
+outside.  The hour for opening the inquest was at hand and the majority
+of the witnesses were present.  The coroner, short, fat and
+bald-headed, looked around anxiously and then turned to the chief of
+police, who was near at hand.
+
+"I don't see Miss Langmore."
+
+"Neither do I," answered the guardian of the law, with a shrug of his
+shoulders, as if it was none of his especial business,
+
+"Yes, but--ahem! you are--ahem! responsible--"
+
+"She'll be here, coroner, don't worry."
+
+"You have had her properly guarded?"
+
+"Yes.  I reckon she's coming now," and the chief of police nodded
+towards a side door of the courtroom.
+
+There was a slight commotion, and Margaret entered, escorted by Raymond
+Case, and followed by one of the women and the policeman who had been
+on guard at the Langmore mansion.  The crowd arose to gaze at the girl
+and to pass various comments.
+
+"Mighty pale, ain't she?"
+
+"Wouldn't think a girl like that could do such an awful thing!"
+
+"Humph! you can't tell about these high-toned folks.  They'd do
+anything.  Didn't one of them millionaires run over two of my hens with
+his automobile an' never stop to settle the damage?  Don't tell me!"
+
+"Yes, and she detested her step-mother--the hired girl told Mrs. Brown
+so, an' she told me."
+
+"Well, Coroner Busby will git to the bottom of it putty quick.  He told
+Lem Hansom he knew what he was doin'."
+
+"He must know, if he's as slick at tryin' folks as he is in a hoss
+dicker," returned an old farmer who had made a trade of steeds which
+had proved unprofitable for him.
+
+Margaret was shown to a chair and sat down, with Raymond beside her.
+The young man was plainly nervous, yet he did what he could to comfort
+his companion.
+
+"Courage, Margaret," he whispered.  "It is bound to come out right in
+the end."
+
+"I can scarcely see a friendly face," she faltered, taking a shy look
+around.  "They all think I am--"  She could not finish, but had to
+bite her lip to keep the tears from flowing.
+
+The coroner mounted the platform and rapped on a desk with his knuckles.
+
+"The--ahem! courtroom will come to order!" he called out, gazing around
+on all sides.
+
+There was a final buzz and then the place became quiet, broken only by
+the ticking of a big round clock on the wall.
+
+"We are gathered here--ahem! to inquire into the mysterious deaths of
+Mr. and Mrs. Barry Langmore," went on the coroner.
+
+"That's so--an' we want plain facts," put in an old farmer, sitting
+well up front.
+
+"Silence!" cried the coroner.  "We must have silence!"
+
+"All right, Jack," replied the farmer.  "I won't say another word."
+
+"Silence.  We cannot go on if there is not silence.  Ahem! ahem!  Miss
+Langmore!"
+
+Margaret arose and bowed slightly.  Then the coroner swore her in as a
+witness and told her to relate her story.  She could scarcely stand and
+Raymond brought her chair forward.
+
+"You wish me to tell all I know?" she asked, in a faint but clear voice.
+
+"Everything," was Coroner Busby's answer.
+
+Pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts, she plunged into the
+recital, her tale being merely a repetition of that given to Adam
+Adams.  When she came to tell how her father had been found her voice
+broke and it was fully a minute before she could go on.  When she had
+finished the courtroom was as still as a tomb, save for the ticking of
+the clock, now sounding louder than ever.
+
+"Is that all?" asked the coroner, after a painful pause.
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"They say, Miss Langmore, that you were not on good terms with your
+stepmother."
+
+"Who says so?"
+
+"It is an--ahem! a common rumor.  What have you to say on that point?"
+
+"It is true, sir," answered Margaret, after another pause, during which
+the eyes of all in the courtroom were fixed upon the girl.
+
+"It is said that you had violent quarrels," pursued the coroner.
+
+"No very violent quarrels.  Sometimes we did not speak to each other
+for days."
+
+"Then you admit that you did quarrel?"
+
+"I do."
+
+"And you also quarreled with your father?"
+
+"No, sir."
+
+"What, not at all?" queried Coroner Busby, elevating his eyes in
+surprise, either real or affected.
+
+"We held different opinions upon certain questions, but we did not
+quarrel."
+
+"Hum!"  The coroner mused for a moment.
+
+"That is all for the present," he added, and Margaret moved back to
+where she had been first sitting.
+
+"I am glad that is over," whispered Raymond.  "Can I do anything?  Get
+you some water?"
+
+"No, nothing," she answered, and dropped a veil over her face.
+
+The next witness called was Mary Billings, the domestic employed at the
+Langmore mansion, and who had been about the place at the time of the
+tragedy.  She proved to be a round-faced Irish girl, not particularly
+bright, and now all but terror-stricken.  As soon as she was sworn in
+she burst into tears.
+
+"Sure as there is a heavin above me, Oi didn't do that murder, so Oi
+didn't!" she moaned.
+
+"Nobody said you did," answered the coroner dryly, while a general
+smile went around the courtroom.
+
+"Then why did yez bring me here, I dunno?  Sure an' Mr. Langmore was
+afther bein' me bist frind, an' Oi wouldn't harm him fer a million
+dollars, so Oi wouldn't!"  It was with difficulty that she was quieted
+and made to tell what she knew.
+
+"Where were you from ten o'clock to twelve of the morning of the
+tragedy?" was the first question put to her.
+
+"Oi was in the kitchen, an' down to the barn, yer honor."
+
+"Were you in the kitchen first."
+
+"Sure an' Oi was that."
+
+"What were you doing?"
+
+"Phat was Oi doin'?  Sure Oi was washin' the dishes, cl'anin' the
+silverware, peelin' the praties, shellin' the beans, cleanin' the
+lamps, fixin' the--"
+
+"Ahem!  You mean you were doing the housework, eh?"
+
+"Yis, sur."
+
+"While you were in the house, did you leave the kitchen?"
+
+"Only to go to the ciller fer a scuttle o' coal."
+
+"Did you see or hear anything unusual going on while you were in the
+kitchen?"
+
+The Irish girl scratched her head and shrugged her shoulders.
+
+"Oi heard a lot av things, yer honor."
+
+"What were they?"
+
+"Oi heard Mrs. Langmore walkin' around upstairs, an' Oi heard Miss
+Margaret walkin' around, too.  Then Oi heard Mrs. Langmore call to Miss
+Margaret."
+
+"Did Miss Margaret answer?"
+
+"Oi dunno--if she did, Oi didn't hear her."
+
+"What else?"
+
+"Thin Oi heard the front dure slam."
+
+"Did you see anybody come in or go out?"
+
+"Sure, an' Oi did not."
+
+"What time was this, as near as you can remember?"
+
+"Atwixt tin an' eliven o'clock."
+
+"Did you hear anything after the slamming of the front door?"
+
+"Oi did not, fer Oi wint down to the barn directly afterwards."
+
+"How long did you remain down at the barn?"
+
+"Till Miss Margaret came scr'amin' from the house.  She cries, 'Mary,
+oh Mary!  Me father!  Me father!' an' staggers around loike she was
+goin' to fall, an' Oi run up to her an' hild her up, poor dear."  And
+the servant girl shot a sympathetic glance in Margaret's direction.
+
+"Ahem!  Now--er--you remained in the barn until you heard her cry out.
+Did you hear or see anything from the barn while you were down there?"
+
+"Well, to tell the truth, sur, Oi didn't notice anythin' at the toime,
+bein' that interested in me pet chickens, sur.  Ye see, Pat Callahan
+gave me three foine Leghorns, an'--"
+
+"Never mind the Leghorns.  If you saw or heard anything, what was it?"
+
+"'Twas something Oi was afther hearin', sur.  Oi think somebody ran
+past the barn, aisy loike."
+
+"You didn't see anybody?"
+
+"No, sur.  As Oi said before, thim Leghorns that Pat Callahan gave
+me--"
+
+"We'll--ahem! drop the Leghorns.  After you heard the strange noise how
+long was it before you heard Miss Langmore scream?"
+
+"Perhaps quarter av an hour, sur.  Oi didn't look to the clock."
+
+"And she fainted in your arms?"
+
+"Not exactly that, sur.  She scr'ams, 'Me father! me father!  Mary, he
+is murdered!  Go to the library!'  An' thin she wint over in me arms
+loike a stone, poor dear, poor dear!"  And the domestic began to weep
+afresh.
+
+"What did you do then?"
+
+"Sure, phat could Oi do?  Oi scr'amed fer hilp as loud as Oi could, an'
+thin Mrs. Bardon an' her son, Alfred, the docthor, came over."
+
+"What happened next?"
+
+"We all wint in the house, an' there we found poor Mr. Langmore dead in
+the library, in his chair.  The doctor thought he moight be aloive yit
+an' had his mother an' me run upstairs fer some medicine from the
+medicine closet.  In the upper hall we kim on Mrs. Langmore's body,
+also dead, an' I got that scared Oi turned an' flew down the back
+stairs an' out av the house loike the divil was afther me!"
+
+There was a general laugh throughout the courtroom, at which the
+coroner rapped loudly on the desk.
+
+"Silence.  Such--ahem! conduct at an inquest is not to be allowed.  If
+this happens again I shall clear the courtroom."
+
+"Thet's right, Jack, make 'em behave themselves," came from the old
+farmer in front.  "This is serious business, this is."
+
+"What was done with the body of Mrs. Langmore?" continued the coroner
+to the servant girl.
+
+"The docther said to lave it till you came."
+
+"Mrs. Langmore was quite dead?"
+
+"Yis.  Hivin rest her sowl!"
+
+"And Mr. Langmore?"
+
+"Sure an' the docther could do nothin' fer the poor mon.  It made the
+docther sick to work over the corpse an' he soon had to give it up."
+
+"Now, tell me, how do you think the two were killed?"
+
+"Oi dunno.  The docther ought to tell that--sure an' he has the
+eddication, an' Oi haven't."
+
+"There were no marks of violence?"
+
+"Phat?"
+
+"The victims had not been struck down?"
+
+"Oi dunno as to that, sur--better axed the docther."
+
+"Hum!"  Coroner Busby mused for a moment.  "How long have you lived
+with the Langmore family?"
+
+"Iver since Mr. Langmore married his sicond woife."
+
+"How many of the family lived at home?"
+
+"The first year there was the mister and missus an' Miss Jennie an'
+Miss Margaret.  But Miss Jennie married an' moved away--she's travelin'
+now, they tell me."
+
+"Then Miss Margaret was the only child home?"
+
+"Yis, sur."
+
+"Didn't Mrs. Langmore have two sons?"
+
+"Yis, but they niver lived there.  One av thim used to come an' see her
+now an' thin, an' that's all."
+
+"Was Miss Margaret on good terms with Mrs. Langmore?"
+
+"She was not.  Mrs. Langmore was a--a vixin, always afther findin'
+fault, an' Oi wasn't on good terms wid her meself."
+
+"Ah!  Then you quarreled also?"
+
+"Oh, no, sur, Oi knew me place, so Oi did, an' did me wurruk an' said
+nothin'.  If it hadn't been fer Miss Margaret Oi'd a lift me job long
+ago.  But she was such a noice girrul, an' so lonely loike, in the
+house wid that tongue-lasher--"
+
+"Wait! wait!  You say Miss Margaret and Mrs. Langmore quarreled.  When
+did they quarrel last?"
+
+At this question the domestic pursed up her lips and looked at Margaret.
+
+"Oi have nothin' to say about that," she answered coldly.
+
+This reply was a surprise to all, including Raymond.  The coroner gazed
+at the witness sternly.
+
+"You must answer," he said.  "It is my duty to get at the bottom of
+this awful affair."
+
+"Oi'll not answer," was the stubborn return.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+FOR AND AGAINST
+
+There was a moment of intense silence throughout the courtroom.  Every
+eye was turned on Mary Billings, who pursed up her lips more closely
+than ever.
+
+"You'll not answer?" thundered Coroner Busby.
+
+"Mr. Coroner," began Raymond, rising, "is it legally necessary that she
+answer?  Remember, she is here without proper legal council."
+
+"Silence!  I--ahem--yes, she must answer, or I shall have to commit
+her, as a witness if for nothing else.  Girl, are you going to answer
+or not?"
+
+"Sure, an' Oi--"
+
+"Chief, will you call a policeman?" went on the coroner, turning to the
+chief of police.
+
+He was a fairly good judge of human character.  At the sight of the
+bluecoat the domestic wilted and began to sob.
+
+"Ohone! Ohone! don't take me to prison!" she wailed.
+
+"You prefer to answer?"
+
+"Yis, if Oi must.  But Oi think Miss Margaret the swatest little
+lady--"
+
+"Never mind that.  When did the girl and her stepmother quarrel last?
+Come now, tell me the plain truth," and the coroner put as much of
+sternness as possible in his voice.
+
+"Well, thin, if yez has got to know, it was on the marnin' av the
+murders, sur," sniffled the servant girl.
+
+"When was this?"
+
+"Right afther breakfast.  They had some words at the table, too."
+
+"What was said?  Repeat the exact words if you can," and the coroner
+leaned forward expectantly, while many in the courtroom held their
+breath.
+
+"Mrs. Langmore said she wished Miss Margaret was off the face of the
+earth, an' that she'd be afther seein' that the dear girrul wasn't in
+the house much longer.  'Twas a very bitter scene, an' me heart wint
+out to the dear girrul--"
+
+"And what did Miss Margaret reply to that?"
+
+"She said it was her father's house, an' she would stay as long as her
+father wished her to.  An' it was her father's house, too."
+
+"And after that?"
+
+"A whole lot more followed, which Oi didn't catch, fer Oi am no
+avesdropper.  But Oi did hear Mrs. Langmore, in a perfect rage, cry out
+that she'd kill Miss Margaret if the girrul didn't moind her."
+
+"And then?"
+
+"Miss Margaret said she would do as she pl'ased--that she was her own
+mistress--an' Oi was glad to hear her say it.  Mrs. Langmore went on
+wid her quarrel--sure, an' she had the divil's own tongue, so she had.
+Thin she must have caught hould av Miss Margaret, fer Oi heard the
+girrul cry out to lit go or she'd stroike her down.  Thin there was
+more wurruds, hotter an' hotter, an' Mrs. Langmore said she would make
+the girrul mind as sure as fate, an' thin Miss Margaret got roused up
+an' she said fer Mrs. Langmore to beware, that she had Southern blood
+in her veins, an' she wouldn't be accountable fer what she did, if her
+stepmother wint too far."
+
+There was a pause, and a murmur ran the round of the little courtroom.
+The testimony seemed to be highly important and many shook their heads.
+The girl and her stepmother had certainly had a bitter quarrel, the
+girl had hot Southern blood in her veins, and the bitterness had ended
+in the tragedy.  In the minds of many it was only a question of what
+the extenuating circumstances might be.
+
+"Was Mr. Langmore present at this quarrel?" asked the coroner, after
+another pause.
+
+"He was at the breakfast table, but afther that he wint to the bank."
+
+"Did you hear anything more?"
+
+"Not right away, sur.  Oi wint to me work.  Whin Mr. Langmore came from
+the bank Oi heard him talkin' to Miss Margaret."
+
+"What was said then?"
+
+"Oi dunno exactly, exceptin' that he said he was sorry she an' her
+stepmother had quarreled, an' he wanted her to make it up wid his
+woife."
+
+"And what did Miss Margaret say to that?"
+
+"She said that all she wanted was to be left alone."
+
+"What else?"
+
+"Oi didn't hear anything more, as Oi wint to the ciller fer coal.  By
+an' by Oi see Miss Margaret in the garden cryin'.  Oi wanted to go to
+her, but Mrs. Langmore kim to the kitchen an' Oi had to attind to me
+wurruk."
+
+"How did Mrs. Langmore seem to appear when she came to the kitchen?"
+
+"Sure an' she was very excited an' findin' more fault than iver.  She
+stayed only a few minutes, an' thin wint to the library, an' that was
+the very last Oi saw av her.  Oi'm sorry she's dead, but she had that
+divil's own temper!"  And the domestic heaved a long sigh.
+
+"That will do.  You may sit down."  The coroner looked around the
+courtroom.  "Is Doctor Bardon present?"
+
+For reply the young physician came forward from one side of the room.
+He looked pale and slightly troubled.  In a low voice he corroborated
+the testimony already given regarding the finding of the two bodies,
+and told what he had done in his effort to restore Mr. Langmore to life.
+
+"I thought there might be a spark there still, but I was mistaken," he
+went on.  "He looked so natural--and Mrs. Langmore looked natural, too,
+for the matter of that.  But both were stone dead."
+
+"What was the cause of death?"
+
+"That is something of a mystery.  I have tried my best to get at the
+bottom of it, but I cannot, nor can my colleague, Doctor Soper."
+
+"Were the pair strangled, smothered, poisoned?" suggested the coroner.
+
+"I have a theory that they were poisoned, but not in an ordinary way.
+Neither Doctor Soper nor myself could find any traces of ordinary
+poison."
+
+"What is your theory?"
+
+"Something was used to stupefy them, and so much was used that it
+killed them."
+
+"In that case the murder might have been unintentional?"
+
+"Yes.  Somebody might have thought to stupefy Mr. Langmore and then rob
+him.  But the drug, being too powerful, or used too long, might have
+done its deadly work.  Then the crime may have been discovered by Mrs.
+Langmore and the murderer might have turned on her to conceal his first
+wrongdoing."
+
+"Hum.  Have you--ahem! any idea of the nature of the poison?"
+
+"No, excepting that it had a very powerful odor.  When I bent over Mr.
+Langmore I got several whiffs of it and it made me sick at the stomach.
+But the odor was soon gone."
+
+"And you have no idea what the poison was?"
+
+"No, nor has Doctor Soper.  It may be something new, or something
+little known.  Chemists are constantly discovering new things," went on
+the young physician, bound to clear himself of any suspicion of
+ignorance concerning medical matters.
+
+"You found no marks of violence, as if there had been a struggle?"
+
+"The only marks I found were two scratches on the right arm of Mrs.
+Langmore, right above the wrist, and a scratch on Mr. Langmore's left
+cheek."
+
+"Finger nail scratches?"
+
+"Possibly, or else they may have been made by a ring or bracelet--if
+there was a struggle."
+
+"Hum!  Have you anything else to tell, doctor?"
+
+"I have not.  I am willing to tell all I know."
+
+There was another pause, as the young physician stepped back.  The
+coroner was about to call one of the women set to guard Margaret and
+the Langmore mansion, when he suddenly turned.
+
+"Miss Langmore, you will please take the stand again," he said, and the
+girl did so, throwing aside her veil.  "Are you in the habit of wearing
+finger rings and bracelets?"
+
+It was a leading question and several gasped as they heard it.  Raymond
+started to rise up, but then sank back again.
+
+"I do not wear bracelets," answered Margaret.  "I have two rings."
+
+"What kind of rings are they?"
+
+"One is a plain gold band.  It was my mother's wedding ring."  The
+girl's voice sank low suddenly.  "The other is a diamond ring, as you
+can see," and she held up her hand.
+
+"Will you let me have the diamond ring?"
+
+"Yes, sir."  She took it off.  "But please be careful of it, for it--it
+is very precious to me."
+
+The coroner nodded.  "That is all just now," and as Margaret let fall
+the veil again, he called Doctor Bardon to his side.  A whispered
+conversation ensued, and the young physician left with the precious
+circlet--Margaret's engagement ring--in an envelope.
+
+"Margaret, you should not have let him have that ring," whispered
+Raymond.
+
+"How could I help it?" was the low answer.  "Oh, this is terrible!  I
+feel as if everybody was trying to look me through and through!"
+
+"I can't understand why Mr. Adams is not here," went on the young man.
+"Perhaps he has found some important clew and is following it up," he
+added hopefully.
+
+"They are bound to convict me, Raymond!  Isn't it horrible?"
+
+"They shall never do it, never!" cried the young man.  And then a sharp
+rapping on the desk terminated the brief conversation and restored
+quietness to the little courtroom.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+THE WEIGHT OF EVIDENCE
+
+The next witness called was Mrs. Morse, who told briefly how she had
+been placed in charge of the upper part of the Langmore mansion shortly
+after the tragedy, and how she had been watching Margaret.  She said
+the girl had had only a few visitors, mentioning Raymond Case and a
+stranger from New York.
+
+"Who was the stranger?" asked Coroner Busby.
+
+"A Mr. Adams.  He's either a lawyer or a detective."
+
+"Oh!"
+
+"I brought Mr. Adams to see Miss Langmore," put in Raymond.  "Wasn't
+that all right?"
+
+"Certainly--certainly," answered the coroner hastily.
+
+"I have kept the best watch on Miss Langmore that I could," went on the
+woman.  "You told me to do it."
+
+"Has Miss Langmore had anything to say about her father?"
+
+"She seems to be very sorry that he is dead."
+
+"What did she say about Mrs. Langmore?"
+
+"She does not seem to care much about her stepmother."
+
+"Have you discovered anything unusual, Mrs. Morse, that had to do with
+this tragedy?"
+
+"Well, I don't know.  I have looked around a bit, and among other
+things I found this.  It was in Miss Langmore's dressing case."
+
+As she spoke the woman held up a small bottle.  It was marked
+chloroform and was empty.
+
+"Anything else?"
+
+"With the empty bottle I found the half of a big silk handkerchief.  It
+was wrapped around the bottle and had Miss Langmore's monogram in the
+corner.  I went on hunting around the house and I found the other half
+of the handkerchief in a dark corner of the upper hallway, not far from
+where Mrs. Langmore's body was found."
+
+At this announcement there was a buzz of excitement.  All present
+looked at the witness and then at Margaret.  The girl had thrown aside
+her veil once more, and was standing up, with a face as pale as death
+itself.
+
+"I--I--may I speak?" she faltered.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"I bought that chloroform a month ago and used it to put a sick canary
+and a sick parrot out of their misery.  Mary Billings saw me chloroform
+the parrot."
+
+"When did you do the chloroforming?"
+
+"About a week ago, on the parrot.  The canary I chloroformed when I
+obtained the drug."
+
+"Sure, and that's roight, sur," broke in the servant girl.
+
+"Then you know all about using chloroform?" remarked the coroner dryly.
+
+"The druggist told me."
+
+"Did it take all you had for the birds?"
+
+"No."
+
+"What did you do with what remained?"
+
+"I threw it away, for I had no further use for it."
+
+"Hum."  The coroner turned to Mary Billings.  "Did you see her throw
+the chloroform away?"
+
+"N--no," stammered the servant girl.  "But if she says she did, she
+did," she added stoutly.
+
+"Now, Mrs. Morse, did you find anything else of value?"
+
+"I did not, but Mrs. Gaspard, who was in charge downstairs, did."
+
+"Very well, you may step down.  Mrs. Gaspard!"  And the other woman
+came forward to face the coroner and his jury, and was sworn.
+
+"Mrs. Morse says you found something of importance.  What was it?"
+
+"It was this, Mr. Busby," and the woman held out a sheet of note paper.
+"I came across it on the stairs leading to Miss Langmore's room.  Shall
+I read it?"  And as the coroner nodded, the woman read as follows:
+
+
+"Since you refuse to open your room door to me, let me give you fair
+warning.  You must either obey your mother that now is, and me, or
+leave this house.  I have had enough of your willfulness and I shall
+not put up with it any longer."
+
+
+As the woman finished reading she handed the paper to the coroner.
+
+"Ahem!  Mrs. Gaspard, do you know who wrote this note?" asked the
+latter.
+
+"The handwriting is exactly like Mr. Langmore's.  I have compared the
+two, and so have Mrs. Morse and Mr. Pickerell, the schoolmaster."
+
+Again all eyes were bent upon Margaret.  She had again arisen and was
+swaying from side to side.
+
+"My father--never--never sent me--never wrote such a note--" she
+gasped, and then sank back and would have fallen had not Raymond
+supported her.
+
+"A glass of water, quick!" cried the young man, and it was handed to
+him, and also a bottle of smelling salts.  In a moment more Margaret
+revived.
+
+"Take me away," she moaned.
+
+"I am sorry, but that cannot be allowed," replied the coroner.  "You
+will have to remain until this session is over."
+
+"It's an outrage!" exclaimed Raymond, his eyes flashing.  "You are all
+against her, and you are going to prove her guilty if you possibly can.
+The whole proceedings is a farce."
+
+"Silence, young man, or I'll have you removed by an officer.  You have
+interrupted the proceedings several times.  I do not know what interest
+you have--"
+
+"I am not ashamed to tell you of my interest, sir.  I am engaged to
+this young lady.  I know she is innocent.  It is preposterous to
+imagine that she would kill her own father.  They loved each other too
+much."
+
+"Yes, but this note--" piped in Mrs. Gaspard.  She was a strong
+believer in Margaret's guilt.
+
+"I know nothing about that.  It may be a forgery.  I know Miss Langmore
+is innocent."
+
+"To merely say a thing does not prove it," came from the coroner.  "We
+want facts, nothing else--and we are bound to have 'em."  He began to
+warm up also.  "I'm here to do my duty, regardless of you or anybody
+else.  I ain't going to shield anybody, rich or poor, high or low,
+known or unknown!  Now, you sit down, and let the inquest proceed."
+And Raymond sat down, but with a great and growing bitterness filling
+his heart.  He looked at Margaret and saw that she was trembling from
+head to foot.
+
+There was an awkward pause.
+
+"Mrs. Gaspard, did Mr. Pickerell say he thought Mr. Langmore had
+written this note?" questioned the coroner.
+
+"He said the two handwritings were exactly alike.  Here is a letter
+written and signed by Mr. Langmore.  You can compare the two, if you
+wish."
+
+The letter was passed over and not only the coroner, but also his jury,
+looked at both documents carefully.
+
+"Pretty much the same thing," whispered one man.
+
+"Exactly the same," added another, and the rest nodded.
+
+The coroner looked around the courtroom and then at the jury.
+
+"Have any of you any questions to ask?" he queried of the men.  "If not
+we'll take a brief recess until Doctor Bardon returns."
+
+One after another the jurors shook their heads.  Whatever the coroner
+did was sufficient for them.  Coroner Busby had picked men he knew
+would agree with him.
+
+The recess had lasted but a few minutes, when Doctor Bardon reappeared.
+His face wore a knowing look that was almost triumphant.
+
+"You will please take the stand again, doctor," was the request.  "I
+wish to ask you if a person could be smothered by chloroform."
+
+"Certainly, under certain conditions."
+
+"Do you think it possible that Mr. and Mrs. Langmore could have been
+smothered in that way?"
+
+"Possibly, yes, although I did not see any traces."
+
+"Would there have been traces?"
+
+"Yes and no--it would depend on circumstances."
+
+"Hum.  Now about the diamond ring belonging to Miss Langmore, which I
+gave you a short while ago to examine?  Have you--ahem--examined it?"
+
+"I have, and so has Doctor Soper.  We used a magnifying glass and made
+several tests."
+
+"Did you find anything unusual?"
+
+"We did.  In the first place two of the prongs which hold the diamond
+in place are bent out and up in such a fashion that each forms a sharp
+point.  We next looked under the stone and found there a substance
+which both of us are convinced is a bit of dried-up blood."
+
+"You are sure it is blood?"
+
+"Yes.  I can illustrate it scientifically, if you desire."
+
+"It will not be necessary just now.  When you say blood do you mean
+human blood?"
+
+At this the young physician shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"I am not prepared to go as far as that.  We should have to make
+another test.  The amount was so very small."
+
+"Might be blood from a mosquito," muttered Raymond.  "There are enough
+around here."
+
+"You may think as you please," said the young doctor.  "I am only
+stating the facts."
+
+"Have you anything else to say, doctor?" came from the coroner.
+
+"Nothing more.  Here is the ring.  We have kept what we found under the
+stone."
+
+"Very well.  Miss Langmore, you may have the ring back."  It was passed
+out and Raymond took it and slipped it back on Margaret's hand, which
+was cold and nerveless.  The girl was sitting as motionless as a marble
+statue.
+
+There was another pause and then, one after another, several minor
+witnesses were brought up and examined.  At four o'clock the coroner
+began to sum up the evidence, to which the jury listened with close
+attention.  Then the jurors filed out into a side room, the door to
+which was tightly closed.
+
+"Is--is it over?" faltered Margaret.  "Wha--what will they do next?"
+
+"We must wait for the finding of the jury, Margaret."
+
+"How long will that take?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"Mr. Adams did not show himself.  I thought he would help us in some
+way."
+
+"He must have a good reason for staying away."
+
+"What do you think the jury will do?"
+
+At this direct question, the young man gave an inward groan.  "I don't
+know," he answered in an unnatural voice.  "We must hope for the best."
+
+In less than an hour it was announced that the jury had arrived at a
+verdict.  Those who had left the courtroom returned and the jurymen
+filed in.  The excitement was subdued, but plainly at a white heat.
+The coroner took his place at the desk.
+
+"Gentlemen of the jury, have you agreed upon a verdict?" was the
+question put.
+
+"We have," was the unanimous answer.
+
+"Who will speak for you?"
+
+"Mr. Blackwell, our foreman."
+
+"Very well.  Ahem!  Mr. Blackwell, what is the verdict?"
+
+Mr. Blackwell, a well-known citizen of the town, stood up.  The
+courtroom became intensely silent.
+
+"We find that Mr. and Mrs. Barry Langmore came to their deaths either
+by being smothered, chloroformed, poisoned, or in some similar fashion,
+the direct means not yet being brought to light, and we find that the
+evidence points to Margaret Langmore as the one who committed the
+murders."
+
+Hardly was the verdict rendered than a wild cry rang out through the
+courtroom.  Margaret staggered to her feet, put out her hands in an
+uncertain fashion, and then dropped senseless into Raymond's arms.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+IS THIS MADNESS?
+
+Instantly there was wild confusion, and half a dozen persons sprang
+forward to assist Raymond with his burden.  But he waved them back.
+
+"Let her have air," he said.  "Don't crowd so close.  She must have
+air," and he moved towards a window.  The crowd separated to let him
+pass and allowed him the use of an entire bench, while more water was
+brought and the bottle of smelling salts was again produced.  In the
+meantime the coroner whispered to the chief of police, who in turn
+whispered to a policeman, and the two minions of the law followed
+Raymond.
+
+Margaret lay like one dead, every particle of color having forsaken her
+cheeks.  Raymond waited anxiously, and then applied his ear to her
+heart.
+
+"A doctor!" he cried hoarsely.  "A doctor, for Heaven's sake!  She is
+dying!"
+
+Doctor Bardon came forward, followed by Doctor Bird, and both looked at
+the unconscious one closely and critically.  There was no shamming
+here--the shock had been heavy--the bolt had struck home.
+
+"This is serious, truly," murmured the older physician.  "We had better
+remove her to a side room and loosen up her garments."
+
+Many were willing to assist, but Raymond shook them off and he and
+Doctor Bird carried Margaret into the room where the jury had arrived
+at the verdict which had so stunned her.  Then a nurse who happened to
+be in the court-room was called in, and she and the physician began to
+work over the suffering girl.
+
+"Doctor--"  Raymond could scarcely speak.  "She will--will come
+around all right?"
+
+"Why, I guess so.  She has swooned, that is all.  The trial was too
+much for her.  And then there was such a crowd, and the ventilation
+being poor--"
+
+The young man waited, five, ten, fifteen minutes--it was as an
+eternity.  The doctor still continued to work, and so did the nurse.
+Then the latter whispered something and Raymond caught the words, "a
+mental shock, by her eyes."
+
+"What's that?" he questioned.  He looked at Margaret and saw that her
+eyes were wide open and she was staring hard at him.  "Margaret!"
+
+She did not answer, but continued to stare, turning from him to the
+nurse and then to the old doctor.  The chief of police was at the
+doorway and she gave him a look that fairly froze his blood.
+
+"Who--" she began and stopped short.  "How light it is!  What struck
+me?  Why are you all staring at me in this manner?  What have I done?
+Where am I?  Have I been sick?"
+
+"Margaret!"  Raymond came closer and took her hand.  "Margaret!"
+
+She stared at him and flung his hand away.  "I've had a horrible
+dream--I dreamed papa was murdered--that somebody had strangled him!
+Strangled him to get my engagement ring from me!  And there was blood
+there, blood, and nobody could come to the lawn party.  Oh, if they
+knew--and my poor head--it swims so!  And the bottle--the
+handkerchief--"
+
+"Margaret, Margaret!  Don't go on so!"  He caught her hand again and
+sank down on his knees beside her.  "Be calm.  It will all come out
+right.  You fainted, that's all.  Don't you remember, Margaret?"
+
+"Yes, yes, I remember.  You said you would marry me, and then you said,
+you," she tore her hand away and pointed her finger at him, "you said I
+had murdered papa and murdered her!  Oh, the shame of it, the shame!"
+And then she gave a shriek and began to rave, tearing at her clothes
+and her hair, until the latter fell all over her face.  The paroxysm
+lasted for several minutes and then she fainted once more.
+
+"I shall have to give her something to quiet her," said the doctor.
+"She is in a worse state than I at first imagined.  The strain has been
+entirely too much for her nervous system.  We must get her to some
+quiet spot."
+
+"Shall we take her home?" asked Raymond.
+
+"No, I would not advise that, Mr. ----"
+
+"My name is Raymond Case."
+
+"My home is a quiet one," spoke up the nurse.  "If you wish you can
+take her there.  It is not very far from here."
+
+"Besides," the old doctor paused.   "The coroner has something to say
+about it."
+
+"Coroner Busby has turned the prisoner over to me," came from the chief
+of police, and he advanced a few feet into the room.
+
+"The prisoner!" faltered Raymond.  "Oh, yes, I suppose that is right.
+But you can't take her to jail.  I'll go her ball for any amount he may
+fix."
+
+"Sorry, Mr. Case, but they don't take bail on such a charge as murder."
+
+"But you can't lock her up in this condition--it would be inhuman.
+I'll have her taken to some quiet place and you can have a guard
+set--I'll pay all the bills.  Ask the coroner if that won't do.  She
+isn't going to run away.  She looks now more as if she might die!" and
+he gave a groan that came straight from his heart.
+
+The chief of police had once been young and in love with a pretty girl
+and his face softened.  Then he remembered what Raymond had said about
+paying the bills.
+
+"I'll fix it up with Busby," he said.  "Go ahead and do what you wish,
+only don't take her out of town."
+
+A little later a carriage was brought around and Margaret was placed
+inside and driven rapidly to the home of Martha Sampson, the nurse.
+She began to rave again, but the physician gave her a quieting potion,
+which put her in a sound but unnatural sleep.  She was placed in a
+pretty and comfortable bedroom on the second floor in the rear, so that
+she might not be annoyed by those passing the house in front.  Two
+policemen, in plain clothes, were put on guard, one relieving the other.
+
+In the meantime the news that Margaret had been adjudged guilty by the
+coroner's jury spread like wild-fire, and the curiosity seekers could
+scarcely be kept away from the place to which the poor girl had been
+taken.
+
+"The grand jury can't do anything but indict her," said more than one.
+"And, if there is any justice left, she'll surely be electrocuted."
+
+It was a bitter blow to Raymond, to have Margaret thought guilty, but
+he did not think of that as he sat by her side, or walked up and down
+in the little hallway just outside of her door.  Her staring eyes
+haunted him and he longed for a look that should tell him her reason
+had once more asserted itself.
+
+The doctor had come and gone twice and had promised to come again that
+evening.  Slowly the hours wore away.  The nurse had gone below to
+prepare herself something to eat, and Raymond stood by the suffering
+one's bedside.  He saw the eyelids of the one he loved quiver slightly.
+
+"Margaret!" he said softly, bending over her.
+
+There was no response and he repeated the name several times.  Then her
+eyes opened full.
+
+"Where am I?" she asked vacantly.
+
+"You are safe, with me," he answered and took her hand.
+
+"With you, Raymond?  Where?"
+
+"At the home of a lady who is going to take care of you for the
+present."
+
+"How queer!  I thought I was at my own home."
+
+"We thought it best to bring you here.  Miss Sampson will do all she
+can for you.  The doctor said you must be kept very quiet."  He
+smoothed down her hair.  "You have had a terrible trial, my dear."
+
+"A trial?  I don't remember it.  What was it?"  She stared vacantly at
+him.  "Oh, how queer my head feels!"  And she put one cold hand to her
+temple.
+
+"Never mind trying to think now, Margaret.  Just take it easy.  The
+doctor will come back in a little while and he will give you something
+that will make you all right again."
+
+"How long have I been here?"
+
+"Only four hours.  Now please, don't worry."
+
+"I can't--I can't think--it's all like a terribly dark cloud, Raymond."
+She stared in a wild fashion and then a look of untold horror crossed
+her drawn features.  "Ah!  Yes, yes, I remember now!  I remember!"  She
+shook from head to foot.  "I remember!  The courtroom!  And those many
+men and women!  And the ring--our engagement ring--think of that,
+Raymond!  They found blood on it, blood!"  And she shivered again.
+
+"Margaret, dearest, you must try to keep quiet," he interrupted
+soothingly.  "It will all come out right, I feel certain of it."
+
+"Right?  I don't know what you mean by that word.  Was I on trial, or
+what?"
+
+"No, not on trial.  It was simply the coroner's inquest.  But don't
+think of it, dear."  He tried to brush back her hair, but she stopped
+him.  The wild look in her eyes was increasing.
+
+"The inquest?  Oh, yes, I know now, and they said--they said--"  She
+gave a piercing scream.  "They said I had killed her and killed my own
+father!  Yes, that I had killed them!  Do you hear, Raymond, I had
+killed them!"  She sat up and motioned him away.  "Do not touch me!  Do
+not come near me!"
+
+"Margaret!" he interrupted appealingly.
+
+"No! no!  It is too late, too late!"  Her voice sank to a hoarse
+whisper.  "I see it all--the blood on the ring, the chloroform, our
+quarrels, and what she said to me, and then, and then--"  She gave
+another scream.  "Go away! go away!  You must not come near me again!"
+
+"But Margaret, dear--"
+
+"No, I cannot listen!  You must go away, and let them take me to
+prison, let them hang me if they will!"  Her voice sank still lower.
+"There is nothing else to do--I see the end.  They have cornered me,
+have found me out!  Yes, they have found me out!"  She gave a wild,
+uncanny laugh that made his flesh creep.  "Ha! ha!  I thought they
+could not do it, but they did.  They have found me out!  They have
+found me out!"  And then, with another scream, she pitched back and lay
+again like one dead.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+LOVE VERSUS BUSINESS
+
+"Uncle Adam, you must tell me everything.  Do you hear?--everything!"
+
+"But my dear Letty, I am not sure of these things.  I only want you to
+wait.  That's easy enough, isn't it?"
+
+"It will be, if you tell me everything.  But I can't wait if I am kept
+in the dark."  The girl raised her tear-stained face to that of the
+detective.  "Oh, I am sure you will do the best you can and all
+that--you have always been so kind to me.  But--but I must know the
+details."
+
+A half hour had passed since he had discovered that Letty Bernard was
+in love with Tom Ostrello, that she had been in love with the traveling
+man ever since they had first met.  He had heard her whole tale, how
+the young man had taken her out and how they had planned for the
+future--a tale not uncommon even in these plain, common-sense days,
+when Romance lingers only on the outskirts of society.  He had been
+tremendously interested, as much so as if the girl was his own flesh
+and blood.
+
+"Of course, he invited me to the theatre before he knew of the death of
+his mother," Letty went on.  "And I suppose he has been so upset he
+hasn't thought to notify me.  But he might have sent me word," she
+added wistfully.  "I should have done so if it was my mother."
+
+"He is not like you, Letty."
+
+"Well, he is just as good."
+
+"That remains to be seen."
+
+"Are you going to tell me what you have in your mind or not, Uncle
+Adam?"
+
+He gazed at her fondly.  How could he tell her?  And yet, if his
+suspicions were correct, it would be better for her to know the truth
+now than to be struck down by it later on.
+
+"There is nothing very definite, Letty," he said slowly.  "You know
+that all detectives get on the wrong trail at times--I have made a mess
+of more than one case--you know that, even if the general public
+doesn't."
+
+"Then he is suspected of these murders?" she said boldly.
+
+"If you must have the whole story, I'll tell it to you.  It is
+certainly a curious situation.  At first suspicions pointed to Mr.
+Langmore's daughter; now they appear to point to Mrs. Langmore's son.
+For your sake and for the sake of Miss Langmore, who appears to be a
+very nice young lady, I trust we shall be able to prove some outside
+party guilty."
+
+"Tom isn't guilty, I am sure of that."
+
+"And Raymond Case is equally certain that Miss Langmore isn't guilty."
+
+"He is the young man who came here and engaged you?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Is he engaged to her?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Then, of course, he thinks her innocent."
+
+"I think her innocent myself."
+
+"Do you think Tom is guilty?"
+
+At this direct question Adam Adams winced.  He saw before him a
+disagreeable duty which must be performed.
+
+"I see I must give you the facts, Letty.  But I will do so on one
+condition only, and that is, that you keep what I have to say to
+yourself--considering them as office secrets."
+
+"Very well, Uncle Adam, I'll promise," she answered, with a pale face
+upturned to him.  He bent down and kissed her on the forehead.  Then he
+locked the office door, sat down in an armchair and let her sit on his
+lap, just as she had done since childhood.
+
+His recital took the best part of an hour, and he gave all the
+particulars of his interview with Cephas Carboy and with Doctor Calkey,
+and told of the finding of the bit of paper with the address of the
+drug firm on it, and of the strange Chinese poison.  At the mention of
+the fatal drug she drew a sharp breath.
+
+"I--I--" she began, and stopped short.
+
+"Do you know anything of that drug, Letty?  Perhaps he spoke to you
+about it?"
+
+"He did, once, when we were speaking of poisons.  He said he was glad
+his firm had decided not to handle it, for it was too dangerous.  It
+has a power that most folks do not know about."
+
+"The power to kill people, I suppose."
+
+"No, not that.  He said it was a fatal drug, but more than that, he
+said it had a strange power, according to the Chinese chemists who
+manufactured it.  That power was, if it was used on a person and did
+not kill it would, in a few days or a week, make that person mad."
+
+"Humph!  Worse and worse!  Such a drug should be banished by law.  But
+to go on with my story, if you must hear the whole of it.  I am fairly
+certain it was that drug which was used to kill Mr. and Mrs. Langmore."
+
+"But Tom did not use it," she insisted.  "Somebody else must have
+gotten the drug from him or from his traveling sample case."
+
+"That is possible.  Now there is another side to this case, which I
+cannot understand at all."  And then he told of the counterfeit bank
+bills.
+
+"Counterfeits!" she exclaimed, and the color began to leave her face
+once more.  "What kind of bills were they, Uncle Adam?"
+
+"They were one hundred dollar bills, on the Excelsior National Bank of
+New York City."
+
+She gave a gasp and clenched her little hands to control herself.  He
+could not help but notice her increased agitation.
+
+"What is it, Letty?  Do you know--"
+
+"Oh, Uncle Adam, do not ask me," she gasped.  "I--I--there  is  some
+mistake--Tom  did not--" she failed to go on and looked at the
+detective hopelessly.
+
+"What do you know about these counterfeits?  Come, it is best that you
+tell me everything," he continued kindly, but firmly.
+
+"To--Tom had a counterfeit one hundred dollar bill.  He--we went to the
+theatre and he got into some trouble over it, until he convinced the
+ticket seller that he did not know it was bad."
+
+"Did he tell you where he got the bill?"
+
+"No, he said he got stuck, that's all."
+
+"Do you know what he did with it?"
+
+"He said he was going to give it back and get a good one for it, if he
+could."
+
+At that moment a postman's whistle sounded in the hallway and several
+letters dropped through the slit in the door.  The girl glanced at
+them, and uttering a faint cry, arose and picked them up.
+
+"Here is one from Tom now."  She tore it open and glanced at it
+hastily.  "I knew it," she went on.  "He is all upset because of the
+murder and scarcely knows what to do.  He had an important engagement
+in Albany for yesterday and one in New York for to-day, but has broken
+both.  He says he will come to me as soon as he can, and adds a
+postscript asking me to look in the papers for the particulars of the
+awful affair.  You read it, Uncle Adam.  That doesn't look much as if
+he were guilty, does it?"
+
+The detective took the communication and scanned it with care.  It had
+evidently been penned in a hurry and was signed, "Your own Tom."  One
+line read: "I hope with all my heart that the authorities bring the
+guilty party to justice."
+
+"How could he pen that if he was guilty himself?" said Letty, pointing
+to the line.  "Oh, Uncle Adam, you must look elsewhere for the one who
+did this foul deed."
+
+"I wish I knew where he got that counterfeit?"
+
+"Perhaps I can find out for you."
+
+"Can you tell me where he stays when in New York?"
+
+"At the Kingdon House, on Broadway."
+
+"Then I may look him up."
+
+"Cannot I do something?"
+
+"Yes--wait and keep quiet, Letty."
+
+"But you will try to clear him, if you can, won't you?"
+
+"I am going to try to find the guilty party."
+
+"It is dreadful to remain here and do nothing, with such a cloud
+hanging over one."
+
+"Then take a vacation.  It will do you good.  Get Miss Harringford to
+come in here--she knows the ropes--and you go off in the country or to
+the seashore.  I'll make you an allowance of fifty dollars for the
+trip.  Take it out of the cash on hand.  And, Letty, don't worry too
+much."
+
+The girl smiled, but it was not a smile to please one.  "Very well,
+I'll go off," she said, and turned back to her desk.  "I'll take the
+time off to help clear poor Tom," she murmured to herself.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+SOMETHING ABOUT A SECRET SERVICE MAN
+
+On the following morning the newspapers brought to Adam Adams the full
+particulars of the Langmore inquest, with the finding of the coroner's
+jury.  The papers also described how Margaret Langmore had fainted and
+been placed at a nurse's residence, under the care of a physician and
+guarded by the police.  By a few it was supposed that the girl's
+illness was genuine, but the general opinion was that it was assumed,
+in order to draw public sympathy.  Raymond Case was pictured as a
+loyal, but misguided young man, and it was hinted that his relatives
+were much chagrined to see him remaining at the accused girl's side, in
+view of the evidence which had been brought to light.
+
+The detective read the accounts with interest and then leaned back in
+his office chair in a thoughtful mood.  Letty had absented herself and
+in the outer office was another girl, who had done substitute work
+before.  Suddenly the detective arose with decision, went to the
+telephone, and rang up Central.
+
+"Hullo!"
+
+"Give me 45678 Park."
+
+There was a buzz and then a heavy voice came over the 'phone.
+
+"Hullo!"
+
+"Is that you, Vapp?"
+
+"Yes.  Is this Mr. Adams?"
+
+"Yes.  Are you particularly busy?"
+
+"Not if there is any money afloat," and a chuckle came over the wire.
+
+"I want you to do some shadowing for me, I don't know how long it will
+take.  It's a man--a commercial traveler.  You can pick out your own
+make-up."
+
+"When am I on?"
+
+"Right away."
+
+"Want me up there first?"
+
+"I think it will be best.  I want to give you some details."
+
+"I'll be there in half an hour and all ready for the job."
+
+Adam Adams busied himself in various ways, and at the end of half an
+hour, a well-dressed, middle-aged man came in, carrying a small sample
+case in one hand.
+
+"Hullo, going to be a commercial traveler yourself, eh?" commented the
+detective.
+
+"It will give me an easy way to get around," answered Charles Vapp.
+"I'm Andy Weber, representing the Boxton Seed Company.  A seed man can
+go anywhere, in the city and the country.  I got the outfit from old
+Boxton himself.  He thinks it a good joke and he will keep mum.  Now,
+what's the game?"
+
+"I want you to do some shadowing for me."
+
+"All right--that's my line."
+
+"This is a bit out of the ordinary, Vapp."
+
+"Well, that makes it more interesting.  Who is the party?"
+
+"The fellow's name is Tom Ostrello."
+
+"Foreigner, eh?"
+
+"No, he is American-born--the son of Mrs. Langmore."
+
+"You don't mean the woman who was murdered with her husband?"
+
+"Yes.  He is a commercial traveler for a drug concern."
+
+"Good!  I'm glad I elected to be a traveler myself."
+
+"As I said, Vapp, this is no ordinary case.  I want you to keep track
+of this man day and night."
+
+"I'll do it--if it can be done."
+
+"I want you to note every person he communicates with."
+
+"I'll do that, too."
+
+"And here is another thing of great importance.  If he spends money,
+try to find out if it is good money."
+
+"Eh?"  The shadower looked surprised for an instant.  "You want me to
+look out for counterfeits?"
+
+"Exactly."
+
+"That is not so easy, but I'll do my best," went on Charley Vapp, and
+then he asked a number of questions regarding Tom Ostrello, all of
+which Adam Adams answered as well as he was able.
+
+"You are to stay on this case until I tell you to drop it," said the
+detective.  "And remember, if anything unusual occurs, let me know as
+soon as you can reach me."
+
+"I understand.  Anything more?"
+
+Adam Adams mused for a moment.
+
+"Yes.  You know Miss Bernard, who works for me here?"
+
+"Sure."
+
+"Well, take care that she doesn't see you shadowing Ostrello."
+
+"I'm wise," answered the shadower, smiling, and the next moment he was
+gone.  He was not flustered by what was before him, for he had been
+shadowing people for eleven years, and as long as there was five
+dollars per day and his expenses in the work, he was willing to
+continue indefinitely.
+
+With the shadower gone, Adam Adams meditated for a moment and then
+donned his walking coat and his hat.  In his pockets he placed several
+large but rather flat packages.
+
+"I am going out, Miss Harringford," he said to the clerk.  "If I am not
+back by five o'clock, you may lock up and go home.  Be on hand as usual
+in the morning."
+
+Down in the street he hopped aboard a passing car and rode eight
+blocks.  He entered an office building, went up in an elevator to the
+third floor, and took himself to a suite of offices occupied by certain
+United States secret service officers.
+
+"I want to see Mr. Breslow," he said, and was shown to a private
+apartment, where an elderly man sat, studying several reports.
+
+"How are you, Adams!" was the greeting.
+
+"Rather busy to-day, but what can I do for you?"
+
+"I want to sell you some bank bills," was the reply, and Adam Adams
+dumped the package on the desk.  Mr. Breslow opened it and examined the
+contents.
+
+"By the jumping Judas!  Where did you get those?  Say, this is worth
+while."
+
+"I guess you haven't rounded up quite as many as I have, have you?"
+said the detective, with a grim smile.
+
+"As many?  Why, man, we've only run across sixteen so far, and you've
+got thirty.  They are such a clever counterfeit that even the banks get
+nipped.  This is wonderful!  I didn't know you were following this
+trail.  Why didn't you say something before?  Or maybe you wanted to
+spring a surprise, and make some of the boys, down here feel cheap."
+
+"No, it was nothing but blind luck.  I wasn't on the trail at all.  I
+simply stumbled over the bills."
+
+"Did you get your man?"
+
+"There was no man to get."
+
+"Do you mean to say you found the bills?"
+
+"I did and I didn't.  They were in the safe of a man who was murdered.
+I guess I'll have to tell you the best part of the story," and Adam
+Adams did so.  "This is, of course, confidential," he went on.
+
+"Trust me for that, Adams.  Strange complication, as you just remarked.
+I suppose you are going to follow up the murder mystery.  Will you
+follow this up, too?"
+
+"I think so.  I can't get it out of my head that the two are related to
+each other."
+
+"More than likely.  Now, you just said you wanted to know something."
+
+"I want to know about this John S. Watkins, of Bryport."
+
+"Um!  If I give you his record, you'll of course keep it to yourself.
+You know how the department is about such things?"
+
+"You are safe with me."
+
+"I'll have the record brought in."
+
+There was a wait of several minutes, and then a big book was produced
+from one of the safes.
+
+"Here you are, Adams: John S. Watkins, Bryport.  Born at New Haven,
+October 4, 1862.  Former occupation, model maker and cabinet maker.
+Private detective for four years, and one year with the Cassell agency.
+Entered the United States service three years ago.  Never been
+advanced.  Cases 45,254; 47,732; 46,829.  Wait till I see what those
+cases are."
+
+Then three other records were brought forth and examined.
+
+"Humph! all small affairs.  No wonder he hasn't been promoted.  The
+first is that of a young woman who used washed postage stamps.  They
+found four dollars worth of washed stamps in her possession.  The next
+is the arrest of a cigar dealer, who used stamped boxes more than once.
+He was a fellow sixty-eight years old and got two years.  The last case
+is a mail-order swindle, a ten-cent puzzle, a small affair, run by a
+nineteen-year-old boy, and sentence was suspended."
+
+"Not a very brilliant record," was Adams's comment.  "It's a wonder he
+can hold his job."
+
+"It is a wonder.  But he may have political influence, or something
+else, or, it is barely possible that he may be doing some work that is
+not on record here.  That is all I can tell you."
+
+"What is his salary?"
+
+"A thousand or twelve hundred a year."
+
+"Not a very elaborate income.  No wonder he would like to run down
+those counterfeiters.  It would be a feather in his cap, eh?"
+
+"Most assuredly.  Do you expect to double up with him?  Of course, it's
+none of my business and you needn't answer if you don't care to."
+
+"I don't know what I'll do yet.  This is a complication I want to study
+first."
+
+"I see.  Well, if we can help you--"
+
+"I'll send word, don't fear.  And if I do send word, I want you to act
+on the jump."
+
+"Don't worry about that.  I know if you send word it means business,"
+answered the secret service officer, with a laugh.
+
+An hour later found Adam Adams on a train bound for Bryport.  He
+reached that city in the evening, and from a directory he learned where
+the secret service man resided.  A street car brought him to within two
+blocks of the dwelling.  It was a building of no mean pretentions and
+on a corner which looked to be valuable.  Walking along the side street
+he saw that two domestics were at work in the kitchen and dining room.
+
+"He certainly lives in style," mused Adam Adams.  "Wonder if he manages
+it on twelve hundred a year?"
+
+As it was a warm night the windows were open and by going close to the
+house he could hear the conversation being carried on by the servants
+as they moved back and forth between the two rooms.
+
+From their talk, he learned that Mrs. Watkins and her two daughters
+were at Saratoga, and that it was expected that the husband would join
+his family there soon.
+
+"And we'll have good times when he's gone, ain't that so, Caddie?" said
+one of the domestics.
+
+"That we will," was the answer.  "Better times than now, anyway, when
+you can't tell when he is coming in and when he is going out.  It is a
+queer way he has with him lately."
+
+"I guess he is worried over his money."
+
+"Why, what do you know about that, Caddie Dix?"
+
+"What do I know, Nellie Casey?  Tim Corey told me Mrs. Watkins didn't
+git a cent of the old grandfather's money, although she said she did,
+and so did the master say so.  It all went to the other part of the
+family."
+
+"Then where did Mr. Watkins git his money, I'd like to know."
+
+"Don't ask me.  Tim says he is flush enough at the club and other
+places.  The government must pay him more than most folks imagine."
+
+"Is Tim goin' to the Rosebud's picnic?"
+
+"Yes, and Dan's goin' too, and Dan wants me to bring you," went on one
+of the domestics, and then the talk drifted into a channel which was of
+no further interest to Adam Adams.
+
+He rightfully surmised that John Watkins was not home and was somewhat
+puzzled to decide what he should do next.  It was a long journey from
+Bryport to Sidham, and it was a question if he could accomplish
+anything at the scene of the tragedy during the night.
+
+"Perhaps it will pay just as well to go to a hotel and go to bed," he
+told himself.
+
+He had just come out to the corner of the street and was halting at the
+curb, when he saw two men approaching.  One of the pair was John
+Watkins, and the other was a heavy-set stranger, with bushy hair and a
+round, red nose and mutton-chop whiskers.
+
+"Here we are, Styles," said John Watkins.  "It's a little late, but I
+reckon the girls can fix us up something to eat.  It's better than
+going to a restaurant."
+
+"Anything will do me, if you've got a glass of ale to go with it," was
+the reply.
+
+"Got to have a real Englishman's drink, eh?" said the secret service
+man, with a short laugh.  "Well, I've remembered you and I can fix you
+up to the queen's taste.  Come on inside."  And then the pair entered
+the house.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION
+
+Adam Adams had watched the appearance and disappearance of the two men
+with interest.  He remembered that Matlock Styles, the man who owed the
+Langmore estate $16,000 on three mortgages, was an Englishman, with
+mutton-chop whiskers.  Evidently the man who had arrived with the
+secret service employee was the same individual.
+
+This being so, the question at once arose, what had brought the pair
+together?  Matlock Styles lived in an old colonial mansion, so Raymond
+Case had said, a mile and a half from the Langmore estate.  Did his
+coming to Bryport have anything to do with the tragedy or with the
+counterfeits?
+
+Going close to the house once more, he heard the two men enter the
+parlor and heard Watkins order supper.  Then followed a conversation in
+such a low tone that he could only catch an occasional word.  He heard
+something about mortgages and then a safe was mentioned, but he could
+not catch the direct connection.  Evidently though, they were
+discussing the Langmore affair.
+
+In a short while supper was served and the two men passed to the dining
+hall.  Here, while the girls were near, they spoke of matters in
+general.  The meal finished, John Watkins invited his visitor up to his
+den on the second floor.
+
+As said before, the house was on a corner, and by the lighting up of a
+room above, Adam Adams located the den, just behind the main front
+corner room, and close to a tree, which grew along the side street.
+Looking around, the detective made certain that nobody was observing
+him, and then began to climb the tree with the agility of a schoolboy.
+One heavy branch ran out close to the building, and standing on this
+brought him to within three feet of the window, which was screened and
+open from the bottom to admit the air.  The curtain was down to within
+three inches of the window sill, thus affording the detective a chance
+to peep into the apartment without running much risk of being
+discovered.
+
+"Then you say the mortgages have not been paid?" came from John Watkins.
+
+"No, blast the luck!" growled Matlock Styles.  "I didn't think he
+wanted the cash so I let them run on."
+
+"Have you any idea how the estate is to be divided?"
+
+"I understand the girl gets half.  The wife's half will go to her two
+sons now."
+
+"That is lucky for them.  I reckon Dick Ostrello can use all the money
+he can lay hands on.  He's a wild one, if ever there was one."
+
+"Don't Tom spend his money?"
+
+"Not lately.  I understand he is saving up to marry some girl in New
+York."
+
+"Humph."
+
+There was a pause, during which time both men lit cigars.
+
+"How is the bloody business going?" asked Matlock Styles presently.
+
+"Oh, I manage to earn my salary," answered the secret service man, with
+a dry laugh.  "I don't get promoted though."
+
+"You ought to try to unearth some big mystery.  That would get your
+name in the papers."
+
+"I don't want my name in the papers.  I am doing well enough.  Ain't I
+on the track of those counterfeits?  What more do you want?"
+
+"Yes, but you haven't got them yet, blast the luck!  And you say you
+had the safe open?"
+
+"I did."
+
+"Then why didn't you look inside?  I should have done so."
+
+"I thought I'd get a better chance later on.  But when I went back hang
+me if I could work the combination again."
+
+"Have the safe makers opened the safe yet?"
+
+"I think so, but if the counterfeits were found the local authorities
+haven't said a word.  Somebody must be laying low."
+
+There was another pause, and then Matlock Styles brought some papers
+from his pocket.
+
+"You might glance over these bloody things while you have time," he
+observed.  "Perhaps they'll give you a clue to work on.  You see, I
+believe in helping a detective all I can," and he chuckled broadly.
+
+As Adam Adams could see, the documents were of legal aspect and with
+them were several letters.
+
+"Then the deal goes through," said John Watkins.
+
+"Doesn't that look like it?"
+
+"And the patent is yours?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"I wonder what Barry Langmore would say to this, if he was alive?"
+
+"He wouldn't like it at all."
+
+"Do you think you can make any money out of the patent?"
+
+"Money?  I hope to make a fortune out of it."
+
+"Say, Styles, you're a lucky dog and always were."
+
+"It's because I watch my bloomin' chances," answered the Englishman.
+"By the way, were you at the inquest?"
+
+"Sure."
+
+"I didn't see you."
+
+"No, but you spoke to me."
+
+"I did?  You're mistaken."
+
+"Don't you remember the farmer who asked you for a chew of terbacker?"
+
+"Was that you?" exclaimed Matlock Styles.  "If it was you're improving.
+The first thing you know you'll be the real thing and getting a head
+position at Washington."
+
+"I shouldn't mind that," answered John Watkins.
+
+"Where are you going to-morrow?"
+
+"To New York--to nose around."
+
+"Want to locate the counterfeits?"
+
+"I want to see if they have been reported.  I've got a certain idea
+about them, but I am not sure if I am right."
+
+"What's the idea?"
+
+"That Langmore girl has engaged a detective named Adam Adams to clear
+her, if he can.  He was dodging around the house when I was there, and
+somehow it's got into my head that he knows about the counterfeits."
+
+"Does he belong to the secret service?"
+
+"No, he's a private detective.  I don't know much about him, but they
+say he's a pretty good one," continued John Watkins.
+
+"You think he opened the safe?"
+
+"I'm thinking that perhaps he was at the safe after I opened it.  The
+safe is of a make in which the combination can be changed with ease.
+He could have looked into it and then have changed the numbers.  I
+certainly didn't forget the old combination--it was so easy, four on
+forty, three on thirty and two on twenty--but that wouldn't open it
+when I went back."
+
+"Can't you get in with him and find out what's what?" suggested Matlock
+Styles.  "You can tell him that you are working up this case of the
+counterfeits."
+
+"I may do that.  The trouble is, these private detectives don't like to
+go in with an outsider--they are too much afraid of losing the credit
+for what they are trying to do."
+
+"Is anybody else on the case?"
+
+"Not that I know of.  If there was--"
+
+At that moment the door bell of the house rang and soon one of the
+girls came upstairs.
+
+"Mr. Martin is below," said she to John Watkins.
+
+"Is that so?  Tell him I will see him in a minute."  The secret service
+man turned to the Englishman.  "He is a real estate man who is going to
+sell this house for me.  I'd forgotten that I had an appointment with
+him."
+
+"Never mind, give me that money you promised and I'll be going,"
+answered Matlock Styles.  "I've got a lot of things to attend to in the
+next few days."
+
+"I'll give it to you in the library.  The money is in the safe," was
+the answer, and then both of the men left the room.
+
+Adam Adams descended to the ground and walked slowly to the front of
+the house.  In a few minutes he saw the Englishman step out on the
+front piazza followed by the secret service man.
+
+"Where are you going now?" asked the latter.
+
+"Home and to bed," was the reply.  "Goodnight.  Will I see you
+to-morrow?"
+
+"Either to-morrow or the day after.  I want to settle up this real
+estate deal.  I promised my wife I'd do it."
+
+The Englishman came away from the house and hurried along the street to
+where the trolley car ran.  He boarded a car moving towards the depot
+and Adam Adams did the same.  At the depot Matlock Styles took a train
+for home.
+
+Adam Adams made his way to a hotel in a thoughtful mood.  The
+conversation he had overheard interested him greatly.  He decided to
+learn more concerning the pair, and especially Matlock Styles, without
+unnecessary delay.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+A GIRL'S RAVINGS
+
+Raymond Case passed a sleepless night watching over Margaret.  The
+doctor called once more, as he had agreed, and left another soothing
+powder, which the nurse administered with difficulty.  She shook her
+head when she came out of the sick room.
+
+"What do you think?" questioned the young man pleadingly.
+
+"To tell the truth, it looks like a bad case to me, Mr. Case," was the
+reply.  "I may be mistaken, but I've had a pretty large hospital
+experience.  She doesn't seem to respond to treatment as she should."
+
+"Don't you think I ought to call in a specialist?"
+
+Martha Sampson shrugged her shoulders.  "That is for you to say.  It
+wouldn't be proper for me to say anything against Doctor Bird."
+
+"I'll send for a specialist at once," said Raymond, and hurried off to
+the nearest telephone station.  He had some difficulty in getting the
+proper connection with New York, and then had to hold the wire until
+the specialist could be roused up.  The expert's fee was large, but
+once guaranteed, he promised to come by the first train.
+
+"He'll be here by seven o'clock," said the young man, on returning to
+the house.
+
+"Will you let Doctor Bird know?"
+
+"Yes, as soon as the specialist gets here.  I want to be sure of my new
+man first."
+
+It was six o'clock when Margaret roused up once more.  Raymond was
+dozing in an armchair, the nurse having retired to get a short sleep.
+The young man was instantly at the sufferer's side.
+
+All the color had left Margaret's face and she was deathly pale.  Her
+eyes were as bright as stars and had a look in them that Raymond had
+never before seen.
+
+"Are you better, Margaret?" he asked softly.
+
+"I--I don't know," she answered slowly.  "I--I feel very strange all
+over me."
+
+"Perhaps you had better go to sleep again."
+
+"No, I don't want to sleep any more, Raymond.  I want to know
+something."
+
+"What is it, dear?"
+
+"Will they make me go to the funerals?"  Her face began to show signs
+of worriment.
+
+"You'll not have to go if you don't wish to," he answered, and gave a
+slight shiver in spite of himself, for the question was such an
+unexpected one.
+
+"I can't go--I can't look at them!  And then the crowd would stare so!
+Oh, Raymond, the crowd is the worst of all!  Hundreds of eyes boring
+one through and through!  I can't stand that!"
+
+"You'll not have to stand that, Margaret.  But go to sleep, do!  It
+will do you a world of good," and he smoothed down her hair fondly.
+
+"No, I've slept enough--I want to talk.  Oh, I am not afraid to talk
+now," she added, sitting up.  "I thought it all out while I was
+sleeping.  Isn't it funny that one can think a thing out in one's
+sleep?  And it's so very clear now--as clear as crystal--and it was so
+dark and muddled before.  Will they give me a trial?"
+
+He started in spite of himself.  "Please don't think of that now,
+Margaret, I beg of you.  Lie down and try to sleep.  I have sent for
+another doctor, a specialist.  He will be here soon."
+
+"A specialist?  How can he help me?  You hired that Mr. Adam Adams but
+he has deserted me.  But then--but then--he must have learned the
+truth!"  She gave a sob and buried her face in her hands.  "Yes, he
+must have learned the truth!"
+
+"Margaret, do keep quiet, please!" he pleaded.  "You need rest, you
+must have rest."
+
+"No, I want to talk, to tell you something, Raymond.  I--I want you to
+go away."
+
+"Away?  Oh, Margaret!"
+
+"Yes, away--you mustn't come near me any more.  You are innocent and it
+isn't right that you should suffer with me.  You must go away and
+forget me."
+
+"I'll never do that.  You mustn't even dream of such a thing.  We are
+going to get you well, and we are going to prove your innocence to the
+world."
+
+"My innocence?  Oh, Raymond, don't speak so--it cuts me like a knife!"
+
+"But I mean it," he said firmly.
+
+"Yes, yes, I know--you are so good-hearted, so true!  But haven't I
+told you?  Must I go over it again?  The ring, the blood--"
+
+"Margaret!"
+
+"And that note, and the quarrels, and all.  Didn't they prove that I
+was guilty?  Yes, they proved it, and I must--must--  Will they hang
+me or electrocute me?  I wonder how it feels to be hung or
+electrocuted?"  She gave a hollow, bitter laugh.  "I'll soon know, I
+suppose!"  And then she fell back on her pillow exhausted.
+
+The nurse had been aroused by the talking and stood in the doorway.
+She gazed questioningly at the young man.
+
+"Did you wake her up?"
+
+"No, she roused up and insisted upon talking."
+
+"She ought to be kept quiet.  I'll give her another powder."
+
+"Had you not better wait until the specialist arrives?"
+
+"Well, we can do that--if he isn't delayed too long."
+
+After that the time dragged heavily.  Just before train time Raymond
+took a coach to the depot and there met the specialist and told his
+story as the pair were driven rapidly to the house.
+
+"It is a purely nervous shock, undoubtedly," said the specialist.  "I
+will first find out from the nurse what the other doctor has given her."
+
+He was soon in consultation with Martha Sampson.  In the midst of this
+Doctor Bird arrived.  The local physician was willing enough to
+transfer the case to new hands.
+
+"I am of the opinion that she is guilty," he said in private to the
+specialist.  "Mr. Case, of course, thinks differently.  You can figure
+it out to suit yourself," and he told exactly what he had done and then
+went away, not to return.
+
+Doctor Fanning watched at the sufferer's side for over an hour, before
+Margaret roused up again.  The girl was very weak and spoke
+disconnectedly, but always in the same strain.  She went over the scene
+at the inquest several times, and spoke of the blood on the engagement
+ring, as if that was the crown of her misfortunes.  Then she sat up
+suddenly and looked at the new doctor.
+
+"Are you the judge?" she demanded.  "If you are I will tell you all.  I
+am guilty--they proved it!  I am guilty! guilty! guilty!" she repeated
+the words over and over again, until she fell back on the pillow as
+before.  Then she became delirious and it took both the nurse and
+Raymond to hold her.  The doctor speedily opened up his case of
+medicines and gave her a hypodermic injection in the forearm.  Then he
+made an examination of the patient, lasting some time.
+
+"I will be plain with you, Mr. Case," he said, drawing the young man to
+another room.  "This is a serious matter--a very serious matter indeed.
+I believe you think the young lady innocent of the crime of which she
+is accused?"
+
+"I am willing to stake my life on it.  She is raving now, that is all."
+
+"Um!"  The specialist nodded slowly and thoughtfully.  "Well then, we
+can only hope for the best.  I had better stay with her, at least
+to-day and to-morrow--there may be another turn to her condition
+shortly."
+
+"Do your best, doctor.  I am willing to foot the bill, no matter what
+it is."
+
+"If I was certain she was innocent--"
+
+"I am certain of it."
+
+"You have the proofs?"
+
+"No, not that.  But--"
+
+"I understand your situation, Mr. Case, and I honor you for the stand
+you have taken.  At the same time I feel it my duty to tell you
+something.  It is about a case that came under my notice three years
+ago.  An old man was murdered and his wife was suspected of the crime.
+She declared that she was innocent and many believed her.  But soon the
+evidence began to accumulate against her and she had the same kind of a
+shock that Miss Langmore has experienced.  She raved and at last cried
+out that she was guilty--"
+
+"And was she guilty?"
+
+"It was never proven, although matters looked black against her.  The
+case hung fire because the old woman kept growing worse.  The doctors
+who were in attendance did all that medical science could suggest to
+bring the old woman out of her peculiar state.  But it was of no avail."
+
+"And the end, doctor, the end?" questioned the young man eagerly.
+
+"It's a sorry thing to tell you, but it is best to be warned.  The old
+woman went mad and while in that condition she one night committed
+suicide by leaping out of a window.  It is a sad case but it may act as
+a warning.  Someone must be on hand to watch Miss Langmore constantly."
+
+A long conversation followed, and the specialist gave minute direction
+to the nurse, who promised to get another nurse to relieve her.  Then
+the medical man mixed up several drugs and placed the mixture in a
+glass with some water.
+
+The talk left Raymond in low spirits and the young man walked up and
+down in the parlor below in a thoughtful mood.  The outlook was
+certainly gloomy enough.  What if the shock should prove so severe that
+Margaret would never get over it?  In that case it would matter little
+even if her innocence was established.
+
+In the midst of his meditations he saw a man come up on the porch and
+he opened the door to admit Adam Adams and ushered the detective in the
+parlor.
+
+"I understand Miss Langmore was brought here," said Adam Adams,
+dropping into a chair.
+
+"Yes," and Raymond told his story.  "We looked for you at the trial,"
+he added.
+
+"I had other things to do, Mr. Case, and I read the most of the
+testimony in the newspapers.  But I am sorry to learn that Miss
+Langmore is in this condition and I trust the specialist pulls her
+through in good shape."
+
+"Yes, yes, so do I.  But we must clear her, Mr. Adams--it must be done."
+
+"I said I would do my best.  But this is going to be no ordinary
+mystery to unravel.  It is deeper than most folks suspect.  A deep
+motive was the cause of the double murder--a motive I hope to unearth
+before I am through."
+
+"Unless the mystery is speedily cleared up I am afraid Miss Langmore
+will go raving mad, and the specialist is afraid so, too."
+
+"Yes, such things have happened before--the mental strain is too great
+for sensitive nerves to bear.  So I must lose no time.  Now to come to
+business.  I want you to tell me all you can about Mr. Langmore's life
+and his business dealings with people in this vicinity."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+ADAM ADAMS MAKES A NEW MOVE
+
+It was not until an hour later that Adam Adams left Martha Sampson's
+cottage.  He had gained from Raymond all the information he could and
+also the names and addresses of half a dozen people he thought to
+interview.  He spent what was left of the forenoon in the town, calling
+at the bank, and on a lawyer and one of the merchants, and about three
+o'clock in the afternoon made his way once more to the vicinity of the
+Langmore mansion.  Here, to his surprise, he ran into Charles Vapp.
+
+"Is your man around here?" he asked, as the pair met in the shadow of
+some bushes.
+
+"Yes, went into the house five minutes ago."
+
+"Have you learned anything unusual?"
+
+"Not much.  He has been around arranging his business affairs and he
+met Miss Bernard and the two had a confidential talk, but I couldn't
+get close enough to hear what was said.  After that he came out to
+Sidham and there met a man named Matlock Styles."
+
+"Go on."
+
+"The two had a long talk, and Ostrello seemed to be angry about
+something.  Then this Styles seemed to threaten Ostrello and the young
+man seemed to lose all his nerve and wilt.  I never saw a fellow change
+so.  'You can't do it!' I heard him say and Styles answered: 'I can and
+I will, if you try to interfere with my business.'  Then they talked in
+a low tone and Styles went off in a buggy, saying he was going home.
+Ostrello walked up the street and down again, as if he didn't know what
+to do.  At last he hired a rig and came out here.  He went into the
+house and I was just going to change my disguise and take a look around
+when you came up."
+
+"I see.  Well, Vapp, if he meets this Styles again you do your level
+best to hear what is said."
+
+"I did it before, but they kept in a corner of a building and I
+couldn't get near without attracting their attention.  I tried it once
+but both of them gave me such a suspicious look I had to move on."
+
+"That's all?"
+
+"He sent three letters and a telegram.  The telegram was to the firm he
+works for, something about an order for quinine pills--I heard it
+clicked off at the telegraph office."
+
+"Well, you can stay here and I'll go into the house.  If he comes out
+you follow him," said Adam Adams.
+
+The detective found the mansion in charge of the policeman and Mrs.
+Morse.  Both looked at him questioningly as he entered.
+
+"Nothing is to be touched," said the policeman.  "Them's orders from
+headquarters."
+
+"Is anybody here?"
+
+"Mrs. Morse and myself, that's all."
+
+"No visitors at all?"
+
+"No, sir."
+
+"That's queer.  Haven't seen anything of Mrs. Langmore's son to-day?"
+
+The policeman shook his head.  "You haven't seen him, have you?" he
+asked of the woman.
+
+"No, and I don't want to see him," she answered tartly.  "I don't want
+anybody to bother me," and she looked directly at the detective.
+
+"I shan't bother you," was the quick reply.  "But as I am working on
+behalf of Miss Langmore, and as this was her father's house and the one
+in which she lived, I think I shall take a look around," he went on, in
+a slightly stiffer voice.
+
+"But orders--" began the policeman.
+
+"You may go around with me, so that you can be sure I do not touch
+anything."
+
+"Well, I dunno--" began the bluecoat.
+
+His speech was cut short by the banging of a rear door, as the wind
+caught it.  Mrs. Morse gave a cry.
+
+"What was that?  I didn't leave any door open!"
+
+She ran to the rear of the mansion and the policeman followed.  Adam
+Adams stepped to the front door and then out on the lawn.  He was in
+time to see a man leap a side fence and start down the road.  A moment
+later Charles Vapp was following the disappearing individual.  The
+detective stepped into the house again.
+
+"Well, that's mighty queer," muttered the policeman, as he came back.
+
+"It is queer," answered Adam Adams, eying him sternly.  "You had better
+explain it if you want to keep out of trouble."
+
+"Explain what?" came from Mrs. Morse.
+
+"You just told me that nobody was in the house."
+
+"Well?"
+
+"A man just left by the back door and ran away.  Either you knew he was
+here or else you are not taking proper care of these premises."
+
+"Why, sir--" began the woman, but then her eyes dropped before the
+steady gaze of the detective.  "I--that is--"
+
+"Who was that man?  Come, answer me truthfully, or I shall report this,
+and let me say, my word will carry great weight."
+
+"Oh, well, if you must know, it was Mr. Ostrello, Mrs. Langmore's son.
+He wanted--er--some books he left here some time ago.  I don't know why
+he left in such a hurry.  Perhaps because he didn't wish to meet you."
+
+"Then you admit you lied to me, do you?"
+
+At this the woman broke down completely and began to cry.  "I didn't
+want to do any wrong, sir.  He said he wanted to get the books and he
+didn't want every Tom, Dick and Harry to know he was here--those are
+his own words.  He's a very nice gentleman, and so--so--I said what I
+did."
+
+"You let him go through the house?"
+
+"He had that right.  It was his mother's home, wasn't it?"
+
+"Yet you didn't want me to go through."
+
+"A relative is different."
+
+"Nevertheless, I think I'll take a look around, now he has gone,"
+returned Adam Adams.
+
+To this the woman felt she could no longer object and the policeman
+merely shrugged his shoulders.  From the pair the detective learned
+that the safe had been opened by an expert in the presence of the
+coroner and chief of police, who had then had the combination set to
+suit themselves.
+
+A tour of the mansion brought nothing new to light and Adam Adams left
+by the back way and walked down to the brook.  Then he leaped the
+stream and took to a narrow path leading through the woods beyond.
+Deep in the woods he paused, to make several changes in his appearance,
+putting on a light wig and blue goggles and also an old-fashioned
+collar and necktie.  Then he rubbed a little brown powder on his hands
+and face, rendering his complexion several shades darker than ordinary,
+
+From a map of the county he had studied the surrounding roads
+thoroughly, and soon came out on a highway leading to Matlock Styles'
+residence.  He was more than ever interested in the Englishman and
+wondered what John Watkins, Tom Ostrello and Styles might have in
+common.
+
+In the distance he presently beheld a house he knew must be the Styles
+place.  There was a turn in the road and instead of going up to the
+house by the front way the detective leaped a fence and passed through
+a wheatfield.  Beyond this, and quite close to the house and the
+out-buildings, was a field planted with corn, between the rows of which
+were pumpkins and squashes.
+
+He had hoped to gain the vicinity of the residence without being
+observed, as it was now growing darker, but he was not yet halfway
+through the cornfield when the deep baying of a mastiff burst upon his
+ear, coming nearer and nearer.
+
+"Hullo! this is something I didn't bargain for," he muttered.  He did
+not wish to shoot a valuable dog and at the same time he did not intend
+to run the risk of being bitten and perhaps torn to pieces.
+
+He halted and drew his pistol, and a second later the dog burst into
+view.  He was a full-blooded mastiff and a magnificent creature in
+every way.  He came to a halt and showed his teeth, and presently his
+mate also appeared.
+
+"Back there!" cried the detective.  "Back, I say!"  But the dogs only
+came closer, baying loudly and eying him in anything but a friendly
+fashion.
+
+"Hi, there, Nelson!" came a voice from the other side of the cornfield.
+"Hi, Queen, what's the matter?"
+
+"Call off your dogs, unless you want me to shoot them!" exclaimed Adam
+Adams.
+
+"Blast you, don't you shoot my dogs," was the answer, and in a moment
+more Matlock Styles put in an appearance.  He carried a dog-whip and
+motioned the animals away.  "Back, Nelson, you bloody brute!  Back,
+Queen!"  And both animals slunk to his rear.
+
+"Thanks!  I am glad you came," said Adam Adams, and slipped his pistol
+back into his pocket.
+
+"Are you?" sneered the Englishman.  "If you had killed one of those
+dogs you would have gotten into a mess, I can warrant.  They are worth
+a hundred pounds--five hundred dollars--each."
+
+"Great smoke!  I'm glad I didn't touch 'em, sir.  I couldn't pay for
+one leg," and the detective grinned.
+
+"What are you doing in this field?"
+
+"I thought I'd take a short-cut to the Knoxbury road.  It's getting
+late and I want to get back to the tavern there."
+
+"The Knoxbury road?  Why, man, you're a good three miles out of your
+bloomin' way.  The Knoxbury road isn't this way--it's over there," and
+Matlock Styles pointed with his whip.
+
+"Is that so?  Then I'm twisted.  Too bad!  I'm so dog tired I can't
+walk much further either."
+
+"Been taking a constitutional?"
+
+"That and I walked over to look at the place where that double murder
+took place.  Awful crime that, eh?  Made me shiver just to look at the
+house.  I suppose you've heard about it?"
+
+"Yes, everybody knows about it around here."
+
+"They say the man's daughter did it."
+
+"If she did, they ought to string her up for it," growled Matlock
+Styles.  "Such a blasted, cold-blooded crime as that was.  Was you to
+the inquest?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Our coroner got her to rights.  He's a sharp one."
+
+While the two were talking they were walking towards the house, which
+was a pretentious affair but closed up on one side.  They halted near a
+side porch.
+
+"If I am three or four miles from the Knoxbury road I'd like to get
+something to eat and rest a bit before I start out again," said the
+detective.  "Could you supply me with a bite?  I'm willing to pay
+whatever's fair."
+
+"I fancy so," answered the Englishman, after a slight hesitation,
+during which he eyed Adam Adams keenly.  "Polly!" he called, and an old
+woman, with a wrinkled face and a tangle of gray hair appeared, holding
+a cup in one hand and a towel in the other.
+
+"What are ye wantin' now, Mat?" she croaked.
+
+"Here's a gentleman has lost his way.  He wants a bite to eat before he
+starts again.  Fix him up some sandwiches and some milk, and whatever
+else you have handy that's good.  Where is Paul?"
+
+"Gone to town."
+
+"And Fred?"
+
+"Gone to see the Garrison girl."
+
+The woman disappeared from view, and a moment later Matlock Styles and
+Adam Adams entered the dining room of the abode.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+A QUEER TURN OF AFFAIRS
+
+The detective felt that he was on delicate as well as dangerous ground.
+Nothing had been said to arouse his suspicions but he could feel by
+instinct that the Englishman was growing distrustful of him.
+
+"Take off your coat, it's bloomin' warm in here," said Matlock Styles,
+as he proceeded to shed his outer garment.
+
+"Thanks, but I'd just as soon keep my coat on," was the answer.  "I am
+used to it.  Fine farm you have here."
+
+"Pretty fair."
+
+"Raise much grain?"
+
+"Only for the stock.  I deal mostly in horses and in fancy dogs."
+
+"I used to own a fancy dog myself," said Adam Adams smoothly and
+mentioned the fine points.  The Englishman seemed to warm up to this
+subject and spoke of the many dogs he had, and of the prices some had
+brought him.  In the midst of the conversation a lunch was brought in
+and the detective sat down to eat.  Then with great care Adam Adams
+brought the talk around once more to the Langmore tragedy.  But Matlock
+Styles at once grew cold.
+
+"The girl did it," he reaffirmed.  "They have her cornered.  It won't
+be possible for her to clear herself, even with the best lawyers in the
+country."
+
+"Do they suspect anybody else?"
+
+"I think not.  By the way, did you say you were at the house?"
+
+"Oh, I walked around the place, that's all.  I saw a policeman on guard
+there."
+
+"Anybody else?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Did you come across the stream?" asked the Englishman quickly.
+
+"Yes.  I thought it was a short cut, but I got lost."
+
+"You came right from the brook to my place?"
+
+"Well, not exactly.  I got tangled up in the woods before I got on the
+path that brought me here."
+
+"See anything strange around the Langmore house--any tracks or anything
+like that?"
+
+"Why do you ask that?  I thought you were sure Miss Langmore was
+guilty."
+
+"So I am, but a fellow makes some bloomin' mistakes sometimes.  I am
+not interested very much though," continued Matlock Styles, and gave a
+yawn.
+
+"I saw nothing out of the ordinary.  There were a good many footprints."
+
+"Running this way?"
+
+"Running every way, I thought.  What kind of a man was this Barry
+Langmore?"
+
+"A fairly good sort.  He wanted everything that was coming to him, and
+so did his wife.  She was a tartar and so was the girl.  I shouldn't
+have wanted to live in the house with them."
+
+At that moment another man appeared at the doorway.
+
+"Hullo! got company?" he called out.
+
+"Not exactly, Bart," answered Matlock Styles.  "Excuse me for a
+moment," he continued, to the detective, and passed out of the room and
+to the kitchen with the newcomer.
+
+He was gone for several minutes and during that time Adam Adams
+finished his lunch and took a good look at the room he occupied.  There
+was nothing unusual about the apartment and his survey was finished
+before the Englishman returned.
+
+"Now I think I'll pay you and be on my way," said Adam Adams, rising.
+There seemed to be no excuse for his lingering longer.  "How much do I
+owe you?"
+
+"Not a blasted farthing."
+
+"Then I am much obliged.  Will you have a smoke?" and Adam Adams handed
+forth a couple of choice Havana cigars.
+
+"I don't know as I care to smoke, Mr.--You didn't give me your name."
+
+"Robert Dixon.  And yours?"
+
+"Matlock Styles.  I don't care to smoke."
+
+"Bart!"
+
+At the call the other man came in from the kitchen.  To his surprise
+Adam Adams saw that he carried a rope in one hand and a pistol in the
+other.  He was followed by the mastiff Nelson.
+
+"Don't you dare to stir, you bloody rascal!" went on Matlock Styles to
+the detective.
+
+"Why, what's the matter now?" queried Adam Adams.  The turn of affairs
+puzzled him not a little.
+
+"You'll soon see what's the matter," said the man called Bart.
+
+"I must say I don't understand you."
+
+"Maybe you'll understand when you are a prisoner," put in Matlock
+Styles.
+
+"A prisoner?  What for?"
+
+"You know well enough."
+
+"I am entirely in the dark.  See here, is this a hold-up?"
+
+"Yes, for we are going to hold you up, you bloody villain," said the
+Englishman, with a chuckle.  "Don't dare to resist, or it will be the
+worse for you," and he drew a pistol from his pocket.
+
+"But what does it mean?"
+
+"It means that I have found you out.  You are the murderer of Mr. and
+Mrs. Langmore."
+
+"What!"
+
+For the instant Adam Adams was truly surprised.  It was such a turn of
+affairs as he had not anticipated.  He looked at Matlock Styles keenly.
+Could the Englishman really mean what he said?  He certainly appeared
+sincere enough.
+
+"You have made a great mistake, sir," said the detective.  "I know
+nothing more of the murders than I have already related."
+
+"I think differently, my fine fellow."
+
+"What makes you imagine I am guilty?"
+
+"Never mind that now."
+
+"Why, I can prove an _alibi_."
+
+"Then you'll have to prove it, and a bloody strong one too, before I
+let you go.  I've seen you sneaking around before.  That's a wig you
+are wearing.  Bart, bind him, and do it bloomin' tight, too."
+
+"I'll do it tight enough," answered the other man, pocketing his
+pistol.  "Hold out your hands," he went on to the detective.
+
+Adam Adams looked around to see if there was some means of escape.  But
+he realized that between the two men and the somewhat savage mastiff he
+was squarely cornered.
+
+"I suppose I'll have to submit," he said.  "But let me tell you that
+you are making a big mistake and it will cost you dear if you make me
+submit to this indignity.  I'll sue you for a good round sum."
+
+At this Matlock Styles winced.  Evidently he was one who did not like
+to have his pocketbook touched.  But then he stiffened again.
+
+"I am willing to run the risk.  Go ahead, Bart."
+
+Adam Adams was compelled to hold out his hands and to his astonishment,
+not to say chagrin, his arms and also his legs were tightly bound.
+
+"Going to search him?" asked the fellow called Bart.
+
+"Of course," answered Matlock Styles and went through the detective's
+pockets one after the other.  Fortunately Adam Adams had but little
+with him outside of a roll of bankbills and the material for several
+disguises.  Matlock Styles allowed him to keep his money but placed the
+disguises on the table.
+
+"That looks as if you were an honest man," said he with a sneer.
+"Honest men don't go around in this fashion.  You're the man, beyond a
+bloody doubt, and I am going to hand you over to the police.  Nelson!"
+
+At the call the mastiff came up and looked inquiringly at his master.
+
+"Sit down in that chair," continued the Englishman to Adam Adams,
+shoving him backward on a seat.  "Now, Nelson, watch him.  Watch him,
+old boy.  Don't let him get up."  And the dog growled in response.
+
+The Englishman then motioned to the other man, and the pair went out
+together, closing the door after them.  Listening, the detective heard
+a murmur of voices in the kitchen of the house and then all became
+quiet.
+
+Adam Adams was angry, and that anger was directed entirely at himself.
+In the easiest possible manner he had allowed himself to be outwitted
+and exposed.
+
+Could the Englishman be honest in what he said, or was he playing a
+deep game?  That was a question which could not as yet be answered.  If
+the fellow was honest he was most likely now getting ready to take his
+prisoner to the Sidham lockup.  The absurdity of such a move compelled
+Adam Adams to smile bitterly.
+
+To escape was out of the question.  He could not slip from the cords
+which bound him, and at his slightest move the mastiff growled and
+showed an inclination to leap at his throat.  So the detective
+considered discretion the better part of valor and remained quiet.
+
+It was fully an hour before Matlock Styles returned.  He was alone and
+carried a lantern on his arm, for it was now dark outside.
+
+"I can't take you to town to-night," he said.  "I am going to keep you
+here until morning."
+
+"You haven't any right to keep me at all."
+
+"I'll risk that.  I'll make you comfortable, don't you fear."
+
+Adam Adams thought rapidly.  Perhaps to remain a prisoner at the
+farmhouse would be better than to be taken to town.  During the night
+he might get the opportunity to escape.
+
+Matlock Styles untied the end of the rope which bound the detective's
+legs and ordered the prisoner to follow him.
+
+"And don't try to run away, unless you want Nelson to make a meal of
+you," he added grimly.
+
+"Where are you going to take me?"
+
+"You'll soon see."
+
+The Englishman led the way out of the farmhouse and past the barn and
+several other out-buildings.  Then he took to a path leading to the
+river and presently came to a halt in front of an old deserted mill.
+The building was dark and forbidding, and an owl, hooting in a nearby
+tree, added to the loneliness of the situation.
+
+"I don't understand this," said the detective, as Matlock Styles came
+to a halt.
+
+The Englishman did not answer.  Instead, he set down his lantern and
+proceeded to bind the detective's legs once more.  His manner was now
+rough and he acted as if he was somewhat desperate.  He shoved open a
+door to the mill and peered around inside.  Then he stepped back, put
+his lantern over his arm and caught Adam Adams up by the middle and
+threw the detective over his shoulder as if his prisoner were a log of
+wood.
+
+There was no use arguing and Adam Adams did not attempt it.  Indeed, he
+was rather curious to see what the fellow would do next.  Matlock
+Styles entered the old mill and then descended a flight of stone steps.
+Below was a sort of cellar, damp and musty.  Crossing the cellar the
+Englishman opened an iron door in a brick wall and literally threw Adam
+Adams into the inky darkness beyond.
+
+"Now stay there until I get ready to take you to jail," cried the man.
+
+He banged the heavy iron door shut and bolted it.  The next instant the
+detective heard him cross the cellar.  He mounted the stairs, banged
+the door above; and all became quiet.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+CLOSE TO DEATH
+
+For several seconds after being forced into the darkness beyond the
+iron door Adam Adams stood perfectly still.  He heard Matlock Styles go
+upstairs and was fairly well satisfied that the Englishman had left the
+old mill.
+
+"That man has something up his sleeve as sure as fate," murmured the
+detective to himself.  "He is playing a game, and a deep one, too."
+
+The darkness was absolute, and although he strained his eyes to the
+utmost he could not see a single thing surrounding him.  To all
+appearances he was in a veritable dungeon.
+
+He sat down on the cement floor, and bending forward, managed, after
+much labor, to loosen the rope around his legs with his teeth.  Then he
+began to twist and turn at the rope which held his arms and presently
+that also came away.  His efforts lacerated his wrists and ankles, but
+to the pain he paid no attention.
+
+With caution he moved around until his hands came in contact with a
+stone wall.  He paused for a moment and then moved along the wall,
+feeling carefully, so that he might not miss any opening which might
+present itself, and keeping one hand in front of him, so that he might
+not run into anything.
+
+The wall was smooth and apparently solid.  Suddenly he put out his foot
+and stepped upon nothing but air.  He tried to draw back, but it was
+too late, and with a cry that could not be suppressed he went down into
+pitch-black space.  He struck on some sharp rocks, and then his senses
+forsook him.
+
+The fall was a perilous one and it was only by good luck that Adam
+Adams did not have his brains dashed out.  As it was he remained
+unconscious for fully half an hour, and came to his senses to find a
+large lump on his head and the blood flowing over his face.  His left
+shoulder was lame and for the time being he was afraid it was broken.
+
+The rocks upon which he had fallen rested in several inches of water,
+and with this water he washed off the blood and bathed his hurts as
+best he could in the darkness.
+
+The mishap made him reach but one conclusion.  Matlock Styles had
+placed him there so that he might injure if not kill himself!
+
+"The rascal!" muttered the detective.  "If I ever get out of here he
+shall suffer for this if for nothing else!"
+
+It took him some time to pull himself together and get his breath.
+Then he felt around cautiously, being careful to take no more steps
+until he was sure of his footing.
+
+In a quarter of an hour he knew he was a prisoner in a circular cistern
+perhaps twelve feet in diameter and of uncertain depth.  The walls were
+perpendicular, smooth and covered with slime, so to crawl up was
+totally out of the question.
+
+"A pretty fix to be in," he mused.  "If Styles had wanted to kill and
+bury me he couldn't have started out better.  Ha!  What's that?"  He
+listened and then smiled grimly to himself.  "Rats.  I suppose there
+are scores of them around this place.  I must see to it that they don't
+get a chance to feed upon my body!"
+
+What was the best way to get out?  For some minutes the detective
+studied the situation.  In one of his pockets he had stuffed the rope
+taken from his legs, thinking it might come in handy in some way.  He
+made a small loop at one end of this rope and threw it upward a dozen
+times or more.  At last it caught on something and held fast.
+
+Being on guard, in case he might fall backward, Adam Adams pulled
+himself up on the rope.  It had caught on a sharp stone close to the
+top of the cistern and with an effort he drew himself to the flooring
+above.
+
+"Thank Heaven for that," he murmured.  "I must steer clear of such
+pitfalls in the future.  If only I had a light!"
+
+But his pocket light as well as his pistol had been taken from him.
+Whatever was to be done, must be accomplished in the darkness, and once
+more he set out on his tour of exploration, but this time with added
+caution.
+
+It was not long before he found a place where the cellar sloped
+downward.  At the end was a semi-circular opening, not unlike a huge
+drain.
+
+"I'll follow this and see where it leads to," he told himself, and went
+ahead a distance of thirty feet, when he found himself wading into
+water that was fairly clean and sweet.
+
+"I must be close to the river now," he reasoned.  "I wonder if I can
+swim out to the stream?"
+
+He hesitated for a minute and then resolved to make a dive for liberty.
+Down he went into the water and plunged along until he was over his
+head.  Then he struck out as well as circumstances permitted.  It was a
+truly perilous thing to attempt, but the detective was on his mettle
+and desperate.
+
+Twenty feet were passed and then the force of the water seemed to drive
+him upward.  There was now no turning back, and holding his breath with
+difficulty, he swam on and on, rising steadily until his head struck an
+iron obstruction.  He put up his hands and found that it was a grating.
+Opening his eyes he made out that the grating was less than three
+inches from the surface of the river.  Beyond he could see the open sky
+and the stars shining brightly.
+
+With might and main he tried to push the grating aside.  It refused to
+budge, and he grew frantic, for his breath was fast leaving him.  It
+looked as if he would be drowned like a rat in a trap.
+
+Desperately and with all of his remaining strength he threw himself at
+the grating.  It bent at one end and came loose.  Then he made another
+attack and the grating dropped to one side and his body shot upward to
+the surface of the river, out into the life-giving air.  He gasped,
+spluttered, almost tumbled down again, and then staggered to the shore,
+which was close at hand.  He had been under water less than three
+minutes, yet the time had seemed an age.
+
+He sat on the grassy bank for a long time, trying to get back his
+strength and wondering what he had best do next.  All was silent around
+him, saving for the hooting of some owls and the occasional far-off cry
+of a whip-poor-will.  He gazed around, but not a light was in sight.
+The old mill was beyond him, partly screened by a number of trees.
+
+Should he return to the vicinity of Matlock Styles' house and set a
+watch?  This he thought a good idea, but there were two objections.  He
+was wet to the skin and wanted some dry clothes, and he did not relish
+running into one or more of the Englishman's savage dogs, when he had
+nothing with which to defend himself.
+
+As he sat there meditating, a stream of light shot across his feet and
+then disappeared.  It had come from an upper window of the old mill and
+he scrambled to his feet to see what it meant.  In a moment more he saw
+another stream of light and then a curious white cloud floated up from
+another window of the mill.  At the same time he heard loud groans and
+then a hoarse note coming from what appeared to him to be a fog horn.
+The groans and the white vapor lasted for several minutes and then died
+away together.
+
+It was a most uncanny happening and made his heart beat a little
+quicker than was its usual habit.  Then of a sudden his face brightened
+and he smiled to himself.
+
+"Make-believe ghosts and nothing more," he mused.  "I wonder who is
+trying to scare folks away from the old mill?  Most likely it is this
+Matlock Styles and it is part of another game of his.  He must have
+gotten his idea from the old miser in the 'Chimes of Normandy,' only he
+works his ghostship a little differently."
+
+He was about to move forward when a sound reached his ears which caused
+him to pause.  A dog was approaching--one of the mastiffs he had met
+before.  The animal growled ominously and would have attacked Adam
+Adams had not the detective leaped into the water and begun to swim
+away.  The dog halted on the edge of the bank, and then there seemed
+nothing for the detective to do but to swim to the other side of the
+river, which he did, and then disappeared into the bushes.
+
+"I think this investigation will keep--at least for to-night," he
+reasoned.  "I may as well get back to town, get some dry clothes, and
+go to bed."
+
+His adventures had tired him and he was thoroughly exhausted by the
+time he reached the Beechwood Hotel.  Here he explained that he had
+slipped into the river and readily obtained some dry garments, after
+which he went to bed, sleeping soundly until sunrise.
+
+He obtained an early and substantial breakfast and then visited a
+clothing establishment for another suit of clothing and a hat.  From
+the clothing store he stepped into a drug shop, purchasing a number of
+chemicals and also an atomizer.  Then he visited a barber shop and got
+a close hair cut.
+
+At the post-office he received a letter, dropped by Charles Vapp the
+evening before.  It was short and to the point:
+
+
+"The man is keeping me on the jump.  He went to see Matlock Styles and
+Styles threatened him with something again and Ostrello was greatly
+disturbed.  After that Ostrello sent a money-order to his brother Dick
+for fifty dollars.  He is now going to New York again and I shall
+follow."
+
+
+This communication set Adam Adams to thinking once more.  That Tom
+Ostrello and Matlock Styles had something in common there could be no
+doubt.  The question was, What?
+
+As the detective was walking back to the hotel he saw Raymond Case
+approaching and went to meet the young man.
+
+"Oh, Mr. Adams, I am glad to meet you," cried Raymond.  "Have you
+learned anything new?"
+
+"A little but not a great deal.  How is Miss Langmore this morning?"
+
+Raymond drew a long sigh.
+
+"I do not think she is much better.  She is more quiet, but--"
+
+"She is not clear in her mind?"
+
+"That's it.  She is now thoroughly convinced that she is guilty."
+
+"And you do not believe her?"
+
+"Of course not.  I know she is innocent.  Come now, honestly, don't you
+think so yourself?"
+
+"I do."
+
+"I knew it!"  The young man's face brightened for an instant.
+
+"But it is going to be no easy thing to prove," pursued the detective.
+"This crime was no simple matter.  I am certain it was carefully
+planned and just as carefully executed.  Those who committed it made it
+look as simple as possible for a purpose."
+
+"And you are on the track?"
+
+"I am on several tracks.  I am not sure of the right one yet."
+
+"Do you think those counterfeits had anything to do with the crime?"
+
+"Undoubtedly.  You say Miss Langmore seems to be resting easier?"
+
+"Slightly."
+
+"If it would not hurt, I should like to have a few words with her."
+
+"Then come along and we can ask the specialist I have called in from
+New York."
+
+Placing his purchases in the room at the hotel, Adam Adams accompanied
+Raymond to Martha Sampson's residence.  They found the nurse and the
+doctor discussing the case, and the detective was introduced and he
+mentioned the object of his visit.
+
+"It will do no harm to speak to Miss Langmore so long as you do not
+excite her," said the specialist.  "But do not dwell on the subject of
+the murder too long."
+
+"I shall not mention the murder," was the reply.
+
+When Adam Adams entered the sick room he found Margaret sitting up in
+bed with several pillows behind her head.  She gazed at him in
+perplexity and then gave a slight shiver.
+
+"You--you have come to take me to prison," she cried.
+
+"Not at all, Miss Langmore," he answered, dropping into a chair by her
+side.  "You shall never go to prison if I can prevent it.  But I came
+to see you about something else.  Do you feel a bit stronger?"
+
+"No, I feel very weak.  What do you want to see me about, if not about
+the--"
+
+"Oh, I want to ask you about some of the men with whom your father did
+business."
+
+"Didn't you ask me that before?"
+
+"Perhaps I did.  But I want you to give me all the information you
+possibly can."
+
+"I will."
+
+"In the first place, you know Matlock Styles."
+
+"Why, yes, I know him fairly well."
+
+"He had some business dealings with your father."
+
+"Yes, he owed my father money on several mortgages."
+
+"Did they have any other business relations?"
+
+"I think Mr. Styles had some interest in one of my father's
+patents--or, at least he claimed an interest.  He and my father had
+some differences of opinion in the matter."
+
+"Was the patent matter settled up?"
+
+"I do not know, but I do not think so."
+
+"Can you tell me anything else about Mr. Styles?"
+
+The girl hesitated and then a flush mounted to her face.  "Yes, I can.
+I--I did not wish to speak of it before, yet I see no harm in doing so.
+About four months ago Mr. Styles asked me to marry him.  I told him I
+could not do so.  He was very persistent and said he had more money
+than I imagined.  I told him that that would make no difference, that I
+did not love him and did not wish him to mention the matter again."
+
+"How did he take your refusal?"
+
+"He was very bitter and overbearing.  He said I had better think it
+over, and he hinted something about having my father in his power.  He
+did not say it in just so many words but he hinted at it."
+
+"Did he mean about the patent?"
+
+"No, I think it was something else.  But I did not pay much attention,
+for I thought he was talking merely to get me to consider his suit, and
+I did not wish to consider it, for I had become acquainted with
+Raymond."
+
+"Did he ever bother you after that?"
+
+"Only once, when I met him on the road.  Then he asked me again, and
+said I'd be sorry some day if I refused him."
+
+"Humph!" Adam Adams mused for a moment.  "Now to change the subject.
+When did Matlock Styles last call on your father?"
+
+"He called several times last week.  I don't know exactly when he
+called last.  But I do know that my father was greatly excited over
+something, and that he called in my stepmother and she was excited,
+too.  I was not told what it was about."
+
+"Well, to drop him, do you know a man named John Watkins, of Bryport?"
+
+"Watkins?  Yes, I do.  He once called on my father, about the same time
+that Mr. Styles called last."
+
+"Do you know why he called?"
+
+"I do not.  I thought it was about a patent.  I learned that Mr.
+Watkins worked for the United States government and I thought it was
+for the patent office."
+
+"Then that is all, Miss Langmore."  The detective arose and held out
+his hand.  "Now take good care of yourself and do not worry.  Matters
+are bound to come out right in the end."
+
+"But how can they be better for me?" Margaret's face took on its
+worried look again.  "They have proved that I am guilty."
+
+"You are not guilty," said Adam Adams firmly and looking her squarely
+in the eyes.  "You are not guilty.  I say so, and I know.  Do not
+worry.  Rest quietly, and soon everything shall be made plain to you."
+And then before she could answer he was gone.  She sank back among the
+pillows, closed her eyes and heaved a sigh.
+
+"It cannot be!" she murmured.  "It is too late!  I am guilty!  I am
+guilty!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+AN UNDERGROUND MYSTERY
+
+Late that afternoon a burly negro, plainly dressed and wearing a slouch
+hat, made his way along the river road in the direction of the old
+mill.  He kept as much as possible in the shade of the bushes and trees
+and when close to the mill sank low in the tall grass, that he might
+not be seen by anyone who was passing.
+
+The negro was Adam Adams and his disguise was perfection itself.  The
+detective was heavily armed and carried in his pockets several things
+which were unusual to him.
+
+He waited around the old mill until the sun went down and the stars
+began to come out one by one.  No one was in sight, but this did not
+ruffle him.  He was ready to play a waiting game and take whatever was
+to come, even at the risk of his life.
+
+Presently he heard a whistle at a distance.  Then a man appeared whom
+he rightfully took to be the fellow called Bart.  This individual
+passed up and down the road near the mill and also came down to the
+water's edge, to gaze at the footpath on the other side of the river.
+The man had the mastiff Queen with him and the dog came within a
+hundred feet of where Adam Adams was in hiding.  Quickly the detective
+pulled a large atomizer from his pocket.  Then, as the man walked back
+to the Styles' farmhouse, the dog turned and disappeared in the bushes
+as if following a trail.
+
+"Don't come here, old lady," muttered the detective, as he stood on
+guard, with the atomizer ready for use.  "If you do you'll be sorry."
+
+The mastiff was following Adam Adams' trail and in a minute more she
+came up and set up a fierce growl.  Then she made a savage leap forward.
+
+The detective might have finished her with a shot from his pistol, for
+he was an expert marksman.  But he had come prepared to strike a blow
+without making any noise.  As the mastiff sprang at him, he held the
+atomizer at full length and let a portion of the contents fly full into
+the animal's face.  There was a snarl and a gasp and the magnificent
+canine fell over on her side.  Leaping forward, the detective held the
+atomizer at the dog's nostrils and used it vigorously for a few
+seconds.  It was more than sufficient for his purpose and soon the
+animal stiffened out in death.
+
+"It's a shame to kill so fine a brute, but it can't be helped," he
+muttered as he restored the atomizer to his pocket.  He had used a
+mixture of chloroform, carbolic acid and other drugs, and the dog had
+been blinded as well as smothered by the application.
+
+He left the mastiff where she had fallen and, as the darkness
+increased, drew closer to the mill.  Then he saw a man approaching and
+recognized Matlock Styles.  The Englishman entered the old mill,
+closing the door carefully behind him.
+
+"More ghost work, I suppose," murmured the detective, but he was
+mistaken, no such manifestations occurring.  Evidently they were to
+take place later.
+
+Without making a sound he crawled up to a side door of the old mill.
+It was unfastened, and pushing it open, he entered the lower floor of
+the building.  All was silent.
+
+He waited and after awhile heard a step overhead and a low murmur of
+voices.  Then a man came down a narrow stairs, carrying a pole, a white
+sheet and a round, flat pan in which evidently something had been burnt.
+
+"Looks like the ghost outfit," thought Adam Adams, as he crouched down
+behind some empty boxes and bins.
+
+The fellow was tall, broad-shouldered and powerful looking, and Adam
+Adams felt certain he was not Matlock Styles.  He wore a thin white bag
+over his head, with two holes for seeing purposes, and in one hand
+carried a flash lantern.
+
+To the detective matters seemed to be growing tremendously interesting.
+
+The man placed the things he carried in a closet partly filled with
+rubbish.  Then he flashed his light around carefully.  Adam Adams got
+down out of sight and placed his hand on the butt of his pistol.  He
+was resolved to take no more risks than were absolutely necessary.
+
+Presently the light was lowered, and taking a peep Adam Adams saw the
+man kneeling down and tugging away at an iron ring in the floor.  Soon
+a trapdoor came up, and the man, taking up his lantern, disappeared
+from view, closing the trapdoor behind him.
+
+The detective waited for several minutes and then stole forward in the
+utter darkness.  He had measured the distance perfectly and found the
+iron ring with ease.  He pulled upon it gently but firmly and raised
+the secret door several inches.
+
+A look below showed nothing but darkness.  He strained his ears, and
+heard a faint noise at a distance but could not determine whether it
+was the flowing of the river over the stones or something else.
+
+He got out his pistol and examined it with care, to make certain that
+it was ready for use.  Then, with a quick motion, he threw up the
+trapdoor, dropped below, and closed the opening above him.
+
+He felt as does a lion tamer stepping into a cage of beasts new to him.
+He realized that he was on the verge of some important discovery, but
+that this investigation might cost him his life.
+
+He was on a narrow staircase.  There were but ten steps and then he
+found himself between two stone walls with the roof just above his
+head.  Not caring to take another drop into the unknown, he advanced
+slowly, taking no step until he was sure of it.
+
+Presently he came to a turn and then another.  He could now see a light
+shining ahead, coming from under a heavy wooden door.  The barrier was
+tightly closed.  He tried it softly, to find it fastened on the other
+side.
+
+There was a strange whirr and a clicking in the apartment beyond, as if
+some machinery was in motion.  But then came a loud voice and the other
+sounds stopped.  By getting down on his hands and knees Adam Adams was
+enabled to hear nearly all that was said in the place beyond the barred
+door.
+
+"I will listen to reports," said a voice which sounded much like that
+of Matlock Styles.  "Number One, have you performed the ghostly
+manifestations?"
+
+"I have, chief," was the answer.
+
+"Did you notice anything unusual?"
+
+"A boy and a girl on the other side of the river ran away as if the Old
+Nick were after them."
+
+"Anything else?"
+
+"No, but it's Number Three's turn after tonight."
+
+"Very well; Number Three, take notice of that.  Number Two, there are
+but six of you here to-night.  What of the other two?"
+
+"A note was left at the foot of the tree.  They could not come, for one
+had business in New York and the other business in New Haven."
+
+"Very well.  Number Three, what of the goods you shipped to
+Philadelphia day before yesterday?"
+
+"I have a telegram that it was safely received and payment will be made
+to-morrow."
+
+"How much?"
+
+"Two thousand dollars."
+
+"That is fine.  We are doing better than we did."
+
+"I'll try to get more next time."
+
+"Do so by all means.  The more we get the better off we shall be and
+the sooner we can retire.  Number Four, what have you to report?"
+
+"I haven't heard from Albany yet.  I think I'll hear to-morrow."
+
+"What have you to say, Number Five?"
+
+"I met my man last night.  He won't touch the stuff--says it is too
+risky."
+
+"Humph!  What does he expect?  A fortune for nothing?  What have you to
+say, Number Six?"
+
+"I got a long letter from Denver.  The man out there will take twenty
+thousand dollars' worth at fifteen per cent."
+
+"Didn't you tell him our rate was twenty-five per cent.?"
+
+"I did, but he won't bite at that figure.  He says he will go
+elsewhere."
+
+"Where can he go?"
+
+"He didn't say, but he swears he can get the goods."
+
+"Not as good as ours.  However, let him have the stuff at fifteen per
+cent. for the present."
+
+There was a pause.  "Now, has anybody got anything to say?"
+
+"I have," spoke up the man called Number Three.  "I say we must be
+careful.  That tragedy at the Langmore house has brought a lot of
+detectives to this vicinity."
+
+"Yes, I know that.  One of them came over to the farm," answered the
+leader, and now Adam Adams was sure he was Matlock Styles.
+
+"Came to the farm?  What did you say to him?"
+
+"I put him off the track.  He will never bother us again, to my way of
+thinking."
+
+"That's sure?" asked another of the men.
+
+"Bloody sure."
+
+"We must make certain--" began another of the number, when a noise
+outside of the door caused an interruption.
+
+So interested had Adam Adams become in the conversation that he had not
+noticed the advance of two burly men upon him and he was not aware of
+their presence until one pounced on his back and made him a prisoner.
+
+"What's the row out there?" came from within the room.
+
+"A spy, boys!  Open the door and help capture him!"
+
+Instantly there was wild confusion.  The door was flung open and seven
+men poured forth, each armed, and all wearing the white head coverings,
+such as has already been described.
+
+It was a battle of one man against nine and the space was so small that
+Adam Adams could not turn himself.  He drew his pistol, but while one
+man held his wrist another wrenched the weapon from his grasp.  Then
+the detective went down and was severely kicked and pummelled, until to
+resist further was out of the question.
+
+"He ought to be killed!" cried one man.
+
+"That's right, kill him!" put in several.
+
+"No! no! not yet.  We must question him first," said another.
+
+The band surrounded Adam Adams and several pistols were leveled at his
+head as he arose.
+
+"It's funny how the nigger got down here--" began one of the men.
+
+"Nigger?" broke in another.  "He is no nigger.  See how the black has
+rubbed off his face."
+
+The men stepped closer and then one of them gave a start.
+
+"It's the same man!" he cried excitedly.  He turned to another.  "I
+thought you said--"
+
+"I did," was the agitated answer.  "There's a bloomin' mystery here.
+He couldn't get out!  He was bound and the door was locked--I locked it
+myself."
+
+"Go and make sure."
+
+Matlock Styles, for it was he, ran from the room and was gone several
+minutes.  When he came back he was more disturbed than ever.
+
+"You are right, he is gone!" he gasped.  "Can this be the same man?"
+He made another examination of Adam Adams.  "Yes, you are right.  Well,
+he shall not get away again!" he added, significantly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MARGARET
+
+"Tom, I tell you the best you can do is to make a clean breast of it
+and get Uncle Adam to help you."
+
+It was Letty Bernard who spoke and she addressed Tom Ostrello.  The two
+were seated on a bench in the park, where they had gone to talk matters
+over without fear of interruption or of being overheard.  The
+conversation had lasted over two hours, and in that time the girl had
+learned many of the young man's secrets, and in return had told him a
+few things which had astonished and disturbed him.
+
+He was much downcast and with good reason.  For the past month many
+things had gone wrong with him.  The one bright spot had been Letty's
+love for him, pure and strong, helping him to carry his burdens.
+
+"That's an easy thing to say, Letty," he answered.  "But it is not such
+an easy thing to do.  Poor Dick is deep enough in the mud as it is, and
+it will not be to my credit to mention my connection with Matlock
+Styles."
+
+"Yes, but Tom, you--you--Oh, how can I explain?  Can't you trust me
+when I tell you that I am speaking for your own good?  I--I know many
+things of which you are ignorant."
+
+"Then why don't you tell me, Letty?  Is it fair for you to keep silent?"
+
+"No, but then you must remember that I am Mr. Adams' private clerk, and
+he is working on this case in the interests of Miss Langmore."
+
+"I know he is working for her and I hope he clears her.  I always
+thought she was a pretty nice kind of a girl, and I can't believe that
+she is guilty."
+
+"Tom, did you ever imagine they would think you were guilty?" and she
+gazed at him earnestly, as if to search his very soul.
+
+He started.
+
+"Me?  Why--why should anybody imagine I was guilty?  It's--it's out of
+all reason."  He drew a quick breath.  "Letty, do you mean to insinuate
+that Mr. Adams imagines--"
+
+"You mustn't ask me questions, Tom.   But think over what you have told
+me--of that letter your brother Dick wrote asking for money, and how
+you visited the house on the very morning of the murder to get the
+money, and how Mr. Langmore took the letter from your mother and tore
+it in half, and the scene afterwards."
+
+"Yes, I know.  But--"
+
+"And then think of the way by which Mr. Langmore and your mother died.
+Killed by a curious poison, something that they inhaled, which, when
+the doctor got a whiff of it, gave him cramps in the stomach--a curious
+drug not generally known to medical science, a drug--"
+
+He caught her by the wrist and looked fearfully, frightfully, into her
+face.
+
+"Letty!  My God!"
+
+A short silence followed and she saw that he was thinking, deeply,
+swiftly.  The cold perspiration stood out on his forehead but he did
+not appear to notice it.  He dropped her wrist and his hand fell as if
+made of stone.
+
+"Now you understand, Tom.  I--I am speaking for I--I--want you to clear
+yourself."
+
+"Then it has gone as far as this?"  He gave a groan.  "It was that
+drug--Letty, are you sure they have found out about that drug?"
+
+"Yes, but do not say I said so."
+
+"That drug is accursed--a Chinese student told me so.  I laughed at him
+then, but now I believe it.  The first time I carried it around with me
+I was wrecked in a railroad accident and had my arm hurt.  Then, two
+weeks later, when I had it with me, I got caught in that hotel fire in
+Buffalo.  After that a vial once broke on me and if I hadn't gotten
+away in a hurry I should have been smothered.  And now--"
+
+"Have you carried any of it lately?"
+
+"No, not for a month.  I was afraid of it, and so was the firm.  We got
+rid of it, and I was glad of it."  He bit his lip meditatively.  "And
+they think--they suspect--that that drug was used?  It may be."
+
+"Cannot you trace where the drug went to, Tom?"
+
+"That might be possible, although a good many people saw and heard of
+it while our firm handled it."
+
+"Was any of it sold or used in the vicinity of Sidham?"
+
+"No, but--" The young commercial traveler stopped short.  "I
+think--But no, it can't be.  And yet--"
+
+"What, Tom?" she asked eagerly.
+
+He shook his head.  "What's the use?  It would only drag me into the
+mud deeper.  I really can't see what's to do," he went on with
+something of anguish in his tones.
+
+"I am certain the very best thing you can do is to go to Uncle Adam and
+tell him everything.  He will help you and clear up this great mystery."
+
+"But he is working for Margaret."
+
+"Yes, but I know he will work for you--after he has heard your story.
+But you must tell him everything."
+
+"Where is he now?"
+
+"Somewhere around your mother's home, or in Sidham, I think.  I can
+find out for you."
+
+"Very well, I will go to him and ask him if he is willing to side with
+me as well as with Margaret.  But wait, I think I'll go and see
+Margaret first.  You can send word to Mr. Adams that I want to see him.
+Tell him I will be at the Beechwood Hotel.  He can send me a message
+there.  Tell him I can clear up some points which may seem queer to
+him."
+
+"I will, Tom," Letty looked much relieved.  "Oh, I am sure he will help
+you!  He has never yet failed to accomplish anything he has undertaken!"
+
+An hour later saw Tom Ostrello on his way to Sidham.  His face was
+careworn and he looked to be ten years older than he had a week before.
+He was in a thoughtful mood and scarcely looked out of the car window
+as the train rushed onward to its destination.
+
+Arriving at the town, he speedily learned that Margaret had been taken
+to the home of Martha Sampson and was said to be in a serious if not
+dangerous state.  This caused him to halt, and he was half inclined to
+give up the idea of interviewing her,
+
+"It will only make her condition worse," he mused.  "And, poor girl,
+she seems to have suffered more than her share already.  Perhaps I had
+better wait until I hear from Adam Adams."
+
+But then he determined to learn exactly how she was, anyway, and turned
+his footsteps toward the cottage, which stood on a side street of the
+town, backed up by a patch of woods leading to the river.  He was just
+in sight of the place when he heard a cry, and a man came running out
+of the cottage, followed by a woman and a policeman.
+
+"Where is she?  Where is she?" cried the man, and Tom Ostrello
+recognized Raymond Case.
+
+"Hullo!  What's up?" queried the commercial traveler.
+
+"Margaret!  She is gone!" cried Raymond.  He ran back of the house.  "I
+can't see anything of her!" he added with a groan.
+
+"Margaret gone?  I thought she was sick."
+
+"So she is.  She was out of her mind and slipped out of her room while
+the nurse went downstairs for some broth.  I was in the parlor writing
+a letter."
+
+"And I was on guard in the hallway," put in the policeman.  "She didn't
+pass me, that I'll swear to."
+
+"I was only gone a few minutes," said the nurse.  "And I am sure she
+did not go through the kitchen."
+
+"How long ago was this?" asked Tom Ostrello.
+
+"Only a few minutes ago.  Oh, we must find her," answered Raymond.  "If
+she wanders off in her present state of mind there is no telling what
+will happen to her."
+
+The four scattered, and a vigorous search was instituted for the
+missing girl.  Soon the news spread and the chief of police came
+hurrying to the scene.
+
+"Collins, you are responsible for this escape," said he sternly to the
+policeman.
+
+"I did the best I could, sir," was the nervous answer.  "She was that
+sick, sir, I didn't think she could get out of bed, much less walk off."
+
+"Perhaps she is hiding in the house."
+
+The building was searched from cellar to garret, and so were several
+other buildings in that vicinity, but without avail.  Then the
+gathering crowd scattered through the woods and along the river.
+
+"I don't believe she was as sick as they pretended," said one of the
+number.  "This is only a bluff to let her get away.  I said all along
+she was a sly one."
+
+"Perhaps she pulled the wool over the doctor's eyes," came from
+another.  "And over the eyes of that young fellow who's in love with
+her, too."
+
+Raymond heard some of these remarks and they made his face burn.  He
+longed to knock some of the speakers down, but held his temper in check
+as best he could.  He realized that no argument he might advance would
+make an impression where opinions were so set.
+
+Tom Ostrello joined in the search as diligently as the rest, and he and
+Raymond ran through the woods from end to end several times.  Then they
+procured a boat and rowed up and down the river, and crossed over to
+the other side.
+
+"She could not have gone far," said Raymond.  "Her strength was not
+equal to it."
+
+It was dark by the time they came back to the river, to cross to the
+town side.  As they rowed along, slowly and silently, Tom Ostrello
+noticed something floating on the water.  He steered toward the object
+and picked it up.  It was a girl's summer hat.
+
+"Margaret's hat!" cried Raymond.   He dropped his oar and his face
+turned as white as death.  "I know the truth now!  She has drowned
+herself in the river!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+ONE AGAINST MANY
+
+Surrounded by his enemies, Adam Adams stood in the center of the stone
+room under the old mill, speculating upon what was to happen next.  He
+saw that the men were thoroughly aroused and ready for any crime.
+Although all were masked by the hoods over their heads, each showed his
+rage and temper by his movements and his tone of voice.
+
+"Well, now you are in our power, what have you to say for yourself?"
+came from Matlock Styles, after a pause.
+
+"What do you want me to say?" returned the detective.  "You have the
+best of the game just now, so it would seem."
+
+"You're right--and we mean to keep it; eh, boys?"
+
+"That's so," answered several.
+
+"As a spy, he must suffer the fate of a spy," put in one of the number.
+
+"Unless he consents to join us," added another.
+
+"I'd never trust this bloody rascal," broke in Matlock Styles.  "He's
+too sharp for us.  He's a detective."
+
+"If you don't mind telling, what is your business down here, Matlock
+Styles?" asked Adam Adams.  He thought it best to put on a bold front,
+even with matters looking as black as they did.
+
+"Ha!  So you think you know me?" questioned the Englishman harshly.
+
+"Of course, I know you."
+
+"Well--it don't matter much--now," was the significant return.
+
+"Are you transacting business down here?"
+
+"Don't you know?"
+
+"I do not."
+
+"In that case, it's best to keep you ignorant."
+
+"That's right, don't tell him a thing," came from one of the men who
+had first caught the detective.
+
+"I want to know why you followed me up?" continued Matlock Styles.
+"You'll find it to your interest to answer me."
+
+"I might answer as you have done and say it is best to keep you in
+ignorance.  But I won't do it.  I followed you up because I think you
+were connected with the Langmore murders."
+
+At this Matlock Styles started, but quickly recovered.
+
+"What made you think that?"
+
+"Certain things I discovered around the mansion."
+
+"Bah!  That shows how you detectives often miss it.  I was not near the
+Langmore house when the murders were committed."
+
+"You can prove that?" questioned Adam Adams curiously.
+
+"Of course I can.  I was over to Stony Hill with my team, doing some
+trading.  I stopped at the tavern and at the hardware store, and had
+quite a chat with several people there.  I left home at eight o'clock
+in the morning and didn't get back until one o'clock in the afternoon.
+If you had taken the trouble you could easily have found out that what
+I have told you is the truth."
+
+"You can prove that you were at Stony Hill from ten to twelve that
+morning?"
+
+"I can easily do it.  You can ask Doc Mason, at the hardware shop, Sam
+Ross at the tavern, and Dick Stout at the stables, besides a dozen
+others.  Why, I was even talking to Mr. Anderson, the minister.  He is
+thinking of buying a horse from me."
+
+"That detective ain't going to prove anything," broke in one of the men.
+
+"That's right," came from another.  "He has got to take his medicine as
+a spy."
+
+"Of course," said Matlock Styles.  "I only wanted to satisfy his
+curiosity.  Maybe he'll die feeling easier now."
+
+His cold-blooded way of speaking made a chill run down Adam Adams'
+backbone.  He was beginning to see the Englishman in a new light.  The
+man was a master of deception, not as clumsy in thought and action as
+he assumed to be.  And he was as heartless as a stone.
+
+"Would you murder me?" asked the detective.
+
+"It is the rule of our order that no man who acts the spy on us shall
+get away to tell of what he has discovered.  How did you get away after
+I put you in that other room in the dark?"
+
+"It was an easy trick."
+
+"Won't you explain?"
+
+"I might, but it would hinder my getting away in the present instance."
+
+"You'll not get away again, never fear."
+
+"Perhaps he didn't come alone!" exclaimed one of the other men.  "He
+may have others with him, and they may have helped him to escape in the
+first place."
+
+"He was alone when he came to the farm," answered the Englishman.  And
+then he added:
+
+"Bind him, and Number Three and Number Four shall remain on guard to
+watch him."
+
+"Where shall we take him?" questioned Number Four.
+
+"Take him to the last chamber.  But blindfold him first.  He has seen
+enough already."
+
+In a moment Adam Adams was seized and bound in such a fashion that he
+could scarcely move a hand or a foot.  Then a bag was placed over his
+head, with the eye-holes to the back, so that he could see absolutely
+nothing.  He was led away, through a door opposite to the one he had
+entered and along a stone passageway.  When the party came to a halt
+they were in a stone chamber, not over twelve feet square.  Here the
+detective was tied fast to a ring in the wall and the two men sat down
+on a bench to guard him, lighting pipes and smoking in the meanwhile.
+
+"Are you going to keep me blindfolded?" asked the detective.
+
+"We are," was the surly response.
+
+"For how long?"
+
+"Until we get orders to do otherwise."
+
+"Matlock Styles is your master, is he?"
+
+"He is our chief.  But you needn't to ask any questions about him."
+
+"I don't intend to, but if you'll take this off my head I'll tell you
+something worth knowing," went on Adam Adams smoothly.
+
+"Is this a game?" growled the fellow, known as Number Three.  "Because
+if it is, I warn you it won't work.  We've got pistols and we can
+shoot."
+
+"How can I play any game on you, tied up in this fashion?  No, I want
+to see a little and get more air--and I want to get square on Matlock
+Styles."
+
+The two guards consulted together and finally came to the conclusion to
+remove the head covering.  The men had a lantern with them and one
+glance around showed the detective to what a stronghold he had been
+brought.
+
+"Now, what have you got to say about Matlock?" asked one of the men.
+
+"You say he is your chief.  Have you any idea as to whether he is
+treating you fairly?"
+
+"Why do you ask that?"
+
+"Well, perhaps it is nothing to me, but if I was taking the risks you
+take I'd want all that was coming to me."
+
+"We get our share."
+
+"How do you know?  I once exposed a gang of counterfeiters in Maine and
+I found that the chief, Bill Davidson, was getting the lion share of
+the returns.  More than that, when the exposure came, Davidson tried
+his best to get out of it by turning State's evidence."
+
+"And did he get out?" asked one of the men, becoming interested.
+
+"No, he did not.  I would not allow it.  I got two of the other men to
+tell the truth, and Davidson got twenty years."
+
+"And what of the other men?"
+
+"One got scared and ran away and the authorities let him slide.  The
+other man was not prosecuted.  The rest of the gang, four of them, got
+from five to twelve years each."
+
+"Are you a government detective?"
+
+"Not exactly, although I occasionally work for the government.  Here is
+another thing I want you two fellows to know.  The government has been
+hot-footed after your counterfeits ever since they were first marketed."
+
+"Humph, they ain't found out much."
+
+"You are mistaken, they have found out a great deal.  I am only at one
+end of this game, and I must say I have put my foot into it bad."
+
+"That's right," commented Number Three.  He was a small-built man and
+evidently of a vicious temper.
+
+"I am sorry in more ways than one," continued the detective, not
+appearing to notice the interruption.  "I'd like to get out of this
+mess and get ahead of the other fellows working on this case.  It would
+mean great credit to me and a big reward besides.  The gang is bound to
+be rounded up very soon now, and when one or two are caught they'll
+tell on the others.  If I could get somebody to help me out of this
+scrape, and put me next to the whole game, I'd pay him well and see
+that he got out with a whole skin in the bargain."
+
+"Look here, you can't bribe me, so don't try it!" growled Number Three.
+"I'm in this game to a finish, see?  I never got caught yet and I don't
+intend to begin now."
+
+"All counterfeiters get caught sooner or later."
+
+Adam Adams directed his words especially to Number Four, a big-boned
+young man, who was plainly nervous.  The fellow fumbled with his pipe
+but made no reply.
+
+"I always help the man who helps me," went on the detective.  "And I am
+so well known in my profession that my word counts for a great deal.  I
+can save a man if he will only put his trust in me.  I have done it
+many a time."
+
+"Ah, I don't want to hear your fairy stories," growled Number Three,
+but Number Four merely shrugged his shoulders, knocked his pipe clean
+and restored the article to his pocket.
+
+The detective continued to talk, in a low and earnest manner.  He was
+really pleading for his life, for he realized that it was not Matlock
+Styles' intention to let him escape again.  As soon as the
+counterfeiters were sure the coast was clear outside, they would turn
+again to the prisoner and settle his fate.
+
+Thus an hour passed and then came a low whistle.  A minute later
+Matlock Styles entered the stone chamber.
+
+"We'll get to business again," he said shortly.  "We have no time to
+spare."
+
+"What are you going to do next?" asked Number Four, and Adam Adams
+thought he detected a tremor in the tones.
+
+"We are going to draw lots as to who is to dispose of the prisoner."
+
+"How is he to be killed?" asked Number Three.
+
+"That can be decided by the man who draws the red ball," was the
+Englishman's cold-blooded response.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY
+
+"If I can't get away now I am doomed!"
+
+It was Adam Adams who uttered the words in a low but firm voice.  He
+sat on a small bench, in the stone chamber.  His feet were bound with a
+rope and his hands were chained to a ring in the wall behind him.
+
+The counterfeiters had started to draw lots, to see who should be the
+one to do the detective to death.  Then had come an interruption, in
+the shape of an important message, and the detective had been bundled
+off by himself, while the communication was under discussion.
+
+Adam Adams knew that his situation was a desperate one.  The
+counterfeiters were a gang who would stop at nothing to keep their
+secrets.  The only one who appeared to be at all timid was the fellow
+known as Number Four.  Possibly if he could get this fellow alone and
+work on his feelings Number Four might aid him.  But just now such a
+course seemed out of the question.
+
+The detective listened attentively, but only a faint murmur of voices
+reached his ears.  The counterfeiters were having an animated
+discussion over something, but they were on their guard so that not
+even their prisoner might hear.
+
+"Wonder why they are so careful?" mused the detective grimly.  "If they
+are going to take my life I don't see what difference it will make
+whether I know their secrets or not."
+
+Adam Adams was not the man to give in easily.  Upon every case where
+his services were called for, he usually "kept at it" until every
+possibility was exhausted.  He did not give in now, yet it must be
+confessed, being but human, his heart was somewhat heavy.
+
+"I'll have to take chances," he told himself.  "Anything is better than
+to let them kill me in cold blood."
+
+He waited for a few minutes, to find out if anybody was coming to watch
+him.  One of the counterfeiters came in, looked him over in silence,
+and then passed out again, this time closing the door more tightly than
+before.
+
+As soon as the fellow had departed, Adam Adams commenced to work on his
+bonds.  He had studied all sorts of handcuffs, and knew well how to
+manage his hands and wrists when being fastened.  He had not been able
+to get the better of the fellow at the cottage, but now it was
+different, and, with a twist of his wrists, he withdrew first one hand
+and then the other.
+
+With his hands free, it was an easy matter to untie his feet.  This
+done, he arose and tiptoed his way to the door.  He opened the barrier
+with caution, and peered out.
+
+The sight that met his gaze was not a reassuring one.  The
+counterfeiters sat on all sides of the room, and each had a pistol
+where it could be gotten at with ease.
+
+"It's got to be done!" Matlock Styles was saying.  "It should have been
+done long ago."
+
+"All right, I'll do it," grumbled another member of the band.  "But
+I'll be running a big risk."
+
+"Not half the bloomin' risk I've been running," grumbled the Englishman.
+
+"What about the word from Buffalo?" asked another.
+
+"We'll settle that to-night--after we have settled about our prisoner."
+
+"I've got to get back to New York."
+
+"How soon?"
+
+"Just as soon as possible."
+
+"Do you want to take the letter along?"
+
+"Yes; I gave my word I'd bring the letter."
+
+"All right, then; we'll have to write the letter, and each man sign
+it," said Matlock Styles.  "But, I must say, I don't like this way of
+doing things."
+
+"No more do I," growled another of the band.
+
+"It's putting a fellow's head under the axe," came from Number Four.
+
+"Oh, don't get scared!" came from another.  "I know Luffer--he's O.K."
+
+"Everybody is O.K. until he gets in a tight corner and squeals,"
+grumbled Number Four.
+
+"Kicking again, eh?" roared Matlock Styles, glaring sourly at Number
+Four.
+
+"Oh, no; I'll do as the others say!" answered the big-boned young man,
+but with a slight tremble in his voice.  Then all of the counterfeiters
+gathered around a table, to dictate and sign a certain letter some
+outside party had demanded.
+
+Adam Adams did not stop to listen to all of this conversation.  He felt
+that if he was to get away he must lose no time in making the attempt.
+For a moment he thought to rush past the counterfeiters and try to gain
+the regular entrance to the den, but then he realized the foolishness
+of such an attempt.  Before he got a dozen steps, they would fire at
+him, and, most likely, kill him.
+
+He closed the door gently, and, seeing a small stick of wood on the
+floor, stuck this under the barrier and shoved it as tight as possible.
+Then he took up the bench and braced this under the handle of the door,
+so that to shove the door inwards would be all but impossible.
+
+"Now, then, to see if there is some other way out," he mused.
+
+A lantern, hanging on a nail, lit up the stone chamber.  Taking the
+light in hand, he commenced a rapid but thorough investigation of his
+prison.
+
+The walls were practically solid, the only break being at the door and
+on the opposite side, where there had once been another door.  This
+second doorway had been bricked up to within six inches of the top,
+which had been left open, probably for ventilation.
+
+Standing on tiptoes, Adam Adams held up the lantern and looked through
+the ventilating space.  Some cool air coming in, told him that the
+passageway beyond must lead to the outer world.
+
+"If that opening was only a bit larger a fellow might crawl through,"
+was what he told himself.
+
+He set the lantern down and felt of the wall, putting his arm through
+the opening.  It was about a foot thick, and the bricks were well laid,
+in good cement.
+
+"Not much show there," he reasoned grimly.  "If a fellow had time, it
+could be done.  But it would take hours--with only a pocketknife--and
+they'd be sure to hear the noise.  I must see if there isn't some other
+way."
+
+He listened at the door for a moment.  The counterfeiters were still at
+work over the letter, and another angry discussion was in full sway.
+Then he held up the lantern, looking at the flooring over his head.
+
+The planks were heavy but old, and several of them looked to be pretty
+well rotted.  Picking up a stick that was handy, he poked at one plank
+after another.  It was not long before he came to one that was so far
+decayed that the end of the stick went through it with ease.
+
+There was nothing to stand upon but the bench, and so he took it away
+from the door and placed it directly under the decayed plank.  Then he
+stood up and pushed on the plank with both hands.  It gave way, sending
+down a shower of dust and mold in his face, and almost blinding him.
+
+He had made considerable noise, but angry words between the men in the
+other chamber drowned out the sounds.  Catching up the lantern once
+more, he lifted it through the opening over his head, and tried to look
+around.
+
+He could see but little, excepting boxes and barrels, some as decayed
+as was the floor.  Evidently the apartment above had once been a
+store-room, but had not been used for years.
+
+Adam Adams did not speculate long over what to do next.  He felt that
+the farther he got from the counterfeiters the better off he would be.
+Setting the lantern on the floor above, he took a firm hold on a plank
+that looked fairly strong, and drew himself up.  It was a tight
+squeeze, but he had been through many tight squeezes before, so did not
+mind it.
+
+Once in the storeroom, his next move was to place what was left of the
+broken plank into position, and on it he piled several empty boxes and
+barrels.
+
+"That may keep them guessing as to how I got out of the room below," he
+thought.  "They'll find out sooner or later--but the later the better."
+
+Lantern in hand, he moved cautiously around the old storeroom.  There
+were many empty boxes and barrels, and also sacks that contained musty
+flour.  Rats were in evidence, and they scurried hither and thither as
+the detective moved around.
+
+It was not long before he discovered two doors.  One was nailed up, and
+where it led to, he could not surmise.  The other stood partly open,
+and through it came a whiff of fresh air.
+
+"That smells like liberty," he thought, as he breathed in the fresh air.
+
+He looked down a passageway, with a flooring partly of brick and partly
+of stone.  Where it led to, there was no telling.
+
+Feeling that it would be unwise to use the light longer, he put it out.
+But he kept the lantern in his hand, for possible use in the future,
+either to show the way or as a weapon.
+
+The passageway made several turns, and in the darkness he had to feel
+his way along.  Then he reached a flight of stone steps, leading
+downward.
+
+"I don't want to go down--I want to go up," he reasoned.  But there
+seemed no help for it, and down he went, sixteen steps, to land in a
+small room at the bottom.
+
+Here all was pitch-dark, and for the moment he stood still, not knowing
+in what direction to move next.  All around him were stone walls.
+
+Presently he felt a small iron door.  He took hold of the handle and
+found the door locked.
+
+Curious to learn his whereabouts, he felt for a match, struck it, and
+lit the lantern once more.  A brief glance at the door caused a look of
+wonder to overspread his face.  The door was locked with a combination
+lock similar in make-up to the lock on a safe.
+
+He gazed around, and soon learned that there was no exit from where he
+was, save by the flight of stone steps.  To get out, he would have to
+go back.
+
+He gazed again at the small iron door, set in an iron frame, embedded
+in the stone wall.  What could be behind that barrier?  Most likely
+something of great value.
+
+On the floor at his feet was a bit of dirty white paper.  Mechanically,
+he picked it up and looked it over.  On it was the following:
+
+    O--4
+    L 2--12
+    R 3 53
+    L 2 44
+
+"The combination!" he murmured.  "Somebody had it on that paper and
+dropped it.  Shall I try to work it, or try to get out?"
+
+His better judgment told him he should try to make his escape.  But he
+was curious to know what was behind that iron door; and, setting the
+lantern down, he commenced to work the combination knob.  He twirled
+the knob around four times and stopped at O.  Then he began on the
+combination proper--twice to the left, stopping at 12; three times to
+the right, stopping at 53; and then twice to the left again, stopping
+at 44.  Then he came around slowly to O again.  There followed a click.
+The combination was off.
+
+He twisted the handle of the iron door and pulled upon it.  It came
+open noiselessly, revealing a stone chamber beyond, eight feet square,
+and equally high.
+
+Lantern in hand, Adam Adams stepped into the vault and gazed around
+eagerly.  On two sides were wooden shelves, six in number.  On the
+shelves rested several boxes, of wood and of metal.
+
+He opened one of the boxes, and gazed at the contents with interest.
+It contained a quantity of haired paper, almost an exact duplicate of
+the haired paper used in the making of banknotes.
+
+He looked at another box.  This also contained paper.  The third box
+held a quantity of counterfeits, the amount of which made even the
+matter-of-fact detective gasp.
+
+"If they ever floated these, they would be the richest gang of
+counterfeiters in the world!" was his mental comment.  He had no idea
+of the exact amount, but saw that it would total up to a tremendous sum.
+
+He turned to one of the metal boxes.  It was empty, and he set it down
+again.  Then he took up another box that was fairly heavy, and threw
+open the cover.
+
+There, resting on some thick blotting paper, was a counterfeit plate--a
+plate undoubtedly used for printing the backs of the spurious $100
+bills!
+
+Adam Adams could not help but gaze at that plate with interest.  How
+the Secret Service men had worked to bring that plate to light, and
+arrest the users!  And here he, in following up the clues of one crime,
+had stumbled upon the broad trail of another.
+
+As he put the plate down, a noise reached his ears.  By instinct, he
+blew out the lantern and listened.  The noise was that from footsteps
+at a distance.  Then he heard a murmur of voices, quickly growing
+louder.
+
+"They have discovered my escape," he told himself.  And then he blamed
+himself for not having made better use of his time in an endeavor to
+get away.
+
+He stepped out of the vault, and listened with strained ears.  The
+counterfeiters had separated, and were searching in all directions for
+him.
+
+"If they come this way, I'll have to fight," he reasoned.  "I might as
+well die that way, as to be killed in cold blood."
+
+But then a sudden idea came to him, and as quickly as he had left the
+vault, he returned to it.  Footsteps were coming closer, and he had no
+time to spare.
+
+One of the shelves of the vault was close to the top and very broad.
+Up on this climbed the detective, and laid out at full length, as close
+to the wall as possible.  In front of him he held two of the wooden
+boxes containing the haired paper.
+
+Somebody came closer, and he heard talking in the passageway at the
+foot of the stone steps.  A hand was placed on the door of the vault.
+
+"Who left this unlocked?" came in Matlock Styles' voice.
+
+"Is it unlocked?" asked another of the band.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"That is strange.  It was locked yesterday; I am sure of it."
+
+"Maybe that bloody rascal got here!" growled the Englishman.
+
+"How could he work the combination?"
+
+"Oh, some of those chaps are keener than you think.  Wait, hold up the
+light."
+
+Matlock Styles opened the door and gazed into the vault.  For the
+moment he saw nothing.
+
+"Not here," he said briefly.  "Come on; we'll have to look elsewhere."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+DOOMED TO DIE
+
+"Wait a minute!" came from the other man, as Matlock Styles was on the
+point of coming out of the vault.
+
+"What do you want?"
+
+"I want to get some of that new paper."
+
+"Oh, you can get there after we have caught our man."
+
+"I'll take it now--it won't take a minute."
+
+The man pushed his way into the vault.  He took hold of a box.  Then he
+suddenly backed away.
+
+"He's in there!" he gasped.
+
+"In there?  Where?"
+
+"There--on the shelf!  Look out!"
+
+"Ha!  So he is!" ejaculated Matlock Styles.  He, too, leaped back.
+"I've got him, too, the skunk!"
+
+Both of the counterfeiters leaped into the passageway.  Adam Adams came
+down from the shelf.  But the movement was not swift enough.  As he
+leaped towards the iron door, it was banged shut in his face.  Then the
+combination knob was twirled around.
+
+"Ha! ha!  That's the time we caught you like a rat in a trap!" sang out
+the Englishman in triumph.
+
+"Sure it was our man?" queried his companion.  "I didn't get a very
+good look."
+
+"Yes, it was our man, the bloody villain!"
+
+"He's a slick one!"
+
+"So he is--but he'll not get away again.  Go and tell the others that
+it is all right--that we have him," went on Matlock Styles.
+
+"You are sure he can't get out of there?"
+
+"Not in a hundred years!  He'd have to blast his way out to do it."
+
+"Then it's all right," returned the other man, and walked away up the
+flight of stone steps.
+
+"Now, then, you have come to the end of your rope, you bloomin', bloody
+rascal!" cried Matlock Styles, when he was left alone in front of the
+vault.  "You'll not get out of there until I open the door."
+
+"Styles, supposing we talk this matter over?" suggested Adam Adams, as
+calmly as he could.
+
+"Talk it over?  What do you mean?"
+
+"Let me out, and I'll explain."
+
+"I'll not let you out."
+
+"It won't do you any good to keep me in here."
+
+"I know better."
+
+"Don't think that I am alone on this case, for I am not.  If you harm
+me, you'll take the consequences."
+
+"Bah!  You can't scare me!  I'm not a baby.  If you weren't alone, some
+of your chums would be after you long ago.  You thought to run me and
+my gang down single-handed, and have your praises sung in every
+bloomin' newspaper of the country!  I know your kind.  But I've got you
+now like a rat in a trap.  And you'll get out like the rat does--after
+he's dead."
+
+"You won't talk then?"
+
+"No--at least, not now.  Perhaps I'll talk later.  But I'll not give
+you your liberty," and thus speaking Matlock Styles tried the door of
+the vault, to make certain that it was secure, and walked away.
+
+It must be confessed that Adam Adams felt that he was in a dangerous
+situation--a situation in which the majority of men would have given up
+utterly.  He still had his lantern, and this he lit once more, and by
+its rays examined every foot of the vault in which he was a prisoner.
+
+He saw little that gave him encouragement.  The sides and flooring were
+of stone and brick, well put together and strong.  The ceiling was
+likewise of brick, resting on arches of iron.
+
+"Looks as if I was booked to stay here!" he muttered grimly, as he
+viewed the situation.  "No getting out as I got out of that other hole."
+
+He noticed that the air was not good, and this soon gave him cause for
+additional alarm.  If he could not get any fresh air, he might smother
+before anybody came to release him.
+
+Once more he went over the walls and the flooring, and even pounded on
+the iron door.  It was all to no purpose.  He was as close a prisoner
+as if encased in a stone tomb.
+
+"Perhaps they will leave me here until I either smother or starve to
+death," he reasoned.  "It would be an easy way of disposing of me.  And
+Miss Langmore and Mr. Case would wonder how I came to disappear so
+mysteriously."
+
+He set the boxes on the floor, and, standing on one of them, proceeded
+to examine the roofing of the vault more carefully.  He found one of
+the iron arches a bit loose at one end, and pulled upon it with all his
+might.
+
+The result was greater than he had anticipated.  The iron brace came
+down, and with it fell several dozens of brick, some hitting the
+detective on the legs and feet.  He shrank back against the shelves,
+and so avoided getting the shower on his head.  The lantern was
+smashed, leaving him in total darkness.
+
+As soon as the fall was over, he pulled the boxes from beneath the
+bricks and piled them one on top of the other.  Mounting as high as he
+could, he felt around, secured a hold on some bricks and stones above,
+and hauled himself upward.
+
+"Now to get out somehow!" he told himself.  "No more lingering in this
+den of criminals!"
+
+He felt around, as he moved forward.  On all sides the walls were wet
+and slimy.  He advanced with care, resolved to avoid all pitfalls, were
+it possible to do so.  He was in a place where the roofing was no
+higher than his shoulders, so he had to stoop as he progressed.
+
+A moment later he found himself in a narrow passageway, with rocks on
+one side and a heavy wooden partition on the other.  Through a slit in
+the partition a faint light was streaming.
+
+Adam Adams tiptoed his way to the slit and looked through.  Beyond he
+made out the printing room of the counterfeiting plant.  Only one man
+was present, the big-boned fellow known as Number Four.  He was seated
+on the corner of a rude table, idly tearing some paper into strips, and
+evidently thinking deeply.
+
+As the detective was about to move on, another person entered the
+printing room.
+
+"Did they get him?" asked Number Four eagerly.
+
+"Yes," was the short reply.
+
+"Where was he?"
+
+"You'd never guess."
+
+"At the river?"
+
+"No; in the vault."
+
+"What!  How did he get there?"
+
+"Nobody knows.  He must have found the door open.  But it's against the
+rules for anybody to leave that door unlocked."
+
+"I know that," said Number Four, and heaved a deep sigh.
+
+"Say, you don't like your job, do you?" went on the other
+counterfeiter, with a sniff.
+
+"Would you like it?" demanded Number Four, half angrily.
+
+"Well, not particularly."
+
+"When I joined this gang, I did it to make money, both ways.  I didn't
+join to kill folks."
+
+"Sure, that's true.  But the fellow deserves what he'll get.  He is a
+spy, and when a fellow spies on the likes of us he takes his life in
+his hands--and he knows it."
+
+"Well, that may be so.  Just the same, I'm sorry I drew the red ball,"
+went on Number Four.
+
+"Ain't going to back out, are you?"
+
+"Humph!  How can I back out?  Styles wouldn't allow it."
+
+"You bet he wouldn't--and none of us would, for that matter.  If I had
+drawn the red ball I would have done what was asked of me, and no
+shirking--and you've got to do the same."
+
+"I ain't shirking," growled Number Four.  "I'll do my duty.  But I
+don't like the job," and then he arose and left the room.
+
+Adam Adams had moved on, too--down the dark passageway.  Soon he came
+to a place so narrow that he squeezed through with difficulty.  Here he
+stepped into a nest of rats, and one bit him in the ankle, causing him
+to give an involuntary cry of pain.  The rats were all around, and he
+had to hiss quite loudly to make them keep their distance.
+
+He could now smell the water, and knew he must be close to the river.
+Once in the stream, he felt that he could swim to safety.  But he must
+look our for more traps.
+
+Another turn, and he found the water flowing at his feet.  Far ahead
+was a faint glimmer of light.  He entered the water and pushed forward.
+Then, of a sudden, he came to a halt.  He had heard the sound of
+somebody rowing.
+
+The small boat passed, and all became silent once more.  Again he
+pushed on, and presently reached a spot at the edge of the old mill.
+He was under a dock.  Close at hand rested a rowboat, with the oars
+across the seats.
+
+"The boat for mine--if I can get into it without being seen," the
+detective told himself.
+
+With added caution, he waded around to the stern of the rowboat, and
+peered around carefully.  Not a soul seemed to be in sight, and, with
+care, he climbed over the stern of the craft.
+
+"Stop!" came a cry.  "Here he is!"
+
+He turned and leaped to the oars.  As he did this, something whizzed
+through the air.  It struck him on the head, and over he went, across
+the seats of the boat.  He clutched wildly at the air; and then his
+senses forsook him.
+
+"Who is it?" came another call.
+
+"That rascal who escaped!"
+
+"It can't be--he is in the vault."
+
+"Come, see for yourself.  Quick!"
+
+Three men came rushing to the spot, and the rowboat was hauled close to
+the dock.  The counterfeiters pounced upon Adam Adams, and by the time
+he had recovered his senses, he was again a close prisoner.  Then
+Matlock Styles appeared.
+
+"He is a wizard!" ejaculated the Englishman.  "But he shall not get
+away again!  I'll guard him myself--until Number Four finishes him!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+TOM OSTRELLO'S STORY
+
+On the following evening, at exactly seven o'clock, an old man came to
+the depot at Sidham and met the incoming train.  He was rather feeble in
+his movements and hobbled rather than walked to meet a man who came in
+with a portfolio under his arm.
+
+"Excuse me, but is this Mr. Granby?" he asked in a quavering voice.
+
+"That's my name," said the new arrival, with a slight start.
+
+"How are the sketches getting along?  I hope you are making a good
+picture of my daughter."
+
+"Very good, I think, sir.  If you will come to my room, I will show you
+my proof."
+
+"All right, sir," answered the old man.
+
+The two men left the depot, and crossing the roadway, walked to a hotel
+on the next block.  They ascended to the third floor and made their way
+to a fine apartment in the front.  Here the door was locked, the curtains
+drawn, and the gas was lit.  Then both men removed wigs and false
+whiskers, and there stood revealed Charles Vapp and Adam Adams.
+
+"You are on time, I see," said the latter, as he dropped into an easy
+chair and lit a cigar.
+
+"Yes, I was lucky enough to get your telegram directly after it came in.
+The trail took me near the office and Frank passed it to me."
+
+"What of the man you have been following?"
+
+"He is looking for you."
+
+"Do you know the reason?"
+
+"Yes.  He has had several talks with Letty Bernard, and she has advised
+him to speak to you, and tell you everything, whatever that may mean.
+The girl told him that you could clear him."
+
+"Humph!  She takes a good deal for granted.  Anything else?"
+
+"Do you know that Margaret Langmore has disappeared?"
+
+"So I heard, less than an hour ago."
+
+"They say she ran away to escape trial."
+
+"Perhaps so, but if she did she was out of her head.  It is too bad, for
+it complicates matters."
+
+"By your telegram I see that you want me to turn to something else," went
+on Charles Vapp, after a pause.
+
+"I do."  Adam Adams drew a long breath.
+
+"Charley, wonderful things can happen in twenty-four hours."
+
+"I know that, Adam."
+
+"Last night I was doomed to die.  I was in the hands of one of the worst
+band of evil-doers I ever ran across.  They drew lots as to who should
+slay me--just as the Anarchists draw lots to kill one who has been marked
+by them."
+
+"And you escaped?"
+
+"If I hadn't I shouldn't be here.  It's a long story.  As luck would have
+it, the foul deed fell to the lot of a fellow known as Number Four.  He
+was a weak-kneed chap, and I had previously spoken to him about getting
+caught and imprisoned, and I said I would befriend anybody who would
+befriend me.  He was to shoot me, tie my body in a bag with rocks, and
+sink me to the bottom of the river.  He said he would do the job only
+when alone and the others took him at his word.  When he got me where he
+wanted me, he told his story.  He used to be poor but honest, and was
+once sent up for a theft that he had not committed.  The gang got hold of
+him, when he came out of prison, and he was made to join the band.  He
+said he did not want to kill anyone, that he was sick of what he had been
+doing, and wanted to reform.  I promised him a thousand dollars if he
+would let me go, and promised not to testify against him, if he would
+tell me all he knew.  He took me at my word, and sank a sack full of
+grass and stones to the bottom of the river, instead of yours truly.
+Then he came away with me, told me some astonishing things, took his
+thousand dollars; and I haven't seen him since, and I doubt if he will
+ever show himself again."
+
+"You were more than lucky.  But what is this band--if it is any of my
+business?"
+
+Adam Adams leaned forward.
+
+"Don't breathe it to a soul, not even at headquarters," he whispered.  "I
+have located a band of counterfeiters--the makers of that clever
+counterfeit bill on the Excelsior National Bank of New York.  You've
+heard of it--the one they said was printed from the Racksburg plates."
+
+"Sure, the one Fields tried to run to earth last year."
+
+"The same."
+
+"That's a big feather in your cap."
+
+"In following up one thread I seem to have gotten away from another.  I
+started out to find the murderer of Mr. and Mrs. Langmore.  I thought I
+had a line on one fellow, but it would seem now that he can readily prove
+a complete _alibi_."
+
+"What do you want me to do?"
+
+"I want you to keep your eyes on certain people in and around this town,
+and especially on that Matlock Styles.  If you see any indications of his
+running away, arrest him on the spot.  Here is a list of the men to be
+watched."  Adam Adams brought out a slip of paper.  Then he described the
+old mill.  "The counterfeiters' rendezvous is under that mill," he
+continued.  "They make folks think the place is haunted and Styles has
+savage dogs on his farm near by, and that keeps the curious away.  I want
+you to watch the mill, too, if you can.  But keep out of all danger.  If
+any of the gang try to trap you shoot them down, for if they catch you
+they won't be apt to let you get away alive.  If you wish get Strong to
+help you."
+
+"I understand, and I'll be on my guard," said the assistant.
+
+After that the pair conversed for a quarter of an hour longer and then,
+after making some changes in his disguise, Charles Vapp hurried from the
+hotel and out into the darkness of what looked as if it would prove a
+stormy night.
+
+As soon as Vapp had gone, Adam Adams sat down and penned a brief note.
+This he sent out by a hotel messenger, and then sank back in his easy
+chair, to smoke and to meditate.
+
+The detective had learned much, yet about certain things he was in the
+dark as much as ever.  The mysterious Number Four--he had not asked the
+penitent for his name--had given him the names and addresses of fourteen
+men connected with the band of counterfeiters.  Eleven of these
+individuals were makers of the bogus bank bills, and the other three
+operated in the big cities, disposing of the "goods" in bulk to others,
+who in their turn, fed the bad bills to the general public.
+
+So far as Number Four knew, Matlock Styles was the head of the gang, but
+the man had said there was another individual, to whom Styles often went
+for advice.  This man was considered to be very shrewd, but what his name
+was there was no telling.  Number Four ventured a guess that he might be
+connected with the United States treasury department.
+
+After his escape from the den, Adam Adams had gone to Stony Hill in
+secret, and there verified Matlock Styles' story that the Englishman had
+not been near the Langmore mansion during the time the murders were
+committed.  So, from that crime, at least, the counterfeiter was
+apparently cleared.
+
+But this only made the mystery connected with the counterfeits in the
+safe so much deeper.  Number Four had never mentioned Barry Langmore when
+speaking of the members of the gang, and when questioned about the man,
+said he had known him by sight and that was all.
+
+Less than an hour after he had sent out the messenger, there came a knock
+on the door and Tom Ostrello presented himself.
+
+"You are the gentleman that wishes to see me?" he inquired.
+
+"I believe you wish to see me," was the reply, as the detective closed
+the door and locked it again.  "Sit down, Mr. Ostrello.  I am Adam Adams."
+
+"Oh, I--er--I didn't quite recognize you in that dress."
+
+"I suppose not."  There was a brief pause.  "Mr. Ostrello, if you wish to
+speak to me, I am at your disposal for the next hour."
+
+"Thank you."  The young commercial traveler cleared his throat.  "You
+are--I mean, I believe you know the relationship between Miss Bernard and
+myself?"
+
+"She has told me something about that."
+
+"She tells me you are her closest friend--that you have really been a
+father to her since her own parent died.  And she tells me that you are
+one of the greatest detectives in the world.  I wish I had known that
+when we first met--I should have engaged you to clear up the mystery of
+this sad affair."
+
+The young man paused again.  Evidently it was hard work for him to get
+directly at the subject on hand.  Adam Adams remained silent.
+
+"I did not imagine that I--well, that I would be connected with this
+great crime.  I mean, that anybody would suspect that I had done the
+deed.  It is a fearful thought!  That I would kill my own mother!  I know
+such things have been done, but they must have been done by beasts, not
+men.  I know I should have spoken of the visit that very morning to my
+mother."
+
+"Then you admit that you called at the house?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"You were dressed in a gray suit and wore a slouch hat, and you entered
+by the back way?"
+
+"How did you learn all that?" cried the young commercial traveler in
+astonishment.
+
+"Never mind.  In coming away you slipped and fell, and your hat dropped
+off."
+
+Tom Ostrello nodded.  "I understand that somebody must have noticed me
+after all.  I came in by the back way because I missed the train for
+Sidham, and took that which stops only at Chester.  It is a short cut
+through the woods from Chester Station to the Langmore place.  When I
+came away I had just time enough to catch another train at Chester, and I
+was very anxious to get back to the city, for I had an important
+engagement with one of my customers."
+
+"I understand.  Proceed, please."
+
+"I came to the house for two reasons.  In the first place, as perhaps you
+know, my brother, Dick, is a spendthrift, and works occasionally only.
+He got into a scrape in Los Angeles, and telegraphed me to help him out
+financially.  It was an old plea, but I thought if I left him to himself
+my mother would not forgive me.  I did not have money enough to help him
+by myself, for my capital was tied up in such a fashion that I could not
+get at it.  More than that, I had in my possession two one hundred dollar
+bills, which my mother had gotten from Mr. Langmore, and both of these
+were counterfeits."
+
+"One of those bills you had tried to pass at a theatre, eh?"
+
+"Ha!  You know that, too!  Then you have been following me up?"
+
+"The United States Government has been trying to follow up those bills
+for several years."
+
+"I came to the house and saw my mother.  Mr. Langmore had gone to the
+bank.  There had been a family row, but that was not all of the trouble.
+Mr. Langmore was strangely excited, so my mother said, and had declared
+he was going to have somebody arrested, before the week was out."
+
+"On account of the counterfeits?"
+
+"Either that, or on account of a patent.  She said he had sent off
+several letters and was also going to telegraph to somebody.  She said he
+had asked her to give back the hundred dollar bills, and had been much
+disturbed when she told him that I had them.  She took the bills back and
+gave me good money for them, and also gave me two hundred dollars more,
+to forward to my brother Dick, which I did, adding a hundred of my own."
+
+"Did your mother tell you anything more about the counterfeits?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Did you see Miss Langmore?"
+
+"I did not, nor did I see the servant.  I was in a hurry, and so I came
+away as soon as my business was accomplished."
+
+"When you came away from the house and dropped your hat, did you go back
+again, crawling along by the bushes?"
+
+"I certainly did not."
+
+"Did you see any other man around?"
+
+"Not there.  I caught a glimpse of a man when I was hurrying through the
+woods to the station."
+
+"When you came to the house, after the tragedy, Mr. Ostrello, what were
+you so anxious about?"
+
+"You mean what was I looking for?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"A letter Dick had sent me.  It told about his trouble.  I thought at
+first it might be in the library, but I found it in my mother's room.  It
+contained an account of the scandal he had gotten into.  I did not wish
+that scandal to become public property.  I can show you that letter if
+you wish to see it."
+
+"Lately you have had some trouble with a man named Matlock Styles.  What
+was that about?"
+
+"It was over a patent.  I thought of an idea for a machine to box up
+pills in a new way, and spoke to Mr. Langmore about it.  I left some
+papers with Mr. Langmore and I think Styles got hold of them and applied
+for the patent.  We had several disputes, and at last he threatened to
+get me into trouble with the firm I represent.  He said he had influence,
+and as I didn't want to lose my job, I didn't press him about the patent.
+He acts like a farmer, but he is a shrewd fellow, and not to be trusted."
+
+"You went back to the house lately, on the sly--told Mrs. Morse you
+wanted some books."
+
+"I admit it.  I wanted to get some of my mother's private papers.  Now
+she is dead, I wish to look out for any share of the estate that may be
+coming to my brother Dick and myself.  Isn't that natural?  It was
+foolish of me to run away as I did, but--well, I was nervous.  This
+tragedy has completely unnerved me, and I hardly know what I am doing."
+
+"How about this bit of wrapping paper?" and Adam Adams brought forth the
+piece he had found under Mr. Langmore's safe.
+
+"I do not know where that came from, but it is evidently a part of some
+of my firm's advertising.  The first three lines are the name and
+address.  The last line reads, 'Keep dark'."
+
+"I found this under the library safe."
+
+"That is not to be wondered at.  Some time ago, I remember, I got some
+powders for Mr. Langmore, for headaches.  I remember the box had a
+wrapper of that sort on it.  The powders lose their strength if exposed
+to the sunlight.  And that reminds me, you--you think these murders were
+committed through the agency of a Chinese powder--_yamlang-peholo_--a
+powder my firm once introduced in this country."
+
+"The evidence points that way."
+
+"I know of nobody around that house who had any of the accursed stuff,
+for it certainly was accursed.  I never took any there--or, at least, if
+I ever did, I do not remember taking it out of my grip."
+
+"Can you furnish me with a list of people who received this stuff from
+you or from others?"
+
+"I can.  On my way to Sidham I made out this list, and here it is," and
+the young man brought it forth.
+
+Adam Adams glanced at it quickly, and read over the long line of names
+and addresses--doctors, druggists and private individuals.  Suddenly he
+paused and a smile of triumph lit up his features.
+
+"Good!" he almost shouted.
+
+"You have discovered something?" asked Tom Ostrello quickly.
+
+"Yes, I have discovered a great deal.  I think the murder mystery is as
+good as solved."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+WHAT HAPPENED TO MARGARET
+
+It is said by specialists that the human brain can stand just so much,
+and no more.  The tension becomes so great--something snaps--and then?
+The question is one, hard, if not impossible, to answer.
+
+So it was with poor Margaret, hounded by the well-meaning but ignorant
+officers of the law of the community in which the double crime had been
+committed.  So searching had been the questions put, so strong the
+accusations, that the reasoning powers of the girl were completely
+shattered.  She imagined herself guilty--imagined herself being taken
+to prison, to be hung or electrocuted, and in a hundred ways suffered
+the mental tortures of the eternally condemned.
+
+Then came a change, when she grew hysterical and laughed softly to
+herself.  No! no! she must not let them hang or electrocute her!  It
+would be too much of a disgrace!  She must escape such a fearful fate!
+
+But how?  There could be but one answer to that question.  She must
+contrive in some way to outwit her enemies--she must escape--must fly
+to some place where they would never be able to find her.
+
+It is said that those who are insane are usually shrewd, and so it was
+in Margaret's case.  She prepared to run away, but she did not allow
+the nurse or the doctor to become aware of what she was doing.  She
+waited until the doctor had made another call, and then asked the nurse
+to fix her something special to eat.
+
+"Why, yes, I'll get whatever you wish, my dear!" said the nurse, and
+went below to prepare the food.
+
+No sooner had the woman disappeared than Margaret leaped from her bed
+and began to dress.  All of her things, even to her hat, were in a
+closet of the bedroom, so this was easy.
+
+"How shall I go?" she asked herself.  She knew, from the talk she had
+heard, that a policeman was somewhere around, watching the house.  She
+looked out of a window and saw him, leaning against a fence, taking
+occasional sly puffs from a pipe he held in the hollow of his hand.
+
+She did not dare descend the stairs.  She looked out of the window.  It
+was not very far to the roof of a porch, and against the porch was a
+trellis, with a wealth of honeysuckle growing upon it.
+
+How she did it, Margaret could not afterwards remember.  But she
+crawled forth from the window, and climbed down the trellis as if it
+were a ladder.  The sweet scent of the honeysuckle made her sick, and
+she came close to falling in a faint at the foot of the vines.
+
+Reaching the ground, she stared around like a frightened fawn seeking
+to hide from the hunters.  Then, without knowing why, she sped for the
+river bank.
+
+The water looked cool and inviting, and for several minutes the
+beautiful girl stood there, gazing steadily down into those depths.
+Should she make a leap and end it all?
+
+"It would be the easiest way out of it!" she moaned to herself.  "The
+easiest way, and nobody would care!"
+
+But, as she bent lower, she seemed to see reflected, not her own face,
+but the face of Raymond.  With a cry of despair, she shrank back as if
+struck a blow.
+
+"No! no!  It will not do!" she moaned.  "Not that!  Not that!"
+
+She ran along the river bank until she came to where a rowboat was tied
+up.  On the seats were the oars, and, scarcely knowing what she was
+doing, she leaped into the craft, untied the painter, and took up the
+oars.
+
+The fresh air seemed to give her strength, and she pulled on and on.
+She grew thirsty and stopped to drink some of the water and to bathe
+her face and hands.  While doing this, her hat slipped overboard and
+drifted away, but she did not notice this.
+
+Presently she took up the oars once more, and rowed along the stream
+until she reached a spot where there was an island.  Here she went
+ashore, hiding the rowboat in the bushes.
+
+It was only a small island, but in the center some boys had erected a
+hut where they had once camped out.  Margaret dragged herself to this
+shelter.  Her strength was almost gone now, and, as she dropped on a
+rude bench, her senses forsook her.
+
+She did not remain unconscious long, but during that time she had a
+dream or vision.  She imagined that she was back home once more, and
+that her father and her stepmother were alive and well, and that the
+bitter quarrelling had come to an end.  She sat up and brushed the
+tumbled hair from her forehead,
+
+"It--it must have been a dream!" she murmured.  "It can't be true--that
+daddy is dead!  I--I must go home and find out!"
+
+She was surprised to find herself on the island, but the sight of the
+rowboat brought with it a memory of how she had used the craft, and
+once again she got in and rowed away.
+
+This time she headed for the Langmore mansion, and it was not long
+before she came within sight of the well-known dock where her own tiny
+craft still rested.  She looked around.  Not a soul seemed to be in
+sight.
+
+With a cunningness far out of the ordinary, the poor girl crept along
+the shrubbery in the direction of the barn.  This structure was locked
+up.  From the barn she turned to the house, and, watching her chance,
+she entered by the cellar-way, which chanced to be standing open.
+
+It was dark and damp below stairs, and the girl shivered as she stood
+there, trying to make up her mind what to do next.  Should she go right
+up and try to find her father?  Supposing her stepmother was there,
+would she try to make more trouble?
+
+Margaret mounted the stairs and entered the lower hall of the house.
+The blinds were closed, and all was dark.  She moved towards the room
+where the body of her father had been found.
+
+At that moment the woman who had been left at the mansion came from the
+kitchen.  She caught one glimpse of the girl and set up a shriek.
+
+"It's a ghost!" she cried.  "A ghost!  Heaven help me!"
+
+The cry was so piercing and so genuine, it roused Margaret from the
+stupor in which she was moving.
+
+"My father!  He is dead, after all!  Oh, daddy!" she screamed, and then
+turned, brushed past the woman, and sped out of the back door of the
+mansion.
+
+"What's the matter?" came from the policeman who was on guard.
+
+"She--a ghost!" stammered Mrs. Morse.  "I saw her!"
+
+"Her?  Who?"
+
+"Margaret Langmore!  Or else her ghost!"  The woman had gone white, and
+was shaking from head to feet.
+
+"Where?"
+
+"Here."
+
+"When?"
+
+"Just now!"
+
+"It can't have been the girl.  She is in bed, under the doctor's care."
+
+"But I saw her!" insisted the woman.
+
+"We'll take a look around," answered the guardian of the law.
+
+They commenced the search, but long before this was done Margaret had
+run back to the river.  She dropped into the rowboat, and rowed off as
+swiftly as her failing strength would permit.
+
+"Daddy is dead, after all!" she moaned, over and over again.  "And she
+is dead, too!  I remember it all, now.  And the blood!  Oh, I must get
+away, or they will hang me, or electrocute me!"
+
+Five minutes more and the rowboat came to grief on some rocks close to
+the side of the stream.  It commenced to fill with water, and Margaret
+had to wade ashore, which she did, slowly and deliberately, like one in
+a dream.  Then she passed into the woods.  Coming to a thick clump of
+bushes, she sank down exhausted, and there merciful sleep overtook her.
+
+How long she slept, she did not know.  The low growl of a dog aroused
+her.  She sat up, and the growl of the dog became a heavy bark.
+Looking from out of the clump of bushes, she saw a mastiff standing
+there, eying her suspiciously.
+
+"What is it, boy?" she heard a heavy voice ask.  "A woodchuck?  Never
+mind now, come on."
+
+But the mastiff continued to bark, and came close enough to sniff at
+Margaret's foot.  She essayed to draw back, but was too weak to do so.
+
+"Won't come, eh?" cried the man.  "What's the bloomin' reason, I'd like
+to know?"
+
+He came closer and then caught sight of Margaret.  For a second he
+stared in amazement; then uttered an exclamation.
+
+"You!  How did you get here?"
+
+"Oh!" she fairly screamed.  She recognized Matlock Styles, and knew not
+what to say.  For some reason she felt as does the bird in the net of
+the fowler.
+
+"This is bloomin' strange," went on the Englishman.  "I thought you
+were down in the village, under the care of the doctors."
+
+"I was," she managed to falter.
+
+"How did you get here--run away?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"I--I do not know.  I--they have found me out!  They are going to hang
+me, or electrocute me!  I--I couldn't stand it!"
+
+"How do you know that?"
+
+"Oh, I know only too well."
+
+"So you ran away, did you?  'Twas a bloody cute thing to do, Margaret.
+Say, your dress is wet," he went on wonderingly.
+
+"Yes, I was in a rowboat and had to wade ashore."  She looked at him
+with a face full of wild misery.  "Oh, please go away and leave me!"
+
+"Leave you?"
+
+"Yes! yes!"
+
+"I can't do that, Margaret."
+
+"You must!"
+
+"But you are not fit to be left alone.  You're sick."
+
+"Never mind--only leave me!"
+
+"Better let me take care of you."  And now, having stopped the barking
+of the mastiff, he came and sat down by her side.
+
+"No! no!"  She tried to shrink away, but was too weak to succeed.
+
+"So you ran away, eh?  Are they after you?"
+
+"I don't know.  I--I suppose so."
+
+"How did you get out of the house?"
+
+"I climbed out of a window, when the nurse and the policeman were not
+looking."
+
+"Bloomin' clever, that," he murmured.  His eyes were watching her
+closely, and to himself he was saying: "Gad, what a beauty she is, in
+spite of what she has suffered!"
+
+"I am going away--far away!" she went on, in a low voice.  "Oh, I
+cannot, cannot stay here."
+
+"You can't travel in your condition, Margaret."  He pulled thoughtfully
+at his mutton-chop whiskers.  "You let me help you."
+
+"You?"
+
+"Yes.  Come, give me your arm," and he caught hold of her, as if to
+assist her to arise.
+
+"No, no!  Please leave me!" she begged.  "I can take care of myself.
+Only give me the chance to get away!"
+
+"Margaret!  You are out of your mind."
+
+"No, I am not."
+
+"I know better.  And I am not going to let you go away.  You shall go
+with me."
+
+"Oh, Mr. Styles!  Please go away."
+
+"No," he answered firmly.  "Come, you have got to go with me."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+A GLASS OF POISON
+
+Margaret could do nothing but stare at the man before her.  He was
+heavy-set and powerful, and wont to having his own way.
+
+"Mr. Styles--" she began, but he put his hand over her mouth.
+
+"You are sick--out of your head," he interrupted.  "I know what is
+best, and you must do as I say.  Come on."  And he pulled her forward
+by the hand.
+
+"Where to?"
+
+"Not very far."
+
+"I--I do not wish to go to your home."
+
+"I'll not take you there, don't fear."
+
+"You are going to hand me over to the--the authorities."
+
+"Never!  Come.  I won't hurt you."
+
+He led the way through the woods, across a small stream and past a spot
+where some wild berries grew.  Then they struck a trail leading up a
+hillside.  The place was new to her.
+
+"I want to know where you are taking me," she said presently, and came
+to a halt.
+
+"To a place where you will be safe."
+
+"That isn't answering the question."
+
+"We'll be there in a few minutes, and then you can see for yourself,
+Margaret.  Cannot you trust me, girl?  I'm not going to hurt you.  I
+love you, and I'll do all I can to help you.  Come!"  And again he made
+her move on.
+
+At last they came in sight of a tumbled-down cottage on the edge of
+what had once been a clearing, but which was now overgrown with weeds
+and brushwood.  As they came up, Margaret's strength gave out, and
+suddenly she sank down on her knees.
+
+"All in, are you?" he said, not unkindly, and, stooping, he picked her
+up bodily.  She tried to resist, but could not, and he took her into
+the cottage and placed her on a couch.
+
+"I'll get you a nurse," he said, noting her extreme paleness.  "You
+need one."
+
+"A--a woman?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Thank you," she murmured, and then closed her eyes, for she was too
+far gone to say more, or to make a move.
+
+He was as good as his word, and when she roused up once more an old
+woman was at Margaret's side.  She had administered some sort of
+drug--what, the girl did not know--and it had put her into a sound
+sleep.
+
+When Margaret looked around again, she was surprised to see that it was
+morning.  She tried to think, but her mind was almost a blank.  Outside
+of the broken window a wild bird was singing gayly.  She looked around.
+The old woman was not in sight.
+
+She had been put to bed, and sat there, trying to think for several
+minutes.  Then she gave a low call, and the old woman appeared in the
+doorway.
+
+"Come awake, have ye, miss?" said she.
+
+"Where am I?" asked Margaret feebly.
+
+"You're safe enough, never fear."
+
+Margaret said no more and the woman went about some little work.
+Presently the girl arose and dressed herself.  She felt much stronger
+than when at the home of Martha Sampson, in spite of what she had
+experienced in running away.  She sank down in a rocking chair, to
+think matters over.
+
+How far was she from Sidham?  She knew she must have come a long
+distance, but could not tell if it was five miles or fifty.  She looked
+out of the window, but the scenery was strange to her.
+
+As she sat there she reviewed what had passed, her mind becoming
+clearer as she thought.  She remembered the scene at the inquest, and
+remembered how she had fainted, and how Raymond had supported her and
+taken her to the nurse's house.  Then she remembered how the coroner's
+jury had accused her of the terrible crime, and she gave a deep shudder.
+
+"Poor, dear father," she murmured.  "Who could have been so wicked as
+to take your life?"
+
+An hour went by, and she prepared to leave the cottage, when a shadow
+fell across the window, and Matlock Styles appeared.  He spoke a few
+low words to the old woman, and the latter walked away.
+
+As the man entered the room, Margaret arose and faced him.  The
+Englishman was well dressed, and newly shaven, and wore a rosebud in
+his buttonhole.  Evidently, he had spent some time over his toilet in
+honor of the occasion.
+
+"I'm glad to see you up and looking so well," he said pleasantly.  "I
+was afraid your running away would hurt you."
+
+"I--I must thank you for what you have done for me, Mr. Styles," she
+answered.
+
+"Oh, that's all right, Miss Margaret.  I'd do as much for you any day.
+I think it's a bloomin' shame the way you have been treated."
+
+"Well, I suppose it cannot be helped.  But I must be getting back soon.
+You will show me the road?"
+
+"Don't be in a hurry to go.  You're not strong enough to go.
+Besides--" the Englishman paused impressively.  "What's the use of
+going back?  Don't you know things look beastly black for you?"
+
+"Perhaps, but I am not afraid--now.  I am not guilty, Mr. Styles."
+
+"Of course not!  Of course not!  I knew that from the start.  But
+things do look black, no use of talking.  I want to help you."  He came
+closer, at which she retreated a step.
+
+"Thank you, but I do not see what you can do.  I must go back and give
+myself up.  I--I was not myself when I ran away.  It was a very foolish
+thing to do."
+
+"If you go back, do you know what they will do?  They will surely hang
+you?"
+
+"Oh, merciful Heaven?  Do not say that!"
+
+"I wouldn't if it wasn't so.  But I've been talking to the coroner and
+the chief of police, and they have all of the evidence as straight as a
+string."
+
+"I am innocent."
+
+"I feel that you are, and that is why I side with you.  Besides, you
+know my feeling for you.  I've loved you for a long time--I told you so
+before."  He took hold of her arm.  "If you'll do what I wish, I'll see
+to it that you escape--that you are never bothered any more."
+
+"How can you do that?"
+
+"Never mind how it can be done.  Promise to give up Case, and be my
+wife, and I will attend to all of the rest.  And I'll promise you more
+than that.  Listen, do you know that I am immensely wealthy?  It is so,
+and I can easily prove it.  Look here."  He drew a big roll of bank
+bills from his pocket, each bill of a large denomination.  "I have ten
+thousand dollars here.  It shall be yours for the taking--if you will
+marry me.  I can easily raise five times this amount in forty-eight
+hours.  We can go to Europe, or Australia, or anywhere we wish.  Isn't
+that far better than to stay here, to be hung by a lot of country
+bumpkins, who don't understand the matter at all?"
+
+She put up her hands, and waved him away.  Then she burst into tears.
+
+"Don't speak so, please don't!  I--I cannot bear it, I have gone
+through so much already!"
+
+"Won't you listen to reason?"  Matlock Styles' face darkened.  "I am
+giving you everything I have, my wealth, my honor, everything!  Can a
+man do more than that?  I love you--love you more than Raymond Case
+ever did, or will."
+
+She wrung her hands and his dark eyes seemed to pierce her very soul.
+She felt faint and sank on a bench.
+
+"Come, will you accept, Margaret?"
+
+"No, no, I cannot!"
+
+"But think of what is before you."
+
+"If I tried to escape, they would soon be on my track--"
+
+"No, I can prevent that."
+
+"How?"
+
+"Because the world will know that you are innocent."
+
+She gave a start and looked at him wildly, pleadingly.
+
+"Then you know the real murderer?" she panted.
+
+"If I answer that question, will you become my wife?"
+
+Again she shrank back.
+
+"You know the murderer," she repeated.  "Perhaps you committed the foul
+deeds yourself."
+
+He took a step back as if struck a blow.  Then he recovered quickly and
+smiled a bitter smile.
+
+"No, I was not near the place, I can prove it.  Besides, your folks and
+myself were on good terms.  There is somebody else, who was around the
+house when the affair happened--somebody you know well, a person who
+would know all about the drug with which your father and Mrs. Langmore
+were killed."
+
+"Who was it?"
+
+"Will you consent to marry me?"
+
+"Tell me first."
+
+"No, afterwards."
+
+"You are fooling me."
+
+"I swear I am not, Margaret.  Marry me, and I will clear you as surely
+as the sun is shining."
+
+"And if I refuse?"
+
+He came and caught her by the arm, his face blazing with sudden passion.
+
+"Do not dare to do that!  Don't you understand the matter?  You are in
+my power--in my power absolutely.  I can hand you over to the police
+whenever I will."
+
+"That will not be such a hardship.  I said I was going back."
+
+"Bah!  If I tell them that I caught you, that you begged me to let you
+get away--that you even said you would marry me, if I would aid you,
+what then?  Everybody will think you guilty, and Raymond Case will
+never come near you again."
+
+"You--you monster!"
+
+"Perhaps I am a monster when aroused.  You had better think this matter
+over."
+
+"I do not want to think it over.  My mind is made up.  I shall never
+marry you, never, no matter what happens.  I loathe and despise you!"
+
+There was a moment of silence, and his dark face turned a sickly white
+and then red.  He breathed heavily through his set teeth.
+
+"You mean that?" he said finally, his eyes shining like those of a
+serpent.
+
+"I do."
+
+He glared at her steadily.  Then, in a burst of rage, he caught her by
+the throat and threw her backward to the floor.  She offered no
+resistance, and pausing in his madness he realized that she had swooned
+away.
+
+"Fainted!" he hissed between his set teeth.  "I wish she was dead!
+Curse her and her beauty!"
+
+He waited, and as she did not return to consciousness, he picked her
+up, and placed her on the bed.  Then he hurried outside:
+
+"Go back to the house," he said to the old woman.  "You'll not be
+needed here any more.  And see that you keep your jaw closed over
+this," he added harshly.  And the woman slunk away as if struck, like a
+dog.
+
+Once inside of the cottage, he took up a glass of water standing on the
+table, and to this added a powder taken from his pocket, stirring it up
+well.  Then he looked around to see that there was no other water
+around the building.
+
+"When she rouses up she will be dry, and she will drink this," he
+muttered to himself.  "Half a glass will do the work and she will never
+bother me or anybody else any more."
+
+He paused again and took from his pocket several sheets of paper,
+closely and carelessly written upon in pencil.  The first sheet was
+headed:
+
+
+    _Dying Confession of Margaret Langmore._
+
+
+"A fine forgery, if I do say so myself," he mused.  "Mat, you always
+were a plum with the pen.  I'll add a line telling where she can be
+found and then send it to the coroner.  That will be better than
+leaving it around here.  She might find it before she drank that dose."
+He paused again.  "Perhaps she won't drink it after all.  I'll give her
+some of it now, and make sure."
+
+He raised up the almost lifeless girl, and forced open her lips.  Then
+he took the glass, and poured half the contents down her throat.  She
+spluttered, but swallowed, and he let her form drop back on the bed.
+He was in a cold perspiration now, and in sudden fear, he fairly rushed
+out of the cottage and down the hillside in the direction of his home.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+RAISING THE CURTAIN
+
+As soon as his interview with Tom Ostrello was at an end, Adam Adams
+asked the young man to leave him.
+
+"I am going to follow up this clew," he said.  "And the quicker the
+better."
+
+He looked over a valise he carried and selected a number of things he
+wanted.  Midnight found him at the depot, boarding a train for
+Fairfield.  At the latter place he changed and took another train for
+Bryport.  Arriving at that city, he located at a hotel, and went to bed.
+
+He was up at sunrise and procured an early breakfast.  Then he returned
+to his room and spent a full hour in donning another outfit and in
+powdering his face, and adjusting a wig and a reddish moustache.
+
+The same car that had taken him to the vicinity of John Watkins'
+residence before, took him there again.  As he approached the house he
+saw the secret service man coming forth.
+
+"Excuse me, Mr. Watkins, but I must see you," said he, in a low and
+suggestive tone.
+
+"To see me?" questioned the man.  "What about?"
+
+"Well, I must see you alone.  _The sky may be rather red_, you know."
+
+At the last words the secret service man started slightly.  "That's
+true, and _I don't like a red sky_," he answered.  "Come into the
+house.  You just caught me in time."
+
+He led the way inside and up to his den, closing and locking the door
+after him.
+
+"Now, then, what do you want to see me about?" he demanded sharply.
+
+"Don't you recognize me?"
+
+"I must say I do not, although your face seems familiar."
+
+"I am Number Four."
+
+There was a pause, and Adam Adams studied the face before him closely.
+
+"Well?" came from the secret service man coldly.
+
+"There has been trouble, Mr. Watkins.  Matlock Styles sent me to you."
+
+"The dickens you say.   What right has he--"
+
+"He had to do it.  Things are getting warm."
+
+"He should have come himself."
+
+"He couldn't do it.  The detectives are shadowing every movement he
+makes.  He didn't even dare to drop you a letter."
+
+"What's the cause of the trouble?"
+
+"Those queers in the safe."
+
+"Then the authorities got them?"
+
+"Yes, and they've sent down some New York detectives, who are watching
+everybody."
+
+"Bah!  Styles must be getting nervous."
+
+"He told me to tell you something more.  They found something else.
+It's about the poison powder that was used.  You made some kind of a
+mistake--"
+
+John Watkins leaped to his feet and turned pale.
+
+"I made a mistake?" he cried.  "How?  For Heaven's sake, man, tell me
+all!"  He went to a cupboard, got out some brandy and drank a stiff
+portion.
+
+"That is what Styles wants to find out.  He thinks you put out some
+clews that point to him.  He says if you did he will blow you sky-high.
+He wants the truth from you, and he wants it right away."
+
+"Clews?  Against him?  He is crazy.  I never put out a single clew
+against him.  Why should I?  Wasn't it arranged that we should fix it
+against the girl, and didn't I even go to the trouble to spy on
+Langmore and get the combination of the safe--although it didn't do any
+good.  And then after the job was done, didn't I--"  The secret
+service man came to an abrupt stop, as if fearing he had said too much.
+"Look here, did he tell you all this, or is this some game?"
+
+"Hey!" exclaimed Adam Adams, pretending to be amazed.  "Did he tell me.
+See here, I don't care if you are the boss, I am not going to run the
+risk of being sent up for twenty years for you.  I came to help Styles
+out, that's all.  I had the devil's own job getting out of Sidham
+without being followed.  To-morrow I am going to take my money and move
+West.  You won't trust a fellow, and yet you expect--"
+
+"Never mind, Pink, don't get on your ear so quick--"
+
+"Ain't I got a right to get on my ear?  You go and poison two people
+and then--"
+
+"Who said I did the poisoning?"  John Watkins was plainly agitated.
+
+"Didn't Styles tell all of us?  He wasn't going to have those clews
+pointing to him.  He says you bungled."
+
+"He is a calf!" roared John Watkins.  "Where is the nerve he used to
+have?  So he told all of you that I did the job, eh?  Well, I'll square
+things with him for that."
+
+"He wouldn't care if you hadn't made some sort of a botch--"
+
+"I?  A botch?  Say, don't you believe what he tells you, because it
+isn't true!"
+
+"Well, he says--"
+
+"I don't care what he says.  I didn't do the job, and I am not going to
+let him shift the responsibility on my shoulders.  He's a fool.  Don't
+everybody think the girl is guilty, and if they clear her isn't there
+another string to the bow?"
+
+"You mean Tom Ostrello?"
+
+"That's it.  So he told you about that, too," came from the secret
+service man bitterly.  "Well, he isn't the man I thought he was.  I
+suppose he has gone and blabbed right and left."
+
+"Only to the band.  We knew something was on the carpet and we cornered
+him and then he had to speak.  Why, one of the New York detectives
+found our place under the old mill, and we had to do him, to keep the
+thing a secret."
+
+"You got him out of the way?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Did Styles do that job?"
+
+"No.  We had to draw lots.  I ain't saying who drew the red ball."
+
+"Maybe you drew it yourself."
+
+"Maybe I did and maybe I didn't.  What I want to know is: What are we
+to do?  The crowd don't like Styles much, and I can tell you
+confidentially, that for two pins we would throw him over--that is, if
+you will stand by us."
+
+"You want to elect a new leader?"
+
+"Yes.  But with the understanding that the crowd is to be let in on the
+ground floor after this.  No more working in the dark.  Even yet we
+don't know why those murders were committed, and yet it looks as if all
+of us might suffer, unless you pull us through O.K."
+
+"Didn't Styles tell you why?"
+
+"No, although he hinted at something."
+
+"Well, I'll tell you, Pink, and you can tell the rest.  Barry Langmore
+had some dealings with Styles about patents and mortgages.  One day
+Styles drank a little too much, and went to Langmore to pay a bill.  He
+had two packages of money with him, each for several thousand dollars.
+One package was good money and the other was our own brand.  Styles
+also had some loose bills with him.  He paid part of a mortgage and
+also something on an invention.  When he went away, he saw that he had
+made a mistake and given Langmore the counterfeit bills.  He went back
+the next day, but Langmore had gone away, on a short vacation.  When he
+came back Styles went to him and they had a pretty stormy scene.
+Langmore had tried to pass a bill, and learned it was a counterfeit.
+Styles pretended that he didn't know the money was bad, but Langmore
+wouldn't believe him.  Some of the money had gone to Mrs. Langmore,
+too.  Styles begged to get the money back and offered Langmore his
+rights in an invention if only Langmore would keep quiet.  Langmore
+said he would think it over, but I am inclined to think he communicated
+with the police instead, although I have no proof.  Anyway, we made up
+our minds that Langmore knew too much, and so did his wife.
+Then--well, they were found dead, that's all."
+
+"And you say you didn't commit the deed?"
+
+"I did not."
+
+"Then Styles must have done the job, since there was no one else."
+
+"Didn't he tell you that he can prove an _alibi_!  That he was over to
+Stony Hill at the time the deed was done?"
+
+"Yes, but if that is true, then you are guilty.  You got that poison
+from Henry Bloom, and he told Tom Ostrello that he let you have it.
+There is where you blundered.  Ostrello and others are on your track.
+You can't escape unless you can prove an _alibi_, too."
+
+Again John Watkins shrank back as if struck a blow.
+
+"Who--who told this--who says--" he began hoarsely.
+
+"Matlock Styles."
+
+"Then he can go to perdition!  I'll not stand up for him a minute
+longer.  Yes, I got the poison, but I gave it to him.  I can prove it
+by the old woman who works for him, if I have to wring her neck to make
+her speak.  She heard me tell him how to use it.  He trusts her,
+because he has her where the hair is short.  She killed a child years
+ago, when she ran a baby farm.  And then about that _alibi_--"  The
+secret service man laughed bitterly.  "So that's his game, if it comes
+to a showing of hands?  Well, I can put a spoke in his wheel.  He was
+at Stony Hill, was he?  Well, so was I.  I can prove that, too."
+
+There was a pause, during which the secret service man took another
+drink of liquor.  He was plainly very nervous.  With great
+deliberation, Adam Adams drew from one pocket a pistol, and from
+another a pair of handcuffs.
+
+"The scene is ended, Mr. Watkins," he said coolly.  "I want you to slip
+on those and come with me."  And he threw the handcuffs on the table,
+and leveled the pistol at the fellow's head.
+
+The man staggered and threw up his hands, half expecting a shot.  He
+suddenly began to tremble, as if with the ague.
+
+"What do you mean?  Wh--who are you?" he faltered.
+
+"I am Adam Adams.  I believe we have met before."
+
+"Adams!"  The secret service man sank back in an armchair.  "And
+you--you are here to arrest me?"
+
+"Exactly.  As I said before, the whole game is up.  Inside of half an
+hour you will be safe in prison, and then we shall round up such other
+members of the gang as are still at large.  Unless you want to make a
+confession, you will have to stand trial for the murder of Mr. and Mrs.
+Langmore."
+
+"Never!  I'll--I'll tell all I know, first!"  The man's lips were white
+and his eyes full of commingled rage and fear.
+
+"You will make a clean and clear statement?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Clearing up the murder mystery?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+CHAPTER XXXI
+
+LIGHT AT LAST--CONCLUSION
+
+As soon as Adam Adams returned to Sidham he communicated with the chief
+of police, and with several other persons, and also sent two telegrams
+to New York.  He tried to find Charles Vapp, but could not locate his
+assistant.
+
+The detective's plans were laid with care and he gave the posse of men
+under him minute instructions as to what to do.  In the midst of the
+work Raymond and Tom Ostrello appeared.
+
+"Let me go along," said Raymond.  "I want to do my little towards
+rounding that gang up."
+
+"And so do I," came from the young commercial traveler.
+
+"You may go as far as Styles' farm, if you wish," said Adam Adams.
+"But why not look for Miss Langmore instead?"
+
+At this Raymond's face grew troubled.
+
+"We have looked everywhere--" he began.
+
+"As you please."
+
+It was not long after this that a portion of the party set out, to be
+followed presently by the rest.  The men did not keep together, but
+scattered in a wide semicircle, and then in a circle, which completely
+surrounded the Styles' farm, and the old mill, and its vicinity.
+
+As they approached the farm they saw the man called Bart come out, and
+walk towards the barn.  He was promptly arrested by Adam Adams and was
+asked where Matlock Styles could be found.
+
+"I don't know," he answered sullenly.  "I don't know why you are
+arresting me.  I haven't done anything wrong."
+
+"We'll see about that later," returned the detective, and when the man
+wanted to blow a whistle he carried, promptly prevented it, and took
+the whistle away.  Then the man was compelled to quiet the dogs, which
+he did with bad grace.
+
+In the kitchen of the house they found the old woman, who gave a cry of
+alarm when told that she must give herself up to the law.
+
+"Sure, I didn't have anything to do with it!" she wailed.  "I--I didn't
+touch the young lady!"
+
+"What's that?" cried Raymond, stepping forward.
+
+"I didn't touch the young lady, sir.  I offered her something to eat,
+that's all."
+
+"Can she mean Margaret?" whispered Tom Ostrello.
+
+"Where did you meet Miss Langmore?" demanded Raymond sharply.
+
+"Up at the old cottage on the hill.  I--I didn't take her there.  It
+was--"  She stopped short.  "I can't tell you.  Mat would kill me,"
+she whined.
+
+"See here, tell all you know," came sternly from Adam Adams.  "I know
+you.  You once ran a baby farm, and a baby died, and I know how."
+
+The old woman gave a shriek and fell on her knees, rocking to and fro.
+
+"I knew it!  I knew it would come!  It can't be hid any longer!  Yes, I
+did it!"
+
+"Where is Miss Langmore?" demanded Raymond impatiently.
+
+"At the cottage on the hill.  Mat took her there.  He's in love with
+her.  Oh, dear!  Oh, dear!" she began to rock to and fro again.  "I
+knew it would come!  Murder will out, they say!"
+
+"Take us to that cottage and be quick about it," said Raymond.  "Will
+you go along?" he asked of Adam Adams and Tom Ostrello.
+
+They said they would, and set off without delay.  It was rather a long
+walk and the old woman was out of breath when they reached the building
+near the top of the hill.
+
+"Watch her," said the detective to Tom Ostrello, and he and Raymond
+entered the cottage.  As they did so, they stumbled over a person lying
+on the floor.
+
+"Margaret!" burst out the young man and caught his sweetheart in his
+arms.  Then he gave a gasp, and staggered with his burden to the bed.
+"She is dead!"
+
+"Dead!" ejaculated Adam Adams.  "You are certain?"  He placed his ear
+to her heart.  "No, she still lives."
+
+"But what does this mean?  Margaret!  Margaret!  Speak to me!  What has
+happened to you?"
+
+The girl offered no reply, nor did she open her eyes.  She rested on
+him and on the bed like a leaden weight.  He kissed her fondly, a great
+agony filling his soul.
+
+Adam Adams looked around the room.  On the table rested a glass, with a
+dirty substance at the bottom.  He tasted the stuff.  It was sweetishly
+bitter.  He ran outside.
+
+"Tell me at once, did Matlock Styles say anything about poisoning this
+young lady?" he demanded, catching the old woman by the arm.  "The
+truth now, remember!"
+
+"No, he didn't say anything.  But he had some poison, a powder--you put
+it in water.  It kills a person in six to ten hours, sure."
+
+"We must have a doctor!"
+
+Tom Ostrello had heard the talk and saw what had happened.
+
+"I'll get a doctor, if you'll watch the old woman.  I can get a horse
+at Styles' farm."
+
+"Do it, and hurry!" cried Raymond.  "Take the best horse and bring the
+doctor at once.  Tell him it is poison--a powder in water.  Offer him
+any amount of money--"
+
+"I will!" Ostrello shouted back.  He was running down the hill path
+with the swiftness of a college sprinter.  In a moment the bushes hid
+him from sight.
+
+Adam Adams was talking to the old woman.  "You know about the poison.
+Is there nothing we can give her to counteract the effects?  Do
+something, and I'll not be so hard on you when you stand up for trial."
+
+"I can do nothing.  But wait, yes, I can!  Make a fire, and boil some
+water!"
+
+She ran to the back of the cottage and to some bushes growing close at
+hand.  With her bare hands she dug at the roots and tore them up,
+stripping off the bark with her teeth.  Adam Adams comprehended, and
+lit a fire and set on the kettle to boil.  Then the roots were placed
+in the boiling water.
+
+"Make her drink--it will do her good," said the old woman.  "I swear it
+will help, at least a little--until the doctor comes."  And with
+shaking hands, she poured the concoction she had made into a saucer to
+cool.
+
+It was no easy matter to get Margaret to swallow, but after a while it
+was accomplished, and her heart appeared to beat a trifle more
+steadily.  But still she did not rouse up or open her eyes, and Raymond
+was as depressed as before.
+
+"We can't overcome the effects of the drug," he groaned.  "Oh, if only
+the doctor would come!"
+
+"Give her some more," said the old woman.  "Give her all of it," and
+this was done.
+
+Slowly the time dragged by, until they heard a shouting in the
+distance, followed by a pistol shot.  Then two horses burst into view,
+one ridden by Ostrello, and the other by a doctor who lived not a great
+distance away.
+
+"I will do all I can," said the physician, as he leaped to the ground.
+He set to work at once, meanwhile questioning the old woman regarding
+what had already been done.  "That was all right--it has helped to put
+the patient into a perspiration and keep up the heart action."
+
+"Another doctor is also coming," said Ostrello to Raymond and the
+detective.
+
+"In that case I'll join my men," came from Adam Adams.  "By that pistol
+shot something must be doing.  I will be back later.  See that that old
+woman does not get away."  And he was off.
+
+Something was indeed doing.  The old mill had been surrounded and the
+chief of police had entered the building, followed by several other men
+of the party.  The counterfeiters were taken by surprise, but they did
+not give up at once.  Some began to fight, and in the melee two were
+seriously wounded.  Then all but three surrendered, these three doing
+what they could to get out by a back way.  One of the three was Matlock
+Styles.
+
+The three men came out in the woods, and one was quickly shot in the
+leg, and fell headlong among the trees.  Seeing this the second man
+shouted that he would surrender, and threw up his arms as a signal.
+
+"You bloomin' fool!  I'll not surrender!" cried Matlock Styles, and ran
+on, through the woods, and up the hill that led to the cottage.
+
+He was still some distance off, when Adam Adams saw him coming.  The
+detective had his pistol in his hand.
+
+"Stop, Styles, or I'll fire on you!" he called out.
+
+For an answer the Englishman raised his own pistol and fired point
+blank, the bullet cutting through the loose flap of Adam Adams' coat.
+Then the Englishman went down, with a bullet in his left side.  When
+Adam Adams ran up to him he was twisting and breathing heavily.
+
+"You've done me up, hang you!" he gasped.  "Oh, if I only could get at
+you!" and he tried to crawl towards his pistol, but Adam Adams promptly
+kicked it out of the way.
+
+"You're down and out, Styles," said the detective.  "It won't do you
+any good to squirm.  You're in the hands of the law."
+
+"What for, counterfeiting?"
+
+"That and worse."
+
+"Worse?"
+
+"Yes, a good deal worse.  Murder!"
+
+
+By nightfall all of the prisoners were either in the jail or at the
+hospital at Sidham.  Some of the secret service authorities from New
+York had arrived, and to them Adam Adams turned over the case, so far
+as it related to the counterfeiters.
+
+"I did not start out to round up such a gang," he said, in speaking of
+the affair to Mr. Breslow, some days later.  "I came here to clear up
+the murder mystery."
+
+"But you get the credit, Adams," said the head of the secret service
+detail.  "And you deserve it.  But do you think you are going to
+convict Matlock Styles of the tragedy?"
+
+"It's a sure thing.  The _alibi_ won't bother me, for I can now prove
+it was a bogus one.  John Watkins got the poison for him, and promised
+to impersonate him at Stony Hill, while the crime was being committed.
+He did it, but I have found two people who thought it was not Styles
+after all.  Watkins himself is willing to testify that he did the
+impersonating."
+
+"How did they happen to use that strange powder?"
+
+"Watkins got it from a friend of his, who afterwards mentioned the fact
+to Tom Ostrello.  When Styles got it I suppose he thought the use of it
+might throw suspicion on Ostrello, which it did.  Then suspicion was
+also thrown on Miss Langmore, so that the general public might get
+tangled up."
+
+"Did Styles write that note, which was supposed to have been written by
+Mr. Langmore, saying she must obey or leave the house?"
+
+"Yes.  He is an expert penman, and most likely a regular forger as well
+as counterfeiter.  He only made a mistake when he drank too much."
+
+"Did Watkins know any of the details of the murder?"
+
+"Yes.  After it was over, Styles came to him and told his story, being
+half drunk at the time.  He said he left home and came through the
+woods, where he saw Tom Ostrello just coming from the Langmore mansion.
+As soon as the coast seemed clear, he ran past the bushes and got in
+the house by a window.  He found Mr. Langmore in the library and asked
+again for the counterfeits.  Langmore said he was going to give them to
+the authorities, and expose Styles.  Then the Englishman said he would
+explain, and Langmore sat down in his chair to listen.  Styles turned
+around, took some cotton from his pocket, and saturated it with the
+powder, and sprang at Langmore from behind.  The victim struggled and
+got his face scratched from the Englishman's ring.  Langmore was no
+match for his assailant, and in a minute the murder was done.  Then
+Styles ran upstairs.  He knew the servant was in the barn, and he heard
+Miss Langmore playing on the piano in the parlor.  He met Mrs. Langmore
+just coming from her room.  She was scared, but before she could scream
+or resist, he gave her what was left of the powder and she fell over
+where she was found.  Then he stepped out of an upper window to the top
+of the piazza and dropped to the ground, and came away across the brook
+and through the woods."
+
+"Then you are bound to convict him.  What of Watkins?"
+
+"I'll use him as a witness against Styles in the murder trial and then
+you can have him tried as a counterfeiter.  The old woman will also
+prove a good witness.  She is so old, and has promised to reform, so
+there is no use of our pushing a charge against her.  The rest of the
+crowd will all get what they deserve.  I'm glad we got the bogus
+printing plates."
+
+"Have you heard anything of the Langmore estate?"
+
+"Yes.  Mr. Langmore left his wife her legal share, and the balance to
+his daughters, Margaret getting a little the larger portion.  Mrs.
+Langmore leaves her money to her sons, one-fourth to Dick, the
+spendthrift, and three-fourths to Tom.  I have also rooted out some
+papers among Styles' effects, which will give Tom Ostrello his patent
+back, and also give some patent rights to Mr. Langmore's estate.  I can
+tell you, Matlock Styles was a deep one.  It was only once in a great
+while that he drank and bungled."
+
+"Well, the greatest of criminals have their weak spots, you know that
+as well as I do.  Styles, I suppose, also got up that bogus confession,
+signed in Miss Langmore's name."
+
+"He did.  When he found the girl wouldn't marry him, he was wild and
+ready for any treachery."
+
+"And how is the girl doing?"
+
+"I am going to see now."
+
+When out on the street, Adam Adams ran into Tom Ostrello, arm in arm
+with Letty.  He was amazed for an instant, and then his face broke into
+a smile.
+
+"I just couldn't help it, Uncle Adam!" cried the girl.  "I had to come
+here to congratulate Tom on his escape."
+
+"Well, I don't blame you, Letty.  Yes, it has turned out well for you.
+I hope it turns out as well for Miss Langmore and Mr. Case."
+
+Margaret was again at Martha Sampson's cottage.  When the detective
+entered he heard a murmur of voices in one of the upper rooms.  He ran
+upstairs, to find the girl sitting up in bed and Raymond by her side.
+The young man's face was filled with happiness.
+
+"Come in!  Come in!" he cried joyously.  "She has come around all
+right, Mr. Adams.  She is a little weak still, but the doctor says she
+will be well as ever in a week or ten days.  The good news has braced
+her up wonderfully."
+
+"And all due to you, Mr. Adams," said the girl.  "Oh, how can I ever
+thank you enough?"  She clasped his hand warmly.  "You are so good!"
+
+"This is certainly famous," he replied, sitting down at the foot of the
+bed.  "It's the best news yet.  I have just left one happy couple and
+here I find another."
+
+"You mean Tom Ostrello and that young lady from your office?" asked
+Raymond.  And then, as the detective nodded, he went on: "I met them,
+and I asked them to come here.  Margaret wanted to see them."
+
+"I wish Tom to know that I want to be friends, always," said Margaret.
+"We have had enough of trouble in the family.  And when he gets
+married, I want to be friends with his wife, too."
+
+"I am glad to hear that, for I know it will please Letty and she is a
+good girl.  It may be--  Here they come, now!"
+
+A minute later the newcomers were ushered into the sick room, and the
+two girls, who had never met, were introduced to each other.  It was a
+happy meeting all around, and the lovers were all as devoted as lovers
+can well be.  Seeing this, Adam Adams thought it about time to leave.
+
+"I am going now," he said, and stopped at the door.
+
+"So soon?" asked Margaret.
+
+"Yes, I have another important case on hand," answered Adam Adams.
+
+"Another case?" queried Tom Ostrello.  "Well, I wish you luck, I am
+sure."
+
+"We all do," chimed in Raymond.
+
+"What is it?" queried Letty.
+
+Adam Adams smiled broadly.  "As you are no longer connected with the
+office, I cannot tell you," he said.
+
+"Maybe I can guess it!" cried Raymond.  "The disappearance of John
+Darr--the case all New York is talking about?"
+
+Adam Adams smiled faintly.  "You've struck it," he said.  "It is a
+wonderful case, and will demand all of my attention.  But I'll be back
+tomorrow.  In the meantime, I want you all to remember that you owe me
+an invitation."
+
+"An invitation to what?" asked both girls, in a breath, and knowing
+perfectly well what he meant.
+
+"An invitation to the weddings, when they come off."
+
+"Oh!" came in a little feminine shriek.
+
+"Well, you get them," said Raymond.
+
+"Indeed, he does," said Tom.
+
+And he did.
+
+
+
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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Mansion of Mystery, by Chester K. Steele
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: The Mansion of Mystery
+       Being a Certain Case of Importance, Taken from the Note-book of Adam Adams, Investigator and Detective
+
+
+Author: Chester K. Steele
+
+
+
+Release Date: July 4, 2005  [eBook #16204]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MANSION OF MYSTERY***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Al Haines
+
+
+
+THE MANSION OF MYSTERY
+
+Being a Certain Case of Importance, Taken
+from the Note-book of Adam Adams,
+Investigator and Detective
+
+by
+
+CHESTER K. STEELE
+
+Author of "The Disappearance of John Darr"
+
+International Fiction Library
+Cleveland                New York
+Press of the Commercial Bookbinding Co., Cleveland
+
+1911
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+THE STORY OF A DOUBLE TRAGEDY
+
+The young man was evidently in a tremendous hurry, and as soon as the
+ferryboat bumped into the slip he was at the gate and was the first one
+ashore.  He beckoned to one of the alert taxicabmen, and without
+waiting to have the vehicle brought to him, ran to it and leaped inside.
+
+"Do you know where the Vanderslip Building is?" he questioned abruptly.
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Then take me there with all possible speed."
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+The door slammed, the taxi driver mounted to his seat, and off the taxi
+started at the best rate of speed the driver could attain.  The young
+man sank down among the cushions and buried his chin in his hands.
+
+His face, normally a handsome one, was now wrinkled with care, his hair
+was disheveled, and he looked as if he had lost much sleep.  At times
+his mouth twitched nervously and he clenched his fists in a passion
+which availed him nothing.
+
+"To think that she is guilty!" he muttered.  "It is horrible!
+Horrible!"  And then his whole frame shook as if with the ague.  Twice
+he started up, to see if he had not yet arrived at his destination.
+But the drive was a long one, and to him, in his keen anxiety, it
+appeared an age.
+
+"If he is away--out of town--in Europe, or on some case which he cannot
+leave, what am I to do?" he murmured.  "I've pinned my whole faith on
+him."
+
+Presently there was a jar, and the taxicab came to a halt in front of a
+large office building.  The young man gave one look, and, before the
+driver could get down, had the door open and was on the pavement.
+"Here you are," he said and thrust a dollar bill into the fellow's
+hand.  Then he crossed the broad pavement and was lost to sight in the
+corridor beyond.
+
+"In a hurry and no mistake, and looks a heap worried, too," was the
+chauffeur's comment.  "Well, I'm a quarter ahead on that fare."
+
+For a moment the young man studied the directory on the corridor wall.
+Then he entered an elevator and alighted at the eighth floor.  He,
+walked down a side hall until he came to a door upon the glass of which
+was inscribed the name:
+
+        _Adam Adams_
+
+"This must be the place," he murmured, and opening the door he entered
+the office, to find himself in a plain but neatly furnished apartment,
+containing several chairs, and a flat-top desk, at which a young lady
+was writing.
+
+"Is Mr. Adams in?" he asked, as the young lady arose to meet him.
+
+"What name, please?" was the counter question, and the young lady gave
+the visitor a keen glance.
+
+"Raymond Case."  The young man brought forth his card.  "Tell Mr. Adams
+I am the son of the late Wilbur Case, and wish to see him on important
+business."
+
+The young lady disappeared through a door leading to an inner
+apartment.  From this she entered another apartment, much larger, and
+overlooking the little city park far below.  The room was filled with
+books and pictures, and some wall brackets contained several bits of
+finely-carved statuary.  There was one large roller-top desk and three
+comfortable leather chairs.
+
+At the desk sat a man of uncertain age, with a strong face, a somewhat
+bald head, and eyes that were neither light nor dark.  The man was of
+ordinary height, but muscular to a surprising degree.  His face showed
+a high order of intelligence and his mouth a determination not easily
+thrust aside.
+
+"A gentleman to see you," said the young lady.  She placed the card
+before him.  "He told me to tell you that he is the son of the late
+Wilbur Case, and wishes to see you on important business."
+
+The man at the desk drew a long breath and looked up from a slip of
+paper which he had been studying through a microscope.  "Raymond Case,
+eh?  All right, Letty, show him in."
+
+In another moment the visitor was in the private office.  Adam Adams
+arose and gave him a warm handshake.
+
+"Glad to meet you, Mr. Case," he said cordially.  "I knew your late
+father quite well--a fine man--a very fine man, indeed.  Have a chair
+and make yourself at home."  He noted that his visitor was much
+agitated and flushed.  "Sit down by the window; there is a nice breeze
+there from across the park."
+
+"Mr. Adams, I would like to see you in private," returned the young
+man, as he took a seat and mopped his forehead with his handkerchief.
+
+"Very well," and the office door was carefully closed.  Then came a
+brief pause, during which Raymond Case cleared his throat several times.
+
+"Mr. Adams, you do not know much about me, but I know a great deal
+about you," he commenced.  "Three or four years ago you recovered some
+stolen mining shares for my father, and last year you cleared up the
+Sandford mystery, after the police and the other detectives had failed
+completely."
+
+Adam Adams bowed.  He rarely spoke unless there was occasion for it.
+
+"May I ask if you are now at liberty?" pursued the young man.
+
+"At liberty?  Bless you, no!  I have half a dozen cases on hand.  Two
+here in the city--one over in New Jersey--one in Yonkers, and--"
+
+"But you will undertake a case for me, if I pay you well for it, won't
+you?" interrupted the young man eagerly.  "Don't say no--please don't!"
+And there was a ring of agony in his speech.  "I am depending upon you!"
+
+The detective paused before replying, and looked the young man over
+with care.  The clean-cut features showed not a sign of dissipation,
+and the expression was honesty itself.  Certainly the young man had not
+gotten into trouble on his own account.
+
+"I should want to know something about the case before I promised to do
+anything."
+
+"Certainly--of course--"  The young man cleared his throat again.
+
+"You can tell me what the trouble is and if I decline to take the case
+I will give you my promise not to say a word to any outsider of what
+has passed between us."
+
+"Oh, I know I can trust you, Mr. Adams, otherwise I should not have
+called here.  My father said you were the squarest man he had ever
+dealt with.  I came to see you about the Langmore affair."
+
+"You mean the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Barry Langmore at Beechwood Hill?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+Adam Adams was surprised, although he did not show it.  What had this
+rich young man, who lived in Orange, New Jersey, and did business in
+Wall Street, to do with that double tragedy which had so shocked the
+community?
+
+"I presume you know some of the particulars of the sad affair," resumed
+Raymond Case.  "The newspapers have been full of it."
+
+"I know that the pair were found murdered.  I have not looked into
+details, being so busy with other matters."
+
+"It was an outrageous deed, Mr. Adams!" cried the young man, jumping up
+and beginning to pace the floor.  "One of the foulest of which I have
+ever heard."
+
+"A murder is always foul, no matter under what circumstances it is
+committed.  What do you wish me to do?"
+
+"Find the murderer."
+
+"That may not be easy.  Are not other detectives already working on the
+case?"
+
+"Yes, but they are only local men and not worth their salt."
+
+"They may be doing all that can be done.  It is a mistake to presume
+that every mystery of this sort can be solved.  Here in New York men go
+to their death every year and nobody ever finds out how, or by what
+hand."
+
+"But the local men simply jump at conclusions.  They are a set of blind
+fools, and--"  The young man stopped short.
+
+Adam Adams smiled faintly.  He knew something of the bungling work done
+by detectives of small caliber.  Had he not himself once saved a poor
+Jew from hanging after several country detectives had apparently proved
+the fellow guilty?  And had not those same sleuths of the law been
+angry at him ever since?
+
+"Excuse me, Mr. Case, but how is it that you take an interest in this
+affair?" he asked.  "Are you related to the Langmores in any way?"
+
+"I am not."  The young man began to blush.  "Is it necessary that I
+tell you why?" he stammered.
+
+"It is not necessary for you to tell me anything," responded the
+detective dryly.
+
+"I didn't mean to say--"
+
+"Let me give you a word of advice.  Never try to get a detective to do
+anything for you unless you are willing to tell him all you know and
+all you suspect.  It is generally hard enough to solve an enigma
+without having other mysteries attached to it."
+
+The young man lowered his face and looked confused for a moment.
+
+"Then I will tell you everything," he said.  "You may take notes if you
+wish."
+
+"It is not necessary, since I have a good memory."
+
+"The Langmores lived just on the outskirts of the town, on the road
+leading to Sidham, which is several miles distance."
+
+"I have a general idea of the location."
+
+"The house is a fine, old-fashioned stone mansion, setting well back
+from the road, and surrounded by a well-kept lawn and numerous trees
+and bushes.  At the rear of the garden is a small stream, which flows
+into the river a mile and a half below."
+
+"Is the place surrounded by a fence?"
+
+"On two sides only.  In the front there is a hedge and in the rear the
+little stream forms the boundary of the property."
+
+"I understand."
+
+"At the time of the tragedy there were four persons in the house, so
+far as known--Mr. and Mrs. Langmore, Mr. Langmore's daughter, Margaret,
+and a servant, Mary Billings."
+
+"Wait a moment.  You said Mr. Langmore's daughter.  Was she not Mrs.
+Langmore's daughter also?"
+
+"No.  You see Mr. Langmore was a widower when he married the present
+Mrs. Langmore, who was a widow.  There are two sets of children."
+
+"I understand.  When did the tragedy occur?"
+
+"At some time between eleven and twelve in the morning.  During that
+time Margaret Langmore was in her room writing several letters, and was
+practicing on the piano in the parlor.  The house is a large one, with
+sixteen rooms and several hallways and stairs."
+
+"Where was the servant?"
+
+"In the kitchen and out to the barn.  There are two other girls, but
+one is in the hospital sick and the other was to town on an errand."
+
+"Where were Mr. and Mrs. Langmore?"
+
+"The daughter thought her stepmother had gone out to visit a neighbor,
+as she had said something about doing so earlier in the morning.  Mr.
+Langmore had gone to the bank in town at nine o'clock and Margaret saw
+him come home about half-past ten or eleven."
+
+"What was she doing at the time?"
+
+"Practicing on the piano.  She heard her father go directly to his
+library, which is situated across the hallway from the parlor.  She
+heard the door shut, and then went on with her practicing."
+
+"Did she hear anything in the library?"
+
+"She thinks she heard something, but is not sure.  She was practicing a
+very difficult piece by Wagner--"
+
+"And it was loud enough to drown out every other sound."
+
+"That's it.  When the clock struck twelve she stopped practicing to
+learn if lunch was ready.  She also wanted to speak to her father, and
+so crossed the hallway and opened the library door."  The young man's
+voice began to tremble a little.  "She found her father stretched
+lifeless in an armchair."
+
+"How had he been killed?"
+
+"That is a part of the mystery.  He was either choked or smothered to
+death, or else he was poisoned.  The doctors don't seem to be able to
+get at the bottom of it."
+
+For the first time since Raymond Case had begun his recital Adam Adams
+began to show an interest.
+
+"If the man was strangled his throat should show the marks," he
+observed.
+
+"There are no marks, and the doctors have found no trace of poison."
+
+"Humph!"  The detective rubbed his chin reflectively.  "What next?"
+
+"Margaret Langmore was so horrified she ran from the room screaming
+wildly.  Her shrieks brought the servant to the spot, and a minute
+later two of the neighbors, Mrs. Bardon and her son Alfred, came over
+from next door."
+
+"Where was Mrs. Langmore at this time?"
+
+"Nobody knew.  Alfred Bardon is a physician, and, thinking there might
+still be a spark of life in Mr. Langmore, did all he possibly could to
+resuscitate the gentleman.  The servant girl ran upstairs to find some
+drugs for him and in the upper hallway stumbled over the dead body of
+Mrs. Langmore."
+
+"And how had she died?"
+
+"In the same manner as her husband.  This news of a double tragedy was
+too much for Margaret, and she fainted.  The others notified more of
+the neighbors and the police, and of course, the news spread like
+wildfire.  I was stopping at the Beechwood Hotel at the time and as
+soon as I heard of the tragedy, I jumped into an automobile that was
+handy and rode over."
+
+"Then you arrived at the house about as soon as the police?"
+
+"A little before."
+
+"What did you see?"
+
+"Just what I have told you.  The doctor had been trying to bring Mr.
+Langmore around but had suddenly been taken sick and could do nothing."
+
+"Humph, sick, eh?  Did he say what made him sick?"
+
+"He did not know.  He thought it might be from leaning over the dead
+man, or from working in that position.  I think the sudden sickness
+frightened him a little."
+
+"When the police arrived what did they find of importance?"
+
+"Nothing."
+
+"Had anything been stolen?"
+
+"Nothing, so far as they could learn."
+
+"Of course, you must have known these folks pretty well to take such an
+interest."
+
+"I knew Mr. Langmore very well and I was acquainted with his wife."
+
+Adam Adams knit his brow for a moment and tapped lightly on his desk
+with his forefinger.
+
+"Have the police any idea as to how the murderer got into the house and
+got out again?" he asked.
+
+At this question Raymond Case's face flushed.
+
+"They do not think the murderer left the house," he answered in a low
+tone.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+LOVE UNDER A SHADOW
+
+Raymond Case dropped back into his chair and buried his face in his
+hands.  Adam Adams eyed him curiously and with something of a fatherly
+glance.
+
+"It is plain to see what his trouble is," thought the detective.  "He
+is in love."
+
+He was right, Raymond Case was furiously, desperately, hopelessly in
+love.  He had met Margaret Langmore at Bar Harbor but a few short weeks
+before, and it had been a case of love at first sight upon both sides.
+A few automobile rides and a few dances, and he had proposed and been
+accepted, and he had counted himself the happiest man in all this wide
+world.  And now--
+
+"Then they suspect the servant girl?" queried Adam Adams, knowing they
+did nothing of the sort.
+
+"No!" came sharply.  "They suspect Margaret--Miss Langmore."
+
+"Ah!"
+
+"Yes.  It is--is preposterous--absurd, but they insist.  And that is
+what has brought me to you.  I want to prove her innocence to the
+world.  Do that, and you can name your own price, Mr. Adams."
+
+"You have a high regard for the young lady--you are close friends?"
+
+"More.  I may as well tell you, though so far Margaret and I have kept
+the matter more or less a secret.  I love her and we are engaged to be
+married."
+
+"Did Mr. Langmore know of his daughter's engagement?"
+
+"He did, and he approved of it."
+
+"And what of Mrs. Langmore, didn't she approve?"
+
+"She did not know of it.  Margaret did not tell her."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Because--well, the young lady and her stepmother did not get along
+very well together.  Margaret wanted to be friendly, but Mrs. Langmore
+was very dictatorial, and besides she loved her own children better
+than Mr. Langmore's."
+
+"Let me ask, was the daughter on good terms with her father?"
+
+"Yes, excepting on one point.  He wished her to obey her stepmother and
+that she was not always willing to do.  This brought on a run of petty
+quarrels which fairly made Margaret sick."
+
+"And this is the reason why the police think Miss Langmore the guilty
+person?"
+
+"It is.  Their theory is that she first quarrelled with her stepmother
+and murdered her, and then struck down her father to cover her guilt,
+he having discovered what she was doing."
+
+"How old is Miss Langmore?"
+
+"She has just passed her twenty-third birthday."
+
+"Humph!  Rather young to commit such a cold-blooded crime as this."
+
+"She never did do it--I'll wager my life on it!  Oh, it's
+absurd--insulting!  But what are you going to do with a lot of
+pig-headed country police--"
+
+"How did they come to suspect her?  Was there nothing else?"
+
+"Yes, there was.  Mrs. Bardon, the woman who lives next door, is a
+great gossip and one who is continually poking her nose into other
+folks' business.  She told the police that she was out in the garden
+cutting a bouquet early in the morning, and she heard a violent quarrel
+going on at the breakfast table between Mrs. Langmore and Margaret, and
+that Mr. Langmore took his wife's part.  Margaret wished to give a
+small house party and Mrs. Langmore would not listen to it."
+
+"Did Mrs. Bardon hear all that was said?"
+
+"No, only enough to make her run to the police with the tale."
+
+"Is any other house near by?"
+
+"The Harrison mansion, but it is locked up, as the family is in Europe."
+
+"Did you hear if Mrs. Bardon and her son were home all morning?"
+
+"They were, excepting when the doctor went out to make some calls,
+between nine and eleven."
+
+"Did they see any suspicious characters around the Langmore mansion?"
+
+"Not a soul."
+
+"Did Mary Billings, the servant, see anybody?"
+
+"She thinks she saw somebody near the river, but she is not sure; in
+fact, she is so scared that she is all mixed up.  She has told the
+police a thousand times that she had nothing to do with the crime."
+
+"Did Miss Langmore see anybody?"
+
+"She saw a Doctor Bird pass in his buggy and a farmer named Carboy go
+by on foot."
+
+"When was this?"
+
+"While she was at the piano.  She doesn't know the exact time."
+
+There was a pause and the detective gave a faraway look out of the
+window and down the bustling thoroughfare.
+
+"So far as you are aware, Mr. Case, did Mr. Langmore have any personal
+enemies?"
+
+"I never heard of any."
+
+"He was rich?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"What was his business?"
+
+"He was a dealer in patents and a promoter.  Some thought he was rather
+eccentric, but I never found him so.  He used to have an office here in
+New York but gave that up a year ago."
+
+"Well, what is your idea of this crime?"
+
+"I haven't any.  But I know Margaret Langmore is not guilty."
+
+"Evidently if they suspect her they have concluded that Mrs. Langmore
+was killed first."
+
+"That is their idea, but it looks to me as if both were killed at about
+the same time, although I know that couldn't very well be."
+
+"No, not if one was upstairs and the other down.  Do you think it
+possible that one killed the other and then committed suicide?"
+
+At this Raymond Case started back.
+
+"I had not thought of that!" he cried.  "If it is true then that clears
+Margaret."  Evidently he was thinking only of the girl he
+loved--everything else concerning the mystery was of secondary
+consideration.
+
+"Such a thing is possible, although not probable, unless the two had a
+bitter quarrel between themselves.  Every crime must have a motive.
+People do not commit murder unless there is a reason for it or unless
+they are insane.  Motives may be divided into three classes--jealousy,
+revenge, or gain.  In this instance I think we can throw out
+jealousy--"
+
+"Mrs. Langmore was jealous of Margaret."
+
+"And wasn't the young lady jealous of her stepmother in a way?"
+
+"But she is not guilty--I'll stake my life on her innocence."
+
+"Then let us come down to revenge or gain.  You say nothing was stolen.
+Was there a safe in the house?"
+
+"Yes, and it is closed, and will remain so until the experts open it."
+
+"Nobody knew the combination but Mr. Langmore?"
+
+"That's it.  Margaret did know, but her stepmother had her father
+change the combination and keep it to himself."
+
+"Had he much money in the house?"
+
+"I think not.  Margaret says her father was in the habit of depositing
+cash in the bank as soon as he received it."
+
+"What sort of promoting did he do?"
+
+"He organized companies to manufacture his patents.  He also speculated
+in real estate and in mortgages.  He owned two buildings in this city
+and several in the country."
+
+"Who are the other members of the family?"
+
+"Margaret's married sister, Mrs. Andrew Wetherby, of Sanhope, and Mrs.
+Langmore's two sons, Tom and Dick Ostrello."
+
+"Where are these people located?"
+
+"Mrs. Wetherby is traveling with her husband in South America.  The
+Ostrello brothers are commercial travelers and somewhere on the road."
+
+"Then the Ostrellos are not rich?"
+
+"No, they are poor, and Mrs. Ostrello was poor, too, before she married
+Mr. Langmore."
+
+There was another pause.
+
+"Can you tell me anything else?" asked Adam Adams.
+
+"Nothing of much importance.  It's a deep mystery, isn't it?"
+
+"Yes, it's very simplicity makes it deep."  The detective drew a long
+breath.  "I was thinking of taking a vacation.  My doctor says I need
+it."
+
+"Oh!"  There was a world of disappointment in the word.  "Don't say
+that!  You must take hold of this.  I planned it all out as I came to
+town.  I know you can clear Margaret if you will only try.  Think of
+her position--the disgrace--my position--  Oh, you can't refuse me,
+Mr. Adams!"  The young man came closer and caught the detective by the
+shoulder.  "If it's money, set your price."
+
+"If I take hold, I'll charge you only what is fair, Mr. Case.  But I
+never take a case, unless--"
+
+"Any request you have to make is already granted."
+
+"Unless I can first interview the person who stands accused of the
+crime."
+
+"You can see Miss Langmore at any time.  I told her that I was coming
+to town to interview you, and that I would bring you back with me, if
+you would come.  I told her what a wonderful man you were and what you
+had done for others.  I think it cheered her a little, although she was
+terribly cast down."
+
+"You must not promise too much on my account, young man.  I am no
+wizard, and I cannot perform the impossible, much as I might wish to do
+so."
+
+"But you will come?"
+
+"Yes, I will come."
+
+"At once?" cried Raymond Case impatiently.
+
+"At once."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+MARGARET LANGMORE
+
+As Raymond Case had said, the Langmore mansion was a large one, setting
+in the midst of an extensive lawn, sprinkled here and there with maples
+and oaks and fine flowering bushes.  The hedge in front was well kept
+and the side fences were also in good repair.  In the rear was a stable
+and also an automobile shed, for the late master of this estate had
+been fond of a dash in his runabout when time permitted.  Down by the
+brook, back of the stable, was a tiny wharf, where a boat was tied up,
+a craft which Margaret Langmore had occasionally taken down to the
+river for a row.
+
+The mansion now looked dark and lonesome, although many folks passed on
+the highway and whispered to each other that there was the spot where
+the gruesome tragedy had been committed.  "And to think that the man's
+own daughter did it," they would generally add.  "Beats all how
+bloodthirsty some folks can get.  He must have cut her short on money
+or something and she was too high-strung to stand it."
+
+"No, it ain't that," another would answer.  "She's been flirting around
+with a certain young man, a Wall Street gambler, and her mother
+wouldn't have it and told her so.  That's the real trouble, my way of
+thinking."
+
+Inside of the house all was as quiet as a tomb save for the ticking of
+the long clock in the lower hall.  Below, a single policeman was on
+guard, in company with a woman, who had been sent in to help:  Upstairs
+another woman was stationed, to see that Margaret Langmore might not
+take it upon herself to leave for parts unknown.
+
+Margaret sat in her own room, in the wing on the second floor, a dainty
+apartment, trimmed in blue and containing all her girlish treasures.
+On the walls were numerous photographs of her old schoolmates and the
+flag of the seminary she had attended.  And on the mantel rested the
+picture of Raymond Case, the high polish of the surface marred in one
+spot where a tear had fallen upon it.
+
+The girl was tall and slender, with a wealth of light-brown hair and
+eyes of deepest blue.  It was more than a pretty face, for it had a
+certain sadness that was touching.
+
+For several minutes the girl had not moved.  Now, as the door opened
+and the woman who was on guard upstairs came in, she gave a long sigh.
+
+"Can I do anything?" asked the woman, in a voice that was not unkindly.
+
+"Nothing, thank you, Mrs. Morse."
+
+"Would you like a cup of tea, or a bit of toast?  Mrs. Jessup can make
+it easy enough--she has nothing at all to do."
+
+"I do not care to touch a thing."
+
+The answer came in a dreary monotone.  The girl's trials were beginning
+to tell upon her.  At first she had tried to bear up bravely, and the
+words Raymond had spoken had comforted her, but now he was gone and the
+whole world looked dark once more.
+
+"Has anybody called?" she asked at length.
+
+"Nobody to see you."
+
+"Nobody?"  Margaret began to pace the floor.  "When did the coroner say
+the examination was to be continued?" she went on.
+
+"To-morrow morning at eleven o'clock."
+
+"And who is to be put on the stand?"
+
+At this question the woman in charge began to fidget.  "Excuse me,
+miss, but I was ordered not to answer questions.  I'm sorry, and I wish
+you wouldn't worry so much.  If I can do anything else--"
+
+"You can do nothing."
+
+At that moment came the sounds of carriage wheels and a cab from the
+depot drew up to the door.  Margaret looked through the slats of a
+blind and saw that the arrivals were Raymond Case and a stranger, a man
+wearing a rather ordinary suit of clothing and a rough slouch hat.
+
+"Thank Heaven, Raymond has brought somebody!" murmured the girl.
+
+There was a short consultation at the front door and she heard the
+young man say: "He has a perfect right here and I demand admittance for
+us both."  Then another murmur followed and the pair came upstairs.
+They knocked on the door of Margaret's room and were admitted, and Mrs.
+Morse was told that she might go.
+
+"This gentleman has come to give Miss Langmore some advice," said
+Raymond Case.  "If we want you we will call."
+
+"But I have orders--"
+
+"Miss Langmore will remain in this room, so you have nothing to fear.
+She has a legal right to receive advice."
+
+"Oh, if the gentleman is a lawyer I have nothing to say," was the
+retort, and Mrs. Morse swept from the room.
+
+The instant she was gone, the young man closed the door and then rushed
+up to Margaret Langmore and kissed her.
+
+"I have succeeded!" he cried.  "I told you I would.  This is Mr. Adam
+Adams.  Mr. Adams, this is Miss Margaret Langmore.  Now, I guess we are
+going to show these country bumpkins a thing or two!" he added
+earnestly.
+
+The detective advanced and shook hands.  Margaret Langmore was a trifle
+disappointed in his appearance and her face clouded for an instant.
+Raymond was quick to notice it.
+
+"You mustn't judge a man by his appearance.  Mr. Adams makes himself
+look that way on purpose.  He's the smartest, swiftest--"
+
+"That will do," interrupted the detective with a brief smile.
+
+"Will you help me?"  The girl eyed the detective squarely.  "I--I need
+help so much."
+
+"I must hear your story first."
+
+"Oh, I thought Raymond would tell you everything."
+
+"He has told me all he knows.  But I want to hear the story from your
+own lips.  Something may have slipped him, you know."
+
+"I will tell you everything.  Please sit down."
+
+Margaret Langmore began her narrative.  It was fully an hour before she
+finished.  Occasionally the detective asked a question, but for the
+most part he sat back with his eyes closed, as if thinking of something
+else.
+
+"Now, Miss Langmore," he exclaimed, as he straightened up at the
+conclusion of her recital, "whom do you suspect of this crime?"
+
+"I suspect no one, sir."
+
+"Have you any idea why this awful deed was committed?"  The detective
+had been on the point of saying "murder" but had checked himself.
+
+"Not the least in the world."
+
+"Some of the windows were, of course, open.  What of the doors?"
+
+"The front door and that to the side piazza were locked.  The back door
+was open."
+
+"Then a person might have sneaked in by the back way?"
+
+"I presume so."
+
+"Your father was quite dead when you found him?" asked the detective
+quickly.
+
+"I--I--thought so."  The girl began to choke up and sob.  "It--it was
+such a shock--I--I--"  She could not go on.
+
+Adam Adams watched her keenly and noted how she trembled from head to
+foot.
+
+"Do not take it so hard, Margaret," put in Raymond Case, placing his
+hand upon her shoulder.  "It will all come out right in the end--I am
+sure of it."
+
+"But it will not bring back my father!" sobbed the girl.  "And he was
+so dear to me!  And to think that we should quarrel at all--"
+
+"The quarrel took place at the breakfast table, so you said," came from
+Adam Adams.  "And you rushed out to get away from what your stepmother
+was saying to you?"
+
+"Yes.  I could not bear it any longer."
+
+"Your father took Mrs. Langmore's part?"
+
+"He did, but at the same time he told her not to be so hard on me--that
+I had been without a mother to guide me so many years, and all that."
+
+"Do you think they quarreled between themselves after you left, or
+after your father came back from the bank?"
+
+"I cannot say as to that."
+
+"Mr. Adams has an idea that possibly one or the other of them was
+responsible," put in Raymond.  "He thinks one might have killed the
+other and then committed suicide."
+
+"I do not think so.  I said it was possible," corrected the detective.
+"In taking up an affair of this sort one must look at it from all
+sides."
+
+"I do not believe my father either killed her or committed suicide,"
+answered Margaret Langmore firmly.
+
+"Do you think Mrs. Langmore would act in such a fashion?"
+
+The girl pondered for a moment.
+
+"Honestly I do not.  She may have killed my father, but if so she would
+have run away."
+
+"The safe was closed at the time of the tragedy?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And absolutely nothing was stolen?"
+
+"Nothing, so far as we have been able to ascertain."
+
+"Was anything out of order, as if the assassin had been scared off
+while hunting around for something to steal?"
+
+"I did not see anything.  But I was so upset I noticed scarcely
+anything."
+
+"That was natural, of course.  The safe has not yet been opened?"
+
+"No, we are waiting for a man to come from the safe makers."
+
+"Now, one thing more.  After you came back to the house before
+practicing what did you do?"
+
+"I wrote some letters to girl friends, telling them I could not give a
+house party."
+
+"And before that?"
+
+"I--I, must I tell?  I threw myself on the bed yonder for a good cry.
+It was silly, I know--but--but--"
+
+"Did you hear anything unusual while you were here?  Think carefully."
+
+"I have tried to think it out several times.  Sometimes I think I heard
+some sort of a shriek, but I am not at all certain.  Then, again, I
+think I heard the fall of something heavy on the floor.  But it may be
+all fancy."
+
+"And that is all you can tell me?"
+
+"Yes."  Margaret Langmore gave a long sigh.  "Oh, Mr. Adams, can you
+not do something for me?  It is horrible to be suspected in this
+fashion.  I cannot make a move without being watched!"
+
+"It is certainly a cruel situation."  The detective paused.  "I am sure
+of one thing, Miss Langmore."
+
+"And that is--"
+
+"That you are innocent.  Those who think you are guilty are fools, as
+Mr. Case says."
+
+"Yet more than half the folks around here think that way."
+
+"Let them.  We'll set to work to prove their mistake."
+
+"Good!" almost shouted Raymond Case, and his face broke out into a look
+of relief.  "Then you will take the case, Mr. Adams?"
+
+"I will."
+
+"I know you will succeed."
+
+"If you do succeed, I shall be grateful to you all my life," came from
+Margaret Langmore warmly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+DETECTIVE AND DOCTOR
+
+As already intimated, Adam Adams, in his career as an investigator and
+detective, had solved many difficult criminal problems, yet this
+somewhat remarkable individual realized that the mystery before him was
+as difficult of solution as any he had yet encountered.
+
+The most tantalizing thing about the whole affair was its simplicity.
+Two people had been murdered in their own home in broad daylight.  No
+one had been seen around the place, and even the manner in which the
+foul deed had been committed was a secret.
+
+A score of possibilities presented themselves to his mind when he left
+Margaret Langmore and Raymond Case to begin the task he had set before
+himself--to clear the fair name of the beautiful girl who had placed
+her faith in him and his ability.
+
+"I'll take a look around the house first," he reasoned.  "Then I'll
+find out a little more about these dead folks and their connections."
+
+Thinking that he must be some noted lawyer from New York, Mrs. Morse
+was very gracious to him, and readily consented to show him around.
+
+"Here is the spot where Mrs. Langmore's body was found," said the
+woman, leading the way to a bend in the upper hallway.  "The servant
+girl tripped over it in her hurry, and went sprawling.  She was about
+scared out of her wits."
+
+"Naturally enough.  Do you know how the body was lying?"
+
+"At full length, they say, face downward, and with the fists clenched."
+
+"Was that window open?"
+
+"Yes, but not the blinds."
+
+"Where does that door lead to?"
+
+"Mrs. Langmore's dressing room.  The door was open when they found
+her--as if she had come out and was trying to get downstairs."
+
+"Humph!"  The detective pushed the blinds of the window open and began
+to examine the carpet on the floor.
+
+"We've looked around, but we couldn't see a thing," pursued the woman.
+
+"We?  Who?"
+
+"The coroner and the police officers."
+
+"Oh!  You say the body was lying right here?"
+
+"Yes--the head there, and the feet there.  I suppose you are going to
+try to clear Miss Langmore, aren't you?" went on Mrs. Morse curiously.
+
+"I am--if she is innocent."
+
+"You'll have a task doing it.  Everybody around here thinks her guilty."
+
+To this Adam Adams did not reply.  He was down on his hands and knees,
+close to where the head of the murdered woman had rested.  He placed
+his nose to the carpet and drew in a long breath.  His olfactory nerves
+were sensitive, and detected a certain pungent, stinging odor, of a
+sort not easily forgotten.
+
+"You must be pretty short-sighted," was the woman's comment.  The sight
+of the man on his hands and knees amused her.
+
+"Well, I might have a better pair of eyes, I admit."
+
+From his examination of the carpet, the detective turned to the window.
+Outside was the roof to the side piazza of the mansion.  On the tin
+roof were some dried-up spots of mud.  He looked them over carefully,
+and came to the conclusion that they were footprints, but how old was a
+question.
+
+"When did it rain last around here?" he asked.
+
+"We haven't had a real storm for ten days or two weeks.  We have had
+several showers, though."
+
+He took a glance into Mrs. Langmore's dressing room.  Everything was in
+perfect order, even to the powder-box and the cologne bottles on the
+dresser.
+
+"That is all I wish to see up here," he said, and passed below, where
+he encountered the policeman in charge.  Like the woman, this officer
+had taken him to be a lawyer, and he readily consented to let the
+detective inspect the library.
+
+"Mr. Langmore was found in that chair," said he.  "He looked as if he
+had suffered great pain before he died.  I think he was strangled,
+although he didn't show the marks of it."
+
+The library was a richly-furnished apartment.  Along two walls were
+rows of costly volumes, many relating to modern inventions.  On the
+walls hung some rare steel engravings, including one of Fulton and his
+first steamboat.  There was a large library table, with a student's
+lamp, a mahogany roller-top desk, half a dozen comfortable chairs, and
+a small, but well-built safe, which, as said before, was closed and
+locked.
+
+"The coroner locked and sealed the desk, and put all the loose papers
+in it," said the policeman.
+
+There were two windows to the library, and one was close to the side
+porch, the roof of which the detective had examined from above.  A
+person dropping from above could easily have entered the library by the
+window, thus saving himself the trouble of walking through the halls
+and down the stairs.  Adam Adams looked outside, and saw on the ground
+a number of footprints, some running to a gravel path but a few feet
+away.
+
+"Where are the bodies?" he asked, as he continued his examination of
+the room.
+
+"At Camboin's morgue.  The doctors have been looking for poison, but
+they can't find any."
+
+The detective got down in front of the safe and examined it critically.
+Had it been opened after the murder and then closed again?  That was an
+important question, but he was unable to answer it.
+
+More by instinct than anything else, he got down and peered under the
+safe.  A crumpled-up bit of paper caught his eye, and he picked it up
+and slipped it into his pocket without the policeman being the wiser.
+
+"Has anybody else been here?" he asked.  "I mean any outsiders."
+
+"A good many folks from the village."
+
+"Anybody else?"
+
+"Yes, a detective from Brooklyn.  He thought there might be a job for
+him, but there wasn't, so he went away," and the policeman smiled
+grimly.
+
+"What was his name?"
+
+"I think he said it was Peterson."
+
+"Is that the Bardon house yonder?"  And Adam Adams pointed through the
+window and across the side lawn.
+
+"Yes.  Doctor Bardon was the first to come over--he and his mother."
+
+"So I heard.  I think I'll step over and speak to them a moment."
+
+"So you are working for Miss Langmore?"
+
+"Yes, in a way."
+
+"You'll have an uphill job clearing her.  The coroner thinks he has a
+clear case against her."
+
+"Do you know what evidence he possesses?"
+
+"Not exactly.  He isn't telling all he knows," returned the officer of
+the law.  "There is the doctor now."
+
+A buggy was coming down the road.  It turned in at the next house, and
+a young man, carrying a small case, leaped out and disappeared into the
+dwelling.
+
+In a few minutes more, Adam Adams made his way next door.  An elderly
+servant admitted him and ushered him into the doctor's office, where
+the young physician sat marking down some calls in his notebook.
+
+"This is Doctor Bardon, I believe.  I just came over from the Langmore
+house.  I am working on this mystery, and I understand you were the
+physician who tried to bring Mr. and Mrs. Langmore to life after they
+were found."
+
+"I worked over Mr. Langmore, yes," was the young physician's answer.
+"I saw at once that it was impossible to do anything for his wife.  She
+had a weak heart naturally, and was stone dead some time before I got
+there."
+
+"You thought you saw a spark of life in Mr. Langmore?"
+
+"Not exactly a spark, but I thought there might be hope.  But I was
+mistaken, although I did everything I could."
+
+"I have been told that working over the corpse made you sick."
+
+At these words, the face of the young physician showed his annoyance.
+He drew himself up.
+
+"Excuse me, but you are--" and he paused inquiringly.
+
+"I am working on this case in the interests of Miss Langmore.  My name
+is Adams."
+
+"Oh!"
+
+"What I would like to know is, What made you sick?  Was it merely that
+a crime had been committed--something you were not accustomed to?"
+
+"No, it was not, Mr. Adams.  I am young, I know, but I have had a good
+hospital experience, and such things do not unnerve me.  To be sure,
+Mr. Langmore was a good neighbor, and I thought much of him.  But it
+was not that."
+
+"Then what was it?"
+
+"It was something about the corpse.  As I worked I had to
+sneeze--something seemed to get into my nose and throat, and in a
+minute more I began to have cramps and grew deathly sick.  It was the
+queerest sensation I ever experienced in my life.  I haven't gotten
+over it yet."
+
+"You had to go out to get some fresh air?"
+
+"I did.  If I had not, I think I should have suffered much more."
+
+"And you found no trace of any poison, or anything of that sort?"
+
+"Not the slightest.  Another doctor was called in, and then I went
+back.  The peculiar odor, or whatever it was, was gone, and I could
+find no further trace of it."
+
+"You think it must have evaporated?"
+
+"What else is there to think?  The windows and blinds had been thrown
+wide open, and the sun was shining into the room."
+
+This was all the young doctor could tell, and as he was in a hurry to
+get away on more business, the detective did not detain him further.
+He ascertained that Mrs. Bardon was also away, and then left the house.
+
+In his pocket he still carried the bit of paper which he had picked up
+from under the safe.  It had evidently been part of the wrapper around
+some small object, and bore the following, printed in blue ink:
+
+      nder & Co.,
+      ley Street,
+      ter, N. Y.
+      ark.
+
+The paper might be valuable, and it might be worthless.  It had
+evidently been around a small box or bottle.  The address was evidently
+that of some firm doing business in some town in New York State.  What
+the "ark" could stand for, he could not surmise.
+
+As the detective left the Bardon house, he saw a middle-aged man
+entering the Langmore mansion.  The man was well dressed and carried a
+dress-suit case.
+
+"A visitor of some sort," he mused.  "Perhaps a relative."
+
+When he stepped up on the piazza Raymond Case came out to meet him.
+The young man wished to know if he had learned anything from the doctor.
+
+"Not a great deal," answered Adam Adams.  "Who was that man who just
+came in?"
+
+"Thomas Ostrello, one of Mrs. Langmore's sons by her first husband."
+
+"Is he a frequent visitor here?"
+
+"I believe not.  He is a commercial traveler, and on the road nearly
+all the time."
+
+"Has he been here since the tragedy?"
+
+"No.  He was here the day before it occurred, but went away in the
+evening.  I suppose his mother's death has shocked him a good deal."
+
+"I believe you said the Ostrellos are not well off?"
+
+"No; they are poor, so Margaret told me.  Both of the sons are on the
+road, one for a paint house and this one for a drug house.  By the way,
+I am going to town, to see the coroner.  Do you want to come along?"
+
+"No, I'll see him later.  I want to take a walk around this place
+first.  I may pick up a stray clue."
+
+Left to himself, Adam Adams walked slowly around the mansion, noting
+the several approaches.  He looked in at the stable and the automobile
+shed, and strolled down to the brook.  He made no noise, for it was his
+practice to move about as silently as possible and without attracting
+attention.
+
+Suddenly he halted and stepped out of sight behind some bushes not far
+away from the brook.  He heard a splashing, which told him that
+somebody was near.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE MAN AT THE BROOK
+
+Beside the brook stood a shabbily-dressed man, apparently fifty-five or
+sixty years old.  He wore an old rusty black coat and a soft hat with a
+hole in it.  His face was tanned and partly covered with a beard.
+
+The man was acting in a manner to excite anybody's curiosity.  He
+carried a stick in his hand, and was poking around in the water with
+it.  Every once in a while he looked around, to see if anybody was
+observing him.
+
+Straining his eyes, Adam Adams saw a strip of white floating on the
+water.  Once or twice it disappeared.  Finally the end of the strip
+caught on an overhanging bush, and then the strange man withdrew his
+cane from the brook.
+
+As he turned around the detective dodged out of sight.  Apparently
+satisfied that he was not observed, the strange man leaned down at the
+bank of the brook, took something from his pocket and placed it down on
+the moist dirt.  Then he took another object from his pocket and
+repeated the operation.
+
+"Can they be shoes he has in his hands?" mused the detective.  "And if
+they are, what is he doing with them?"
+
+Hearing the slamming of a door at the mansion, Adam Adams drew still
+further back among the bushes.  A minute later he saw the man make a
+long leap, clear the brook, and hurry away among the trees and
+brushwood on the other side.
+
+"Humph!  Perhaps this is worth investigating," mused the detective, and
+made his way to the spot the strange individual had occupied.  On the
+bank of the brook he saw the marks of the man's broad shoes and also
+some prints made by smaller shoes.  The latter prints were irregular,
+and at once arrested the detective's attention.  He smiled grimly to
+himself.
+
+"Clue number one!" he muttered.
+
+Adam Adams looked around in the water.  Soon he came upon the strip of
+white, and, pulling on it, brought to light a white silk shirtwaist,
+torn to ribbons in front and at one sleeve.  He wrung the water and mud
+from the garment and examined it.  Inside of the collar band were the
+initials, "M. A. L."
+
+"Margaret A. Langmore," he murmured.  "Those initials are hers.  If the
+shirtwaist was hers, how did that fellow get possession of it?  And did
+he place it here or find it here?"
+
+Drying the garment as much as possible, he placed it in his pocket, and
+continued his search around the vicinity.  He spent fully an hour in
+the locality, and then walked back the way he had come, and into the
+mansion.  There he found Thomas Ostrello in conversation with the
+policeman.
+
+"It is a terrible blow to me," the commercial traveler was saying.
+"And to think I was here just the day before it happened!  If I had
+remained here over night, it might not have occurred at all!"
+
+"Well, that's the way things happen," answered the policeman.  "Once I
+was at one end of my beat when a thief broke into a store at the other
+end and stole sixteen dollars and two hams."
+
+"And I suppose they blamed you for it."
+
+"Sure they did.  I was laid off for a week, without pay.  If anything
+happens it is always the poor copper who is to blame."
+
+"Well, the family are not blaming you for this."
+
+"They can't--especially as they've got the person who did the deed."
+
+At this Thomas Ostrello shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"I don't know about that."
+
+"You don't?"
+
+"No.  I'd hate to believe any girl could do such a fearful thing as
+this." The commercial traveler paused.  "I'm going to take a look
+around.  I suppose it's all right."
+
+"Certainly, Mr. Ostrello," answered the policeman, and then the
+commercial man stepped into the library, closing the door after him.
+
+Adam Adams had passed into the dining room, just back of the library,
+but had heard what was said.  Now, looking through the doorway, which
+had a sliding door and a heavy curtain, the latter partly drawn, he saw
+the man glance around hurriedly, moving from one object to another in
+the library.  He looked under the table and the chairs, in the corners,
+and even into the various bookcases.  Then he came and knelt down
+before the safe, and tried the knob of the combination half a dozen
+times.
+
+"He is more than ordinarily interested," reasoned the detective.  "But
+then it was his own mother who was murdered."
+
+The commercial man continued his search until he had covered every
+object in the room several times.  He even looked behind the pictures,
+and into the drawer of the table, something which had escaped the
+coroner's eye when sealing up the desk.  Adam Adams saw him shake his
+head in despair.  He took a turn up and down the apartment and clenched
+his hands nervously.
+
+"Gone!" he muttered to himself.   "What could have become of it?"
+
+He drew from his pocket a notebook he carried, and studied several
+items carefully.  A long sigh escaped from his lips as he restored the
+notebook to his pocket.
+
+As the commercial traveler moved toward the dining room, the detective
+stepped into a side apartment, used in the winter as a conservatory.
+He saw Thomas Ostrello make an examination of several places, including
+a sideboard.  Then the woman who had been placed in charge of the
+downstairs portion of the mansion entered.
+
+"Won't you have a bite to eat, Mr. Ostrello?" she asked.
+
+"Perhaps so, later on.  I do not feel like eating now.  Can I take a
+look at my mother's room?"
+
+"Why, yes.  I suppose you know where it is?"
+
+"Certainly; I often visited her there when she was not feeling well."
+
+He passed out without another word, and was soon mounting the
+heavily-carpeted stairs.  Once in the room, he closed the door tightly.
+Coming up softly after him, Adam Adams tried the door and found it
+locked.  More interested than ever, the detective, just avoiding Mrs.
+Morse, who was passing through the hallway, slipped into the adjoining
+room, and finding, as he had imagined, a door between the two, applied
+his eye to the keyhole.
+
+This might mean nothing, and it might mean everything.  He saw Mrs.
+Langmore's son moving around the dressing room precisely as he had
+moved around the library.  He heard the bureau drawers opened and shut,
+and then heard the squeak of a small writing desk that stood in a
+corner, as the leaf was turned down.  Then came a rattle of papers and
+a sudden subdued exclamation.  The desk was closed again, and the man
+came out of the room, leaving the hall door partly open.
+
+"Whatever he was looking for, he must have found it," reasoned the
+detective.  "Now, what was it?"
+
+He waited in the hallway and heard Thomas Ostrello enter the dining
+room.  A minute later came the rattle of dishes.  Then Mrs. Morse
+confronted him.
+
+"Back again, I see," she said rather sharply.
+
+"Yes; I wish to have another talk with Miss Langmore," he returned,
+and, brushing her aside, knocked on the girl's door, and was admitted.
+The woman pursed up her lips.
+
+"How very important some of those city lawyers are," she muttered.
+"Think they know it all, I guess.  Well, he'll have a job clearing her,
+if what Coroner Busby says is true."
+
+"Oh, I did not know you were coming back!" exclaimed Margaret.  "Has
+anything happened?"
+
+"I want to know something about this, Miss Langmore," and he brought
+out the torn and wet shirtwaist.  "Is it yours?"
+
+"Oh, certainly; but where did it come from?  And it is all torn, too!
+It was almost new when I had it on last!"
+
+"When was that?"
+
+The girl thought for a moment, and then turned pale.
+
+"On the morning that--that--"
+
+"That the tragedy occurred?"
+
+"Yes.  I don't know what made me put it on, but I did."
+
+"And when did you take it off?"
+
+"Why, let me see.  Some time in the afternoon, I think.  I--I fainted,
+and it got dirty, and so I put on another and threw this in the clothes
+closet."
+
+"Are you certain you put it in the clothes closet?"
+
+"Positive.  Where did you find it?"
+
+"Never mind that just now.  Do you keep your shoes in that closet?"
+
+"I do.  But why--"
+
+"Will you kindly see if all of your shoes are there?"
+
+The girl ran over, opened the closet door, and began an immediate
+examination.
+
+"One pair is missing--a pair I use a great deal, too," she said a
+minute later.  "Oh, Mr. Adams, what does this mean?"
+
+"I don't know--yet.  While you are at it, you might let me know if
+anything else is missing."
+
+Margaret began a close examination of everything in the closet, the
+detective watching her as keenly as he had before.
+
+"She is either innocent, or else the greatest actress I've ever met,"
+was his mental conclusion.  "I think her innocent, but the best of us
+get tripped up at times.  If she is innocent, that evidence was
+manufactured to prove her guilty.  If only I had followed that man up!
+I might have learned something worth knowing."
+
+"Nothing else seems to be missing," announced the girl, at length.
+
+"Very well; then don't waste time by searching further.  By the way,
+did you know Mr. Thomas Ostrello had arrived?"
+
+"Yes; I told Raymond to telegraph for him.  He used to call quite often
+to see his mother."
+
+"What about the other son--Dick?"
+
+"I do not know where he is."
+
+"Didn't he come here?"
+
+"He came once.  But he is a dissipated young man, and I do not think my
+stepmother cared much for him."
+
+"But she did think a good deal of the one who is now downstairs?"
+
+"Yes, although they occasionally had their quarrels, just as we had
+ours.  Tom would plead for his brother Dick, who seemed to be always
+wanting money.  Once my father took a hand and said his wife shouldn't
+give Dick a cent more, as he only squandered it.  That made Tom angry,
+and he had a quarrel with my father, and after that when Tom came he
+would ask to see only his mother, although he and I remained on fairly
+good terms."
+
+"Tom was here the day before the tragedy?"
+
+"Yes.  I think he came to see his mother about some private business.
+They had a long talk in her room, and she seemed to be quite excited
+when he went away.  I don't know what it was all about.  But, Mr.
+Adams, are you not hungry, and won't you have a lunch?"
+
+"Thanks, I'll take a bite."
+
+The lunch was served in Margaret's apartment, and the detective did
+ample justice to it, for he never allowed business to interfere with
+his appetite.  As he ate, the girl watched him curiously.
+
+"Mr. Adams," she said presently, "do you know, you do not seem a bit
+like a detective to me--I mean like the detectives you read about--the
+men going about in wonderful disguises and the like, and doing
+marvelous things?  And yet, I know you have a wonderful
+reputation--Raymond told me about it."
+
+At that he smiled broadly.  "Wonderful disguises, eh?  Well, I use them
+when I think them necessary, and not otherwise.  When I started out,
+years ago, I used a great many more than I do now.  To me a mystery of
+this sort is a good deal like a cut-up picture that you give a child to
+put together.  First, you want to make sure you have all the pieces,
+and then you want to sit down, put on your thinking-cap, and match the
+pieces together.  To you this is an awful tragedy," his tone softened
+greatly, "to me it is another case, nothing more.  Work such as I have
+done is bound to harden a fellow, in spite of all of his finer
+feelings.  But I feel for you and you have my sympathy."
+
+"And you will aid me?  You said you would," she pleaded.
+
+"I am going to do what I can--no man can do more."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+THE MYSTERY DEEPENS
+
+From the Langmore mansion Adam Adams went to town, and at the morgue
+made a careful inspection of the pair who had been the victims of the
+tragedy.  This critical examination brought nothing new to light, and
+he turned away from the place with something of disappointment.
+
+"I'll take a look around that brook again, and see if that strange man
+is anywhere in sight," he told himself, and got back to the vicinity
+without delay.
+
+Fortune favored him for once, for scarcely had he reached the back of
+the Langmore mansion when he saw the stranger leap the brook again and
+come up towards the house.
+
+"Just in time," murmured the detective.  "He shall not slip me again in
+a hurry."
+
+The stranger was very much on his guard, and Adam Adams had all he
+could do to keep out of his sight.  It was now growing dark, especially
+under the trees which surrounded the mansion.
+
+At length the fellow gained a point almost under one of the library
+windows.  He gazed around sharply, and then appeared to be searching
+for something on the ground.  The detective saw him start to pick
+something up, but at that moment the side door of the mansion opened
+and the policeman came out.
+
+"Hullo!  What are you doing here?" demanded the officer.
+
+"Oh, that's all right," was the low answer.  "Don't mind me."
+
+"But what are you doing here?"
+
+"Just looking around, that's all."
+
+"You haven't any right in this yard."
+
+"I think I have."
+
+"Who are you?"
+
+"My name is Watkins--Jack Watkins," and then some words followed which
+Adam Adams did not catch.
+
+"Oh, then I suppose that makes a difference," came from the policeman
+in a more humble tone.  "Do you want to come in the house and see Miss
+Langmore?"
+
+"No, I don't want to see the girl.  But I'll come into the house,"
+answered the strange man, and walked up the piazza steps and into the
+mansion, with the policeman by his side.
+
+As soon as the fellow was ought of sight, Adam Adams drew closer and
+looked under the bushes where the other had been searching.
+
+At first he saw nothing, but then his keen eye detected a bit of paper,
+caught at the foot of some shrubbery.
+
+"More documentary evidence, perhaps," he murmured, as he shoved the
+paper into his pocket.  "I wonder if this connects with the piece I
+found under the safe?"
+
+He approached the window, the blinds of which were closed, and peered
+through the slats.  A light had been lit, and the policeman and the
+stranger had just entered the room.
+
+"I don't think you'll find much to interest you," said the officer.
+"All of the others have hunted around, and they didn't find much."
+
+The stranger walked around the apartment slowly, and then sank into an
+armchair.
+
+"Sit down and have a smoke with me," he said, pulling out his cigar
+case.  "You've got a long night before you."
+
+"I am not going to stay up all night.  The women folks and me are going
+to take turns.  They should have sent another man here, but the Chief
+couldn't spare him, two of the men being sick."
+
+Cigars were lit, and the pair smoked away for several minutes, talking
+of the case in all of its details.  Evidently the stranger agreed with
+the general public regarding Margaret Langmore's guilt.
+
+"Of course she'll put on a good front," said he, blowing a ring of
+smoke into the air.  "She's that sort--so I've heard.  What does her
+stepbrother say about it?"
+
+"Not much, now.  At first he didn't think her guilty, but after he
+talked with me and the women folks, he changed his mind, I reckon.
+It's a blow to him, for he thought a good deal of the old lady."
+
+"Mr. Sudley!" came a call from the hallway.  "Mr. Sudley, where are
+you?"
+
+It was one of the women who was calling, and, laying down his cigar,
+the policeman left the library to see what she wanted.
+
+The door had scarcely closed on the officer when the demeanor of the
+other man changed.  He arose, looked into the dining room, and listened
+at the hall doorway for a second.  Then he recrossed the apartment and
+knelt before the safe.  Adam Adams heard him mutter something to
+himself as he twirled around the knob of the combination.  Twice he
+tried the door and failed to open it, but the third effort was
+successful.  But before he could do more than glance into the strong
+box, there was a noise in the hallway.  Instantly he shut the door
+again, dropped into his chair, and resumed his smoking.
+
+"Women folks are a regular nuisance," was the policeman's comment, on
+coming back.  "Want you to do this and then that--keep you on the go
+all the time.  I'm tired of it."
+
+"Take my advice, and don't marry," was the rejoinder, with a laugh.
+
+"Too late--I've got a wife and five children already.  But I've got to
+go to the barn.  Will you come along?"
+
+"Why--er--I suppose so."  The stranger hesitated.  "I'll have to be
+going pretty soon.  Going to stay in this room all night?"
+
+"No; I'm going to lock up and go upstairs."
+
+"That's right; nothing like resting on a good bed.  I don't think the
+girl will try to run away,"
+
+"She can't--we're watching her too closely."
+
+The pair left the library.  Scarcely had they gone when Adam Adams
+opened one of the blinds, made a quick leap, and came inside.
+
+"That fellow will bear watching, no matter who he claims to be," the
+detective told himself.  "But there is no use of following him now, for
+he will be back sooner or later.  He did not open this safe for
+nothing."
+
+With the policeman and the stranger gone, the lower portion of the
+mansion appeared deserted.  Adam Adams looked to make sure that he was
+not observed, and then went to the safe.  As he had anticipated, the
+door now came open with ease.
+
+The detective felt that he was in a ticklish position.  Had he a right
+to examine the contents of this strong box?  If discovered by any one,
+what would be the outcome?  Even the fact that he was in a way
+connected with the law might not clear him.
+
+But he felt he must take some risks.  He knew the sentiment against
+Margaret Langmore, and knew that sentiment in a country place is almost
+equal to a conviction.  The coroner had convinced himself that the girl
+was guilty, and would go to any extremity to prove the correctness of
+his theory.
+
+The safe was divided into several compartments, and on one side was a
+set of three metallic drawers.  The open side contained several account
+books and legal and patent papers.  The top drawer contained some old
+jewelry and a gold watch, the middle drawer some bank bills, not over a
+hundred dollars, all told.
+
+The bottom drawer was locked, but the key for it lay in the middle
+drawer, so Adam Adams opened the receptacle with ease.  As he did so, a
+cry of astonishment came to his lips, and he repressed it with
+difficulty,
+
+The drawer was packed with new and crisp one-hundred-dollar bills, all
+on the same bank, the Excelsior National, of New York City.  There were
+thirty of the bills, and evidently not one of them had been in
+circulation.  The detective started as he took them up, held them to
+the somewhat dim light, and started again.  He paused for a moment, as
+if deciding a weighty question.  Then he placed the package of bank
+bills in the inner pocket of his coat.
+
+"These have no right to be here," he muttered.  "The only place for
+them is in the hands of the federal authorities."
+
+Under the bills lay several legal documents.  One was labeled:
+
+"Mortgage of Matlock Styles to Barry S. Langmore, $8,000."
+
+There were likewise two other mortgages between the same parties, one
+for $3,000 and the other for $5,000.
+
+"Whoever Matlock Styles is, he evidently owes the Langmore estate
+sixteen thousand dollars," the detective told himself; "that is, if the
+obligations have not been cancelled.  I wonder what the mortgages were
+doing in with those bills?"
+
+"Mr. Adams!"
+
+A soft call from the window made the detective turn swiftly.  To his
+surprise, he saw Raymond Case peering at him through the blinds.  The
+young man's face showed his perplexity.
+
+"What brought you?" asked the detective.  He did not relish being
+caught off his guard.
+
+"I couldn't think of going to bed at the hotel, I was so upset.  I
+thought, if I came over here, I might discover something of value, or
+help you in some way.  I see you've managed to get that safe open.  It
+was certainly a clever piece of work."
+
+"As it happens opening the safe was not my work," was the answer.
+"Another man opened it and I took the liberty of looking inside.  But I
+can't talk about that here.  Wait a minute and I'll join you outside."
+
+Adam Adams swung the door of the safe open once more.  As he surmised,
+the combination could be set to a new series of numbers with ease.  He
+fixed it to correspond with the numbers of his own office safe, then
+closed the door, gave the knob a twirl, and hurried from the room by
+the same opening by which he had entered.
+
+"When I first came up I thought somebody was robbing the safe," said
+Raymond Case, when the pair were at a distance from the house.
+
+"What did you see me do?"
+
+"Take out a package of bankbills and put them into your pocket.  Oh, I
+know it must be all right, Mr. Adams.  But it looked queer."
+
+"I took them for safe keeping.  Look at them for a moment.  I'll strike
+a match behind this clump of trees.  Count them over, too.  It may be
+as well to have a witness for this."
+
+Raymond Case took the crisp bills and did as requested.
+
+"Three thousand dollars," he said.   "All brand new bills and each for
+a hundred dollars."
+
+"Exactly, and each on the same bank."
+
+"So they are.  That's rather odd; isn't it?"
+
+"And all of the same serial number."
+
+"Gracious!  Mr. Adams--"
+
+"Wait.  Mr. Case, I am going to trust you even as you have trusted me.
+I want you to keep this a secret."
+
+"Certainly, but--"
+
+"The bills are counterfeit."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+ONE OF THE PROFESSION
+
+"Counterfeit bank bills!" gasped the young man.  "And in Mr. Langmore's
+possession!  Taken from his safe! What does it mean?"
+
+"That remains to be found out."
+
+"This is--is astounding!  You don't suspect that he was in the habit--I
+mean that he--"  Raymond Case did not know how to go on.
+
+"It's too early to form a conclusion.  But one thing is certain, the
+counterfeits were in his private safe, and from all accounts that safe
+had not been opened since his death.  Consequently he must have placed
+them there."
+
+"I don't believe he dealt in counterfeits," returned the young man
+bluntly.
+
+"Facts are stubborn things to overcome.  Down in the town I learned
+that Mr. Langmore used to be a comparatively poor man.  All his wealth
+has come to him in the past six years."
+
+"He made his money out of his patents and out of various other schemes."
+
+"All of his wealth has come to him in the past six years," pursued the
+detective.  "I happen to know something about these counterfeits, which
+the federal authorities have been trying to trace to their source.  The
+first of these bogus one hundred dollar bills appeared about six years
+ago, at a bank in Brooklyn."
+
+The heart of the young man sank within him, and as he spoke his lips
+began to quiver.
+
+"Mr. Adams, are you going to give this news to the world at large--to
+the United States authorities--are you going to brand Margaret's father
+as a counterfeiter, or a passer of queer money?  If you do that, even
+if you clear Margaret, you'll break her heart."
+
+"I am going to do nothing at present but keep on investigating.  We
+have not yet reached the end of this string by any means.  Did I not
+tell you that another opened the safe?--a fellow who has been acting
+queerly ever since I caught sight of him?  He is connected with this
+complicated affair, although how still remains to be seen."
+
+"Who was the man?"
+
+"He gave his name to the policeman as Jack Watkins."
+
+"I never heard that name before.  How does he look?"
+
+Adam Adams described the fellow minutely, but Raymond Case shook his
+head.
+
+"I can't place him.  But that is not strange," he added.  "I know very
+few folks in this neighborhood."
+
+"Do you know a man named Matlock Styles."
+
+"Not very well--I met him once, when he was calling on Mr. Langmore on
+business.  He is an Englishman, fairly well to do, who lives in an old
+colonial house on the Harper road, a mile and a half, I should say,
+from here."
+
+"Do you know what business this Styles had with Mr. Langmore?"
+
+"I don't remember very well--but hold up, yes, I do.  He owed Mr.
+Langmore some money.  The two put through some sort of real estate
+deal."
+
+"How much did Styles owe Mr. Langmore?"
+
+"I don't know exactly, but it was a large amount, fifteen or twenty
+thousand dollars."
+
+"What sort of a man would you take this Styles to he?"
+
+"Oh, he is a big, overbearing Englishman, one of the kind with
+mutton-chop whiskers and a red nose.  He is a great chap for fast
+horses, and I've heard he has quite a stable of them over to his place.
+He is also a dog fancier."
+
+"Has he been here lately?"
+
+"I don't know.  Perhaps Margaret could tell you.  But what has this to
+do--"
+
+"Nothing at all, perhaps.  In the safe with the bankbills were some
+mortgage papers given to Mr. Langmore by this Matlock Styles.  But the
+two may not have the least connection with each other."
+
+The two had been walking away from the house and now the detective
+turned back.  As he did so he thought of the bit of paper he had picked
+up in the shrubbery.  He struck a match with one hand and held up the
+slip with the other.  It was a memorandum, running as follows:
+
+      $8,000
+       5,000
+       3,000
+     $16,000
+     -------
+         .03%
+     -------
+     $480.00
+
+Adam Adams studied the memorandum with interest.  The amounts at the
+top were those of the mortgages given by Matlock Styles to Barry
+Langmore.  Evidently somebody had figured out what the interest would
+be at three per cent.
+
+"What is that?" asked Raymond Case.
+
+"A bit of paper I picked up around here.  It doesn't seem to amount to
+anything.  But I think we had better part now, Mr. Case.  If I have
+anything to report I'll see you to-morrow at the Beechwood Hotel."
+
+The pair separated, and Adam Adams watched the young man disappear down
+the road, the latter feeling that he ought not to interfere with the
+work of the man he had engaged to unravel the mystery.  In deep thought
+the detective went back to the neighborhood of the mansion and
+stationed himself where he could get a look at the library windows.
+
+Adam Adams felt that the case was growing deeper and deeper.  The
+finding of the counterfeit banknotes in Barry Langmore's safe was
+astonishing.  Where this thread of the skein would lead to he could not
+imagine.
+
+"I seem to be uncovering more than I bargained for," he mused.  "If the
+man was innocent of all wrong-doing why didn't he turn those bills over
+to the authorities?  Were he alive we should certainly say he was
+caught with the goods.  If this comes out it will create as much of a
+sensation as the murder itself."
+
+Two hours went by and still the detective kept to his post.  He was
+used to waiting--had he not waited in the bitter cold six hours to
+clear that poor Jew?--and he knew that sooner or later the man calling
+himself Jack Watkins would reappear.
+
+A light flared up in the library and then was turned lower.  He crept
+to the window and looked in as before.  The strange man was at the
+safe, working the combination knob backward and forward.
+
+In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Adam Adams was forced to
+smile.  The man worked hurriedly and tried the combination a score of
+times.  He muttered something under his breath which may well be
+omitted from these printed pages.  He even got into a heavy
+perspiration and had to pause to wipe his forehead with his
+handkerchief.
+
+"Hang the luck!" he went on.  "I had it open before.  What's got into
+the confounded combination?"
+
+Again he tried to work the figures.  But it was all of no avail, and at
+last he arose, fists clenched, and with a face full of baffled anger.
+He stalked around the library, gazed at the strong box several times,
+and then quit the apartment.
+
+Waiting once more, the detective presently saw the man come from the
+house and walk toward the road.  Following, he saw the fellow hurry
+past the Bardon home and then into a patch of timber.  Here he had a
+horse, and in a moment more would have been in the saddle had not Adam
+Adams caught him by the arm.
+
+"Hi! what's this, a hold-up?" cried the man, evidently frightened.
+"Let go of me!"  And he tried to pull away and then attempted to draw a
+revolver from a hip pocket.
+
+"Stop!  I am not going to hurt you," was the calm reply from the
+detective.  "I want to talk to you, that's all."
+
+"Really?" came with a sneer.  "A fine time of night to hold a man up.
+Be quick, for I am in a hurry."
+
+"I want you to explain several things to me," went on Adam Adams calmly.
+
+"Explain?  To you?"
+
+"That is what I said.  You can take your choice.  Either explain or
+consider yourself under arrest."
+
+"Eh?  Say, are you crazy?"
+
+"Not at all."
+
+"An officer of the law, I suppose."
+
+"I am--in a way."
+
+"Working on this Langmore affair?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Have you been following me?"
+
+"I've done more than that--I've been watching you."
+
+"What!  How long?"
+
+"Quite a long while.  I saw you in the library, twice, and down to the
+brook."
+
+The man started and was evidently much put out.  Then he forced a smile
+to his face.
+
+"Much obliged for playing the spy," he murmured.
+
+"Down at the brook you had a pair of Miss Langmore's shoes.  What were
+you doing with them?"
+
+"Did you see me with the shoes?"
+
+"I did, and I saw you with the silk shirtwaist."
+
+"Ah!  Anything else?"
+
+"I saw you at the safe in the library of the mansion."
+
+"When, now?"
+
+"Now and some hours ago.  You may as well make a clean breast of it."
+
+"I will, If you will tell me who you are."
+
+"I am Adam Adams, of New York City."
+
+The strange man let out a hissing sound between his teeth.  Then of a
+sudden he gave a wild, unnatural laugh.
+
+"Shake hands, Mr. Adams," he said, putting out his hand.  "I know you
+by reputation even if not personally.  You see, your reputation is so
+much larger than my own."  He laughed again, a sound which grated on
+the detective's nerves.  "I am John S. Watkins, of Bryport.  I am
+connected with the United States secret service."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+WHAT CEPHAS CARBOY SAW
+
+There was a brief pause after the man from Bryport made his
+announcement.  Adam Adams tried hard to see his face clearly, but in
+the gloom this was impossible.
+
+"Perhaps you do not believe me," said John Watkins.  "I can easily
+prove what I say."
+
+"Why shouldn't I believe you?"
+
+"Because you were on the point of arresting me, which proves that you
+took me to be--something else."
+
+"How long have you been connected with the secret service?"
+
+"About three years.  That is why I know you so well."
+
+"Did your work as a secret service man bring you to this place?"
+
+"Excuse me, but that is my business.  If you are working on this case,
+well and good.  But it is not fair to try to steal any of my thunder."
+
+"So far as I am concerned you shall get full credit for what you may do
+on this case, Mr. Watkins," said Adam Adams stiffly.  "But I should
+like to understand several points."
+
+"About the shoes and the shirtwaist, I suppose.  I got the shoes from
+the house to make certain that some footprints on the bank of the brook
+had been made by Miss Langmore."
+
+"What about the shirtwaist?"
+
+"It was there when I came, and I left it there, as it did not seem to
+have much of a connection with the affair."
+
+"Do you think you had a right to tamper with the safe in the library?"
+
+"Considering certain circumstances, which I do not intend just now to
+disclose to you, I think I had a right."
+
+"Did you take anything from the safe?"
+
+"Not a thing.  In fact, I couldn't get the safe open.  You must know
+this, if you saw me a while ago."
+
+"You opened the door the first time."
+
+"I do not deny it.  The policeman interrupted me and I shut the box up.
+When I came back the combination had gotten away from me."
+
+There was a pause.
+
+"Where are you stopping, Mr. Watkins, in case I wish to communicate
+with you again?"
+
+"At Hager's Hotel, in Sidham.  But I am on the jump nearly all the
+time," and the secret service man laughed again.  "Anything else?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Then I'll be going.  I've got to send a long secret message before I
+go to bed and it takes time to follow the code, you know that.
+Good-night," and in a moment more John Watkins was on his horse and
+riding away at a good rate of speed.
+
+Adam Adams watched his departure with a variety of thoughts chasing
+each other through his mind.  The man must be what he claimed, he had
+shown his badge on the inside of his coat, and been perfectly willing
+to prove his words.
+
+"If he is honest, he must be on the trail of those counterfeits, and
+perhaps it was my duty to tell him of my discovery," mused the
+detective.  "It is curious how these two cases have wound around each
+other, or is it all one case?"
+
+Concluding that there was nothing more to be done that night, Adam
+Adams took himself to the Beechwood Hotel, secured a room, and was soon
+in the land of dreams.  He arose early, obtained his breakfast, and
+without waiting to meet Raymond Case, started off to interview Doctor
+Bird, one of the two persons Margaret Langmore had seen go past the
+mansion about the time the tragedy was occurring.
+
+He found the doctor an individual with an exaggerated idea of his own
+importance.  It was hard to bind him down to tell what he actually knew
+and it took the detective the best part of an hour to learn that the
+physician knew nothing of real importance.
+
+A short while later Adam Adams learned that the farmer who had been
+seen going past the mansion was named Cephas Carboy.  He was a strange
+individual, of no education, who lived on a hillside road, running some
+distance to the rear of the Langmore house.  When the detective arrived
+there he found Carboy sitting under a tree smoking a short clay pipe.
+The farm was a neglected one, the house about ready to tumble down, and
+in the dooryard were half a dozen dirty and ragged children, who
+scampered out of sight on the approach of a stranger.
+
+"Good morning," said Adam Adams cheerfully.  He saw at a glance that
+the fellow before him was a thoroughly shiftless character.
+
+"Mornin' to you," was the short response.
+
+"This is Mr. Cephas Carboy?"
+
+"Cephas Carboy's my name--ain't much of a mister to it," and the man
+grinned feebly.
+
+"You're the man I want to see, Carboy," and the detective took a seat
+on a log close by.
+
+"Want to see me?  What fer?  I don't know you."
+
+"I want to see you about that Langmore murder."
+
+The shiftless man stared and withdrew his pipe from his mouth with
+trembling fingers.
+
+"I didn't have nuthin' to do with that.  They can't pitch it onto me
+nohow!  I came past the house, that's all I did.  I didn't go inside
+the gate, I didn't.  It was Miss Langmore did that murder--or else Mary
+Billings."
+
+"Did you see anybody round the place when you went past?"
+
+"Not a soul."
+
+"What were you doing around there?"
+
+"Are you an--an officer?"
+
+"Perhaps I am.  Anyway, you had best answer my questions."
+
+"I went down to Hopgood's place, to sell some fish I had caught--Mr.
+Hopgood can prove it.  Then I came straight home."
+
+"Which way did you go to get to Hopgood's?"
+
+"Took the road yonder, around the hill, and crossed the brook at
+Peabody's bridge--Peabody can prove that, too.  He was out in the
+hayfield and saw me."
+
+Adam Adams took a look at the road mentioned.  At a turn there was a
+cleared spot through the woods and a fair sight could be caught of the
+rear of the Langmore mansion and of the automobile shed.
+
+"Come here," he called to Cephas Carboy, and when the shiftless man had
+shuffled up, he continued: "You say you walked this way.  When you got
+to this spot did you happen to look over to the Langmore house?"
+
+"I--er--I did."
+
+"What did you see?  Come now, tell me the exact truth," and Adam Adams
+put as much of sternness as possible in his tone.
+
+"I saw--See here, I don't want to get in no trouble, I don't.  I'm a
+peaceful man, an' I tend to my own business, I do.  You ain't a-goin'
+to drag me into court."
+
+"I don't want to get you into trouble, Carboy--but I must know the
+truth of this.  I take it that you are poor.  Am I right?"
+
+"Humph!  Do I look like I was rollin' in wealth?"
+
+"Then a five dollar bill means something to you, eh?"
+
+The shiftless man opened his eyes widely.
+
+"Does it?  Say, I ain't had a fiver in my fist fer a month, two months!
+Farmin' don't pay, an' it ain't easy to git work outside, the season's
+been that poor.  If you--"
+
+"Tell me all you know, and perhaps I'll give you five dollars."
+
+"Ain't foolin'?"
+
+"No.  There's a dollar on account," and the detective passed over the
+bill.  The shiftless man clutched it eagerly, looked at it to make
+certain that it was real money, and rammed it into the pocket of his
+greasy vest.
+
+"Thanks, sir," he murmured.  Then he ran his hand through his somewhat
+matted hair.  "Mind now, I can't give you this fer dead certain," he
+commenced.
+
+"What do you mean by that?"
+
+"I think it happened, but I can't swear to it.  That house is putty far
+off, remember."
+
+"What do you think you saw?"
+
+"I saw a man run across the garden.  He had a satchel in his hand and
+he was in a hurry.  He slipped and fell and his hat rolled off.  Then
+he got up, put on his hat, and I lost sight of him behind the bushes."
+
+"How did the man look?"
+
+"Wait up, that ain't all.  I'm certain of that part of it, but I ain't
+so sure of the rest.  I waited here a minit, because my wife was
+calling to me to git some groceries when I came back.  I just started
+to fill my pipe when I looked over there again and I saw a man run from
+the automobile shed to the house.  The bushes was in the way, but hang
+me if I don't think he went in by a winder instead of a door."
+
+"You are sure you saw him go toward the house?"
+
+"Yes, that was plain enough, although he seemed to be sneakin' along
+the bushes."
+
+"Was it the same man?"
+
+"It must have been, but I couldn't see his valise, because he was
+behind the bushes."
+
+"How did the man look?"
+
+"He was a putty heavy fellow and he was dressed in a light gray suit
+and wore a soft hat to match."
+
+"Was the valise a light or a dark one?"
+
+"Light."
+
+"Could you see anything else?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Did the man have anything besides the valise?"
+
+"Not that I could see.  When he fell and his hat flew off I saw that he
+had a head of heavy dark hair."
+
+"And you are certain about the suit being a light gray one and the soft
+hat matched it?"
+
+"Yes, I'm dead sure of that."
+
+"What time was this?"
+
+"About half an hour before I passed the house.  I stopped at Peabody's
+to chat a while before I crossed his bridge."
+
+"Did you ever see the man before?"
+
+"Not that I remember."
+
+"You didn't see him after that?"
+
+"No."
+
+Adam Adams drew out a roll of bills and counted out four dollars, which
+amount he passed over to the fellow he had been interviewing.
+
+"That makes the five I promised you, Carboy.  Now then, will you do me
+a favor?"
+
+"Certainly, sir, anything you want."
+
+"I merely want you to keep what you have told me to yourself for the
+present."
+
+"Oh, that's easy--unless somebuddy tries to git me into trouble."
+
+"I don't think that will happen--if you keep your mouth shut."
+
+"Then I'll be as mum as an oyster," answered Cephas Carboy decidedly.
+
+"I may be along to see you again soon," continued Adam Adams, and then
+he drove away in the buggy that had brought him to the vicinity.
+
+He allowed his horse to walk, for he was in a more thoughtful mood than
+ever.  He was thinking of a man he had met the day before, in a suit of
+gray and with a soft hat of the same color.  The man had been Tom
+Ostrello.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+ON THE TRAIN
+
+"This is clearing itself by growing more complicated."
+
+Such was the deduction of the detective after he had reviewed the
+situation carefully.  Was it possible that the son of the woman who had
+been murdered was guilty of the double tragedy?  He remembered what he
+had been told about Tom Ostrello and his wayward brother Dick, and how
+mother and son had had an exciting meeting on the day previous to the
+tragedy.
+
+"I rather think it will pay to investigate a little further along this
+line," thought Adam Adams.  "More than likely he came here for money,
+either for himself or his brother Dick.  If his mother did not have it
+and wanted it she would have to go to Mr. Langmore for it.  That might
+cause a bitterness all around.  Or again, he might have thought that if
+his step-father were dead his mother would inherit his money and so
+plotted one murder, which, when he was discovered, ended in a second.
+It will do no harm to have a talk with this young man."
+
+He reached the Langmore mansion once more to find that Tom Ostrello had
+departed for the city on necessary business but was coming back before
+night.  Then at the hotel he found a message from his own office
+calling him to New York.
+
+"You are going away, Mr. Adams?" said Raymond Case, who chanced to see
+him departing.
+
+"Not for long.  I'll be back to-night or to-morrow."
+
+"Anything new?"
+
+"Nothing worth talking about, yet.  I must hurry to catch the train.
+What are you going to do?"
+
+"I am waiting for the inquest.  It will be a terrible trial for
+Margaret."  And the young man's face showed his concern.
+
+"Tell her for me to make the best of it," answered Adam Adams and
+hurried to the depot.  The train was just coming in and he saw Tom
+Ostrello get on board, and he entered the car directly behind the
+commercial traveler.  The young man passed through to the smoker and
+the detective did the same.  Two seats were vacant, directly across the
+aisle from each other and each took one.  Presently Ostrello looked at
+Adam Adams and started slightly and then bowed.
+
+"Excuse me, but I think I saw you up to the Langmore house," he began.
+
+"Yes, I called on Miss Langmore.  I believe you are Mrs. Langmore's
+son."
+
+"Yes.  Come over, won't you?"  Ostrello moved towards the window of the
+car.  "I've got to have a smoke to quiet my nerves, I'm so upset.  Will
+you have one?"  And he presented a case full of choice Havana cigars.
+
+"It must have upset you--it's enough to upset anybody," answered Adam
+Adams, as they lit up.  "It's a fearful happening, fearful."
+
+"You are acting for Margaret, I heard."
+
+"Yes--if there is a chance to do anything.  Do you know anything of the
+tragedy?"
+
+"Not a thing, outside of what I have heard.  When I got the telegram I
+was fairly stunned.  But let me tell you one thing."
+
+"Well?"
+
+"I don't think Margaret is guilty.  A girl like her couldn't do such a
+cold-blooded deed.  Why, it's enough to make a man shiver to think of
+it.  It would take a hardened criminal to do such a thing.  It's absurd
+to even suspect her."
+
+"What is your theory of the murders?"
+
+"I hardly know what to think.  If the house had been robbed I would say
+tramps did it."
+
+"But how?"
+
+"I don't know, excepting the--er--both were smothered.  But let us
+change the subject.  It breaks me all up to think about it.  I thought
+a whole lot of my mother."
+
+"Where is your brother?"
+
+"I don't know exactly.  He was in Los Angeles the last I heard of him.
+I have sent messages to half a dozen places, but so far have received
+no reply."
+
+"He is a commercial traveler like yourself?"
+
+"He was, up to two weeks ago.  Traveled for a paint house, but he and
+the firm had a row and Dick quit.  He's a rolling stone, and that is
+why I can't just locate him."
+
+"Do you represent a paint house, too?" questioned Adam Adams, after a
+pause, during which he appeared to enjoy the really fragrant Havana Tom
+Ostrello had tended him.
+
+"No, I'm with a drug house and have been for four years, one of the
+best in the country, Alexander & Company, of Rochester, New York.  I am
+their salesman for New York and the Eastern States.  We make some of
+the most noted preparations in the trade."
+
+"Alexander & Company, of Rochester," mused Adam Adams, thinking of the
+bit of paper he had picked up from under the safe.  "I believe I have
+seen their place.  Let me see, what street is it on?"
+
+"Wadley street and runs through to Hill--a fine six-story concern, with
+a laboratory that is second to none."
+
+"Yes, I remember it now.  I suppose you must have a pretty good
+position with them."
+
+"Fair.  I think they ought to raise my salary," answered Tom Ostrello.
+He stretched himself.  "I feel sleepy--didn't get a wink last night.
+When this affair is over I am going to ask for a week's vacation."
+
+"I don't blame you," answered Adam Adams, with a quiet smile.
+
+He settled back to smoke and his companion did the same, and thus the
+remainder of the trip to the city passed.  As he smoked the detective
+revolved the new revelation in his mind.  Tom Ostrello represented the
+very drug firm whose advertisement had appeared, in part, on the bit of
+paper picked up from under the library safe.
+
+"And he was there hunting for something," thought the detective.  "Was
+it for that bit of paper or for the something that he secured in his
+mother's room?"
+
+At the depot the pair separated.  Adam Adams lost no time in visiting
+his office, where his assistant awaited him anxiously.  "Well, Letty,
+how are you this morning?" he said pleasantly, as he dropped into his
+chair.
+
+He gave the girl a bright smile and she smiled in return.  Letty
+Bernard was an orphan, the daughter of one of his former friends, and
+he took a fatherly interest in her.  She lived with a second cousin,
+but wished to be independent and so the detective had given her the
+position, in his office, a place she filled with credit.  She was short
+and plump and had a wealth of curly hair that strayed over her forehead.
+
+"The Chief asked me to give you these papers," said the assistant.
+"You are to sign all three."
+
+"Um!  Then that's the end of the Soper case.  Anything else?"
+
+"Glackey was in.  He told me he had tracked the German and would report
+in full by to-morrow.  He thinks you were right and the German is the
+man."
+
+"What else?"
+
+"A Mrs. Caven-Demuth was here.  Wished to know if you ever found lost
+dogs."
+
+"Great Scott!  Dogs!"
+
+"She said her pet cocker-spaniel had disappeared and she was willing to
+spend five hundred dollars on finding him."
+
+"I am no dog detective.  Send her to McMommie."  McMommie was, as it is
+easy to guess, a rival.
+
+"I sent her to police headquarters."
+
+"And is that all?"
+
+"Mr. Folett telegraphed that he would be here at ten."
+
+"It's after that now--it's nearly noon.  You can go to lunch if you
+wish.  There's the door--  Hullo, it's Mr. Folett now.  Be back in an
+hour."
+
+"Yes, Uncle Adam," answered the girl.  She always called him uncle,
+since he had taken such an interest in her.  She went out as the caller
+entered, and left the two men talking over a business matter which has
+nothing to do with our story.
+
+It was two o'clock before Adam Adams found himself free once more.  He
+procured a lunch and then took a subway train halfway uptown.  He
+walked two blocks westward and ascended the steps of a fine brown-stone
+residence.  He asked for Doctor Calkey and was ushered into a private
+den, where the doctor, a tall, spare man of sixty, soon joined him.
+
+"My good friend Adams!" cried the doctor, shaking hands warmly.  "Where
+have you kept yourself?  Surely you have not been to see me for a year,
+or is it longer?  I have missed you so much--and the comforting smokes
+we had together?  Why did you desert me?  You knew I could not come to
+you--that I never go out.  And you do not bring any business to me--"
+
+"I had none to bring, and I have been very busy.  But I have missed our
+meetings, I must confess."
+
+"Ah, I am glad to learn I was not entirely forgotten.  And you have
+been busy, and still nothing for Rudolph Calkey to do, nothing to
+analyze, nothing to dissect--"
+
+"I've got a knot now for you."
+
+"Good! good!  I trust it is a good complication--I love them so--there
+is such a satisfaction when the end is reached.  But not yet--no, not
+yet.  A glass of wine first--something prime--I imported it myself, so
+that I would know what I am getting."
+
+The wine was soon forthcoming and then a cigar for the detective and a
+pipe for the doctor.  At last the latter threw himself into an old easy
+chair and gazed at his caller expectantly.
+
+"I am ready to untie the knot," he said.  "What is it?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART
+
+There was a moment of silence.
+
+"Briefly put, doctor, the case is this," said Adam Adams.  "I want to
+know if there is anything known to the medical world, a powder or
+something of that sort, strong enough to kill a person if he should
+breathe of it."
+
+"A powder strong enough to kill a person?" The brow of the old
+physician contracted.  "It would have to be very powerful to do that.
+You mean if a person was boxed up with it--like one killed by gas?"
+
+"No, not at all.  I mean a powder that could be held to a person's nose
+and mouth in the open, when it would make that person sick and give him
+cramps perhaps."
+
+"And kill him?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+The old doctor rubbed his hands in thought.  "That is a subject for
+speculation.  Certain cyanide compounds might be powerful enough to do
+so under certain conditions.  Any real dry powder would choke a person
+if he got a big dose of it.  I heard of a boy who came near dying as
+the result of breathing in a quantity of extra dry licorice powder.
+But he was smothered and did not have cramps."
+
+"Nothing in the shape of any foreign compound?  You once showed me a
+Turkish liquid that burnt when water was poured on it, and dyed
+everything blood red."
+
+"Ah, yes, the _fozeska_, something truly dangerous.  But I know of
+nothing--  But hold!"  The doctor clapped his hands together.  "Yes!
+yes!  That would do it, that and that only."
+
+"What?"
+
+"I had a sample of it given to me some six months ago.  It was called
+_yamlang-peholo_, and was made in China, from the roots of the
+_yamlang_ bush--a rare growth found only in the western part of the
+country.  By many Chinamen the _yamlang_ bush is supposed to be
+accursed, and whenever they come near one they utter a prayer for
+deliverance from its evils.  If you sleep near the _yamlang_ bush it
+will make you very sick."
+
+"And that powder, what did it look like?"
+
+"It was blue at first but on contact with the air quickly changed to
+brownish-white and lost itself, it was so fine."
+
+"Evaporated?"
+
+"You can call it that if you wish.  It was intense.  I held it at arms'
+length, yet it made me sick and I had cramps for over an hour
+afterwards."
+
+"It would have killed you if you had placed it to your mouth or nose?"
+
+"Not the slightest doubt of it."
+
+"May I ask where you got the stuff?"
+
+"It was imported into this country by a drug firm merely as a
+curiosity.  They put it up in tiny vials which I suppose were sent
+around to different persons like myself.  It was a dangerous piece of
+business and I gave them no credit for doing it."
+
+"What was the name of the firm?"
+
+"I would not tell everybody, but I know I can trust you to keep a
+secret.  The firm was Alexander & Company, of Rochester, who stand very
+high in the trade.  I buy many things from them, from time to time, and
+their traveling man, a Mr. Ostrello, gave me the powder when he called.
+He told me how the firm had experimented on a dog and an ox.  Both died
+in less than two minutes, and each with cramps.  But after death
+neither animal showed the least trace of the poison."
+
+"Wasn't this Ostrello afraid to handle the stuff?"
+
+"Not as much as I was.  He said he was a bit used to it.  I told him I
+didn't want to get used to it.  Have another glass of wine?"
+
+"No, I prefer to smoke, thanks just the same.  I am interested in this
+_yamlang_, as you call it.  Where can I get the stuff?"
+
+"No more of it can be had.  I rather think they got afraid of it.
+Wait, I'll get the vial it was in.  Perhaps there is a whiff left in
+it."
+
+"Thanks, but do you think I want to die?" queried the detective, and
+gave a laugh.
+
+When the empty vial was produced he opened it and took a short sniff.
+Then he drew his breath in sharply.  A faint odor was perceptible, the
+same odor he had detected in the carpet on the upper hallway of the
+Langmore mansion.
+
+"Do you smell it?" questioned the physician.
+
+"Yes, but not very well.  I don't think it will affect me much."
+
+"I trust not, my dear Adams.  We cannot afford to lose you.  Now, what
+is it all about?"
+
+"Another case, that's all.  I don't feel like talking about it just
+yet.  I'll give you the particulars some other time."
+
+"And have I helped you?"
+
+"I think you have."
+
+"Of course there are other powders--and there is chloroform--"
+
+"I think we have struck a clue in this.  But I must be going."
+
+"What, so soon!"  Rudolph Calkey looked hurt.  "I was thinking you'd
+stay the day out.  We could chat over old times--I'll order an extra
+supper--"
+
+"No, not to-day.  When this case is settled, I'll come over and we'll
+make an evening of it."  And then the detective had to fairly tear
+himself from the doctor and the house.  They were old friends and had
+worked on many a case together.
+
+Once back in his office Adam Adams smiled grimly to himself.
+
+"Now, Mr. Tom Ostrello, it looks as if we had you good and hard," he
+murmured.  "You were seen around the place at the time of the murder by
+Cephas Carboy, you left the bit of paper in the library, you quarrelled
+at one time with Mr. Langmore and also quarrelled with your mother.
+The murder was committed by means of that deadly Chinese powder, and
+you are one of the few persons in this country who knew of the
+heathenish compound.  If you are innocent I rather reckon you have a
+heap of explanations to make."
+
+There were two callers who took an hour of the detective's time, and
+then he prepared to return to Sidham, to learn if possible more
+concerning Tom Ostrello, and if anybody besides Cephas Carboy had seen
+him around that vicinity on the morning of the tragedy.
+
+"Letty, I may not be back to-night," he remarked, as he came out into
+the general office.  "And it may be that I'll not be back to-morrow."
+
+"All right, Uncle Adam.  What shall I tell Mr. Capes?"
+
+"Tell him that that bond matter must wait.  He'll have to get those
+numbers if he possibly can.  The other record was destroyed."
+
+As Adam Adams spoke he drew closer to the desk at which his assistant
+was sitting.  He glanced down at an envelope lying there, and started
+slightly.
+
+"Where did this come from, Letty?" he questioned.  The envelope was
+postmarked New York and the upper left-hand corner bore the notice:
+
+      Return in 10 days to
+      Alexander & Company,
+      Wholesale Druggists,
+      22-32 Wadley Street,
+      Rochester, N. Y.
+
+The girl glanced at the envelope and then at her employer and blushed
+deeply.
+
+"Oh, why that--that is a note from a friend of mine."
+
+"A gentleman friend, I suppose."
+
+"Yes, Uncle Adam.  I met him last winter, at Mrs. Dally's reception.
+He is a traveling salesman for this house," she pointed to the notice
+on the envelope.  "He wants me to go to the theatre with him, and I
+expect to go.  Mrs. Dally says he is a very nice young man.  We--we
+have been out a number of times."  And the girl blushed again.
+
+"I know some parties connected with that firm.  What's the young man's
+name, Letty?"
+
+"Mr. Tom Ostrello."
+
+"Indeed!  And he has invited you to go to the theatre with him?"
+
+"Yes.  Then you know him, Uncle Adam?  I didn't dream of that.  Don't
+you think he is--is rather nice?"
+
+"Evidently you think so."  For some reason the detective could scarcely
+steady his voice.  He was a bachelor, with only some distant relatives,
+and he thought a good deal of his protegee and her welfare.
+
+"I--I do, Uncle Adam.  He treats me so nicely.  I--I--don't you approve
+of him?" she went on hastily, searching his face for the smile that
+usually rested there when he spoke to her.
+
+"Why, I--er--I don't know him so well as all that, Letty."  For the
+first time in his life he was visibly confused.  "You say he has called
+on you a number of times?"
+
+"Yes, and he has taken me out, let me see, I guess it must be a dozen
+times all told.  I--I wanted to speak of this before, but I--well, I
+couldn't bring it around.  I hope you'll approve, Uncle Adam."
+
+"Approve?  Of your going out with him?"
+
+"Yes, and--and--"  The girl hesitated again.  Then she arose and
+buried her face on his shoulder.  "Oh! don't you understand, Uncle
+Adam?"
+
+"Letty!"
+
+"He is very nice--I know you'll like him when you get to really know
+him.  Of course he hasn't much money, but I don't care for that.  You
+always said money didn't count for so much anyway--that it was
+character--and he's got that."
+
+"Hum!"  For the life of him Adam Adams could not speak.  He felt
+himself growing hot and cold by turns.  He caught the girl closer.
+Never had he loved his friend's daughter so much as now.
+
+"I hoped you would approve," she went on, shyly.  "I--of course I
+didn't want to leave you--you've been so very good to me since papa and
+mamma died.  But--but Tom doesn't seem to want to wait.  He has asked
+me twice now and--and--I don't know how I am going to put him off.  He
+seems so miserable when I say wait."
+
+"Asked you to marry him?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And he wants you to go to the theatre with him--now?"
+
+"The invitation is for to-night--he sent it last week.  He has been
+traveling out of town, but he said he would be back some time to-day.
+I want you to meet him."  She paused.  "Isn't it all right, Uncle Adam?"
+
+He did not answer, and she gazed at him curiously.  Then the look in
+his face made her draw back, slowly and uncertainly.  At that moment he
+felt that the occupation of a detective was the most detestable in the
+world.
+
+"You--you know something?" she gasped.  "Oh, Uncle Adam, what is it?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+AT THE CORONER'S INQUEST
+
+Sidham was in a state of keen excitement.  No such mystery as the
+double tragedy had occurred in that neighborhood before, and all of the
+inhabitants were anxious to hear the latest news and learn what the
+coroner and the police were going to do.  A hundred theories were
+afloat, all centering on the one object--to find the murderer.
+
+"Find him or her, and swing him or her to the nearest tree," was the
+verdict of many.  "The law is all well enough, but this dastardly crime
+demands an object lesson."
+
+Coroner Jack Busby, who was a dealer in horses, had never had a murder
+case before, and was uncertain as to the method of procedure.  But with
+the eyes of the whole community on him he realized his importance, as
+he ran hither and thither, to arrange for the inquest.  He felt that
+his own little office was altogether too small for the occasion and so
+arranged to bring off the affair in the general courtroom.
+
+The place was soon crowded with people, and another crowd gathered
+outside.  The hour for opening the inquest was at hand and the majority
+of the witnesses were present.  The coroner, short, fat and
+bald-headed, looked around anxiously and then turned to the chief of
+police, who was near at hand.
+
+"I don't see Miss Langmore."
+
+"Neither do I," answered the guardian of the law, with a shrug of his
+shoulders, as if it was none of his especial business,
+
+"Yes, but--ahem! you are--ahem! responsible--"
+
+"She'll be here, coroner, don't worry."
+
+"You have had her properly guarded?"
+
+"Yes.  I reckon she's coming now," and the chief of police nodded
+towards a side door of the courtroom.
+
+There was a slight commotion, and Margaret entered, escorted by Raymond
+Case, and followed by one of the women and the policeman who had been
+on guard at the Langmore mansion.  The crowd arose to gaze at the girl
+and to pass various comments.
+
+"Mighty pale, ain't she?"
+
+"Wouldn't think a girl like that could do such an awful thing!"
+
+"Humph! you can't tell about these high-toned folks.  They'd do
+anything.  Didn't one of them millionaires run over two of my hens with
+his automobile an' never stop to settle the damage?  Don't tell me!"
+
+"Yes, and she detested her step-mother--the hired girl told Mrs. Brown
+so, an' she told me."
+
+"Well, Coroner Busby will git to the bottom of it putty quick.  He told
+Lem Hansom he knew what he was doin'."
+
+"He must know, if he's as slick at tryin' folks as he is in a hoss
+dicker," returned an old farmer who had made a trade of steeds which
+had proved unprofitable for him.
+
+Margaret was shown to a chair and sat down, with Raymond beside her.
+The young man was plainly nervous, yet he did what he could to comfort
+his companion.
+
+"Courage, Margaret," he whispered.  "It is bound to come out right in
+the end."
+
+"I can scarcely see a friendly face," she faltered, taking a shy look
+around.  "They all think I am--"  She could not finish, but had to
+bite her lip to keep the tears from flowing.
+
+The coroner mounted the platform and rapped on a desk with his knuckles.
+
+"The--ahem! courtroom will come to order!" he called out, gazing around
+on all sides.
+
+There was a final buzz and then the place became quiet, broken only by
+the ticking of a big round clock on the wall.
+
+"We are gathered here--ahem! to inquire into the mysterious deaths of
+Mr. and Mrs. Barry Langmore," went on the coroner.
+
+"That's so--an' we want plain facts," put in an old farmer, sitting
+well up front.
+
+"Silence!" cried the coroner.  "We must have silence!"
+
+"All right, Jack," replied the farmer.  "I won't say another word."
+
+"Silence.  We cannot go on if there is not silence.  Ahem! ahem!  Miss
+Langmore!"
+
+Margaret arose and bowed slightly.  Then the coroner swore her in as a
+witness and told her to relate her story.  She could scarcely stand and
+Raymond brought her chair forward.
+
+"You wish me to tell all I know?" she asked, in a faint but clear voice.
+
+"Everything," was Coroner Busby's answer.
+
+Pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts, she plunged into the
+recital, her tale being merely a repetition of that given to Adam
+Adams.  When she came to tell how her father had been found her voice
+broke and it was fully a minute before she could go on.  When she had
+finished the courtroom was as still as a tomb, save for the ticking of
+the clock, now sounding louder than ever.
+
+"Is that all?" asked the coroner, after a painful pause.
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"They say, Miss Langmore, that you were not on good terms with your
+stepmother."
+
+"Who says so?"
+
+"It is an--ahem! a common rumor.  What have you to say on that point?"
+
+"It is true, sir," answered Margaret, after another pause, during which
+the eyes of all in the courtroom were fixed upon the girl.
+
+"It is said that you had violent quarrels," pursued the coroner.
+
+"No very violent quarrels.  Sometimes we did not speak to each other
+for days."
+
+"Then you admit that you did quarrel?"
+
+"I do."
+
+"And you also quarreled with your father?"
+
+"No, sir."
+
+"What, not at all?" queried Coroner Busby, elevating his eyes in
+surprise, either real or affected.
+
+"We held different opinions upon certain questions, but we did not
+quarrel."
+
+"Hum!"  The coroner mused for a moment.
+
+"That is all for the present," he added, and Margaret moved back to
+where she had been first sitting.
+
+"I am glad that is over," whispered Raymond.  "Can I do anything?  Get
+you some water?"
+
+"No, nothing," she answered, and dropped a veil over her face.
+
+The next witness called was Mary Billings, the domestic employed at the
+Langmore mansion, and who had been about the place at the time of the
+tragedy.  She proved to be a round-faced Irish girl, not particularly
+bright, and now all but terror-stricken.  As soon as she was sworn in
+she burst into tears.
+
+"Sure as there is a heavin above me, Oi didn't do that murder, so Oi
+didn't!" she moaned.
+
+"Nobody said you did," answered the coroner dryly, while a general
+smile went around the courtroom.
+
+"Then why did yez bring me here, I dunno?  Sure an' Mr. Langmore was
+afther bein' me bist frind, an' Oi wouldn't harm him fer a million
+dollars, so Oi wouldn't!"  It was with difficulty that she was quieted
+and made to tell what she knew.
+
+"Where were you from ten o'clock to twelve of the morning of the
+tragedy?" was the first question put to her.
+
+"Oi was in the kitchen, an' down to the barn, yer honor."
+
+"Were you in the kitchen first."
+
+"Sure an' Oi was that."
+
+"What were you doing?"
+
+"Phat was Oi doin'?  Sure Oi was washin' the dishes, cl'anin' the
+silverware, peelin' the praties, shellin' the beans, cleanin' the
+lamps, fixin' the--"
+
+"Ahem!  You mean you were doing the housework, eh?"
+
+"Yis, sur."
+
+"While you were in the house, did you leave the kitchen?"
+
+"Only to go to the ciller fer a scuttle o' coal."
+
+"Did you see or hear anything unusual going on while you were in the
+kitchen?"
+
+The Irish girl scratched her head and shrugged her shoulders.
+
+"Oi heard a lot av things, yer honor."
+
+"What were they?"
+
+"Oi heard Mrs. Langmore walkin' around upstairs, an' Oi heard Miss
+Margaret walkin' around, too.  Then Oi heard Mrs. Langmore call to Miss
+Margaret."
+
+"Did Miss Margaret answer?"
+
+"Oi dunno--if she did, Oi didn't hear her."
+
+"What else?"
+
+"Thin Oi heard the front dure slam."
+
+"Did you see anybody come in or go out?"
+
+"Sure, an' Oi did not."
+
+"What time was this, as near as you can remember?"
+
+"Atwixt tin an' eliven o'clock."
+
+"Did you hear anything after the slamming of the front door?"
+
+"Oi did not, fer Oi wint down to the barn directly afterwards."
+
+"How long did you remain down at the barn?"
+
+"Till Miss Margaret came scr'amin' from the house.  She cries, 'Mary,
+oh Mary!  Me father!  Me father!' an' staggers around loike she was
+goin' to fall, an' Oi run up to her an' hild her up, poor dear."  And
+the servant girl shot a sympathetic glance in Margaret's direction.
+
+"Ahem!  Now--er--you remained in the barn until you heard her cry out.
+Did you hear or see anything from the barn while you were down there?"
+
+"Well, to tell the truth, sur, Oi didn't notice anythin' at the toime,
+bein' that interested in me pet chickens, sur.  Ye see, Pat Callahan
+gave me three foine Leghorns, an'--"
+
+"Never mind the Leghorns.  If you saw or heard anything, what was it?"
+
+"'Twas something Oi was afther hearin', sur.  Oi think somebody ran
+past the barn, aisy loike."
+
+"You didn't see anybody?"
+
+"No, sur.  As Oi said before, thim Leghorns that Pat Callahan gave
+me--"
+
+"We'll--ahem! drop the Leghorns.  After you heard the strange noise how
+long was it before you heard Miss Langmore scream?"
+
+"Perhaps quarter av an hour, sur.  Oi didn't look to the clock."
+
+"And she fainted in your arms?"
+
+"Not exactly that, sur.  She scr'ams, 'Me father! me father!  Mary, he
+is murdered!  Go to the library!'  An' thin she wint over in me arms
+loike a stone, poor dear, poor dear!"  And the domestic began to weep
+afresh.
+
+"What did you do then?"
+
+"Sure, phat could Oi do?  Oi scr'amed fer hilp as loud as Oi could, an'
+thin Mrs. Bardon an' her son, Alfred, the docthor, came over."
+
+"What happened next?"
+
+"We all wint in the house, an' there we found poor Mr. Langmore dead in
+the library, in his chair.  The doctor thought he moight be aloive yit
+an' had his mother an' me run upstairs fer some medicine from the
+medicine closet.  In the upper hall we kim on Mrs. Langmore's body,
+also dead, an' I got that scared Oi turned an' flew down the back
+stairs an' out av the house loike the divil was afther me!"
+
+There was a general laugh throughout the courtroom, at which the
+coroner rapped loudly on the desk.
+
+"Silence.  Such--ahem! conduct at an inquest is not to be allowed.  If
+this happens again I shall clear the courtroom."
+
+"Thet's right, Jack, make 'em behave themselves," came from the old
+farmer in front.  "This is serious business, this is."
+
+"What was done with the body of Mrs. Langmore?" continued the coroner
+to the servant girl.
+
+"The docther said to lave it till you came."
+
+"Mrs. Langmore was quite dead?"
+
+"Yis.  Hivin rest her sowl!"
+
+"And Mr. Langmore?"
+
+"Sure an' the docther could do nothin' fer the poor mon.  It made the
+docther sick to work over the corpse an' he soon had to give it up."
+
+"Now, tell me, how do you think the two were killed?"
+
+"Oi dunno.  The docther ought to tell that--sure an' he has the
+eddication, an' Oi haven't."
+
+"There were no marks of violence?"
+
+"Phat?"
+
+"The victims had not been struck down?"
+
+"Oi dunno as to that, sur--better axed the docther."
+
+"Hum!"  Coroner Busby mused for a moment.  "How long have you lived
+with the Langmore family?"
+
+"Iver since Mr. Langmore married his sicond woife."
+
+"How many of the family lived at home?"
+
+"The first year there was the mister and missus an' Miss Jennie an'
+Miss Margaret.  But Miss Jennie married an' moved away--she's travelin'
+now, they tell me."
+
+"Then Miss Margaret was the only child home?"
+
+"Yis, sur."
+
+"Didn't Mrs. Langmore have two sons?"
+
+"Yis, but they niver lived there.  One av thim used to come an' see her
+now an' thin, an' that's all."
+
+"Was Miss Margaret on good terms with Mrs. Langmore?"
+
+"She was not.  Mrs. Langmore was a--a vixin, always afther findin'
+fault, an' Oi wasn't on good terms wid her meself."
+
+"Ah!  Then you quarreled also?"
+
+"Oh, no, sur, Oi knew me place, so Oi did, an' did me wurruk an' said
+nothin'.  If it hadn't been fer Miss Margaret Oi'd a lift me job long
+ago.  But she was such a noice girrul, an' so lonely loike, in the
+house wid that tongue-lasher--"
+
+"Wait! wait!  You say Miss Margaret and Mrs. Langmore quarreled.  When
+did they quarrel last?"
+
+At this question the domestic pursed up her lips and looked at Margaret.
+
+"Oi have nothin' to say about that," she answered coldly.
+
+This reply was a surprise to all, including Raymond.  The coroner gazed
+at the witness sternly.
+
+"You must answer," he said.  "It is my duty to get at the bottom of
+this awful affair."
+
+"Oi'll not answer," was the stubborn return.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+FOR AND AGAINST
+
+There was a moment of intense silence throughout the courtroom.  Every
+eye was turned on Mary Billings, who pursed up her lips more closely
+than ever.
+
+"You'll not answer?" thundered Coroner Busby.
+
+"Mr. Coroner," began Raymond, rising, "is it legally necessary that she
+answer?  Remember, she is here without proper legal council."
+
+"Silence!  I--ahem--yes, she must answer, or I shall have to commit
+her, as a witness if for nothing else.  Girl, are you going to answer
+or not?"
+
+"Sure, an' Oi--"
+
+"Chief, will you call a policeman?" went on the coroner, turning to the
+chief of police.
+
+He was a fairly good judge of human character.  At the sight of the
+bluecoat the domestic wilted and began to sob.
+
+"Ohone! Ohone! don't take me to prison!" she wailed.
+
+"You prefer to answer?"
+
+"Yis, if Oi must.  But Oi think Miss Margaret the swatest little
+lady--"
+
+"Never mind that.  When did the girl and her stepmother quarrel last?
+Come now, tell me the plain truth," and the coroner put as much of
+sternness as possible in his voice.
+
+"Well, thin, if yez has got to know, it was on the marnin' av the
+murders, sur," sniffled the servant girl.
+
+"When was this?"
+
+"Right afther breakfast.  They had some words at the table, too."
+
+"What was said?  Repeat the exact words if you can," and the coroner
+leaned forward expectantly, while many in the courtroom held their
+breath.
+
+"Mrs. Langmore said she wished Miss Margaret was off the face of the
+earth, an' that she'd be afther seein' that the dear girrul wasn't in
+the house much longer.  'Twas a very bitter scene, an' me heart wint
+out to the dear girrul--"
+
+"And what did Miss Margaret reply to that?"
+
+"She said it was her father's house, an' she would stay as long as her
+father wished her to.  An' it was her father's house, too."
+
+"And after that?"
+
+"A whole lot more followed, which Oi didn't catch, fer Oi am no
+avesdropper.  But Oi did hear Mrs. Langmore, in a perfect rage, cry out
+that she'd kill Miss Margaret if the girrul didn't moind her."
+
+"And then?"
+
+"Miss Margaret said she would do as she pl'ased--that she was her own
+mistress--an' Oi was glad to hear her say it.  Mrs. Langmore went on
+wid her quarrel--sure, an' she had the divil's own tongue, so she had.
+Thin she must have caught hould av Miss Margaret, fer Oi heard the
+girrul cry out to lit go or she'd stroike her down.  Thin there was
+more wurruds, hotter an' hotter, an' Mrs. Langmore said she would make
+the girrul mind as sure as fate, an' thin Miss Margaret got roused up
+an' she said fer Mrs. Langmore to beware, that she had Southern blood
+in her veins, an' she wouldn't be accountable fer what she did, if her
+stepmother wint too far."
+
+There was a pause, and a murmur ran the round of the little courtroom.
+The testimony seemed to be highly important and many shook their heads.
+The girl and her stepmother had certainly had a bitter quarrel, the
+girl had hot Southern blood in her veins, and the bitterness had ended
+in the tragedy.  In the minds of many it was only a question of what
+the extenuating circumstances might be.
+
+"Was Mr. Langmore present at this quarrel?" asked the coroner, after
+another pause.
+
+"He was at the breakfast table, but afther that he wint to the bank."
+
+"Did you hear anything more?"
+
+"Not right away, sur.  Oi wint to me work.  Whin Mr. Langmore came from
+the bank Oi heard him talkin' to Miss Margaret."
+
+"What was said then?"
+
+"Oi dunno exactly, exceptin' that he said he was sorry she an' her
+stepmother had quarreled, an' he wanted her to make it up wid his
+woife."
+
+"And what did Miss Margaret say to that?"
+
+"She said that all she wanted was to be left alone."
+
+"What else?"
+
+"Oi didn't hear anything more, as Oi wint to the ciller fer coal.  By
+an' by Oi see Miss Margaret in the garden cryin'.  Oi wanted to go to
+her, but Mrs. Langmore kim to the kitchen an' Oi had to attind to me
+wurruk."
+
+"How did Mrs. Langmore seem to appear when she came to the kitchen?"
+
+"Sure an' she was very excited an' findin' more fault than iver.  She
+stayed only a few minutes, an' thin wint to the library, an' that was
+the very last Oi saw av her.  Oi'm sorry she's dead, but she had that
+divil's own temper!"  And the domestic heaved a long sigh.
+
+"That will do.  You may sit down."  The coroner looked around the
+courtroom.  "Is Doctor Bardon present?"
+
+For reply the young physician came forward from one side of the room.
+He looked pale and slightly troubled.  In a low voice he corroborated
+the testimony already given regarding the finding of the two bodies,
+and told what he had done in his effort to restore Mr. Langmore to life.
+
+"I thought there might be a spark there still, but I was mistaken," he
+went on.  "He looked so natural--and Mrs. Langmore looked natural, too,
+for the matter of that.  But both were stone dead."
+
+"What was the cause of death?"
+
+"That is something of a mystery.  I have tried my best to get at the
+bottom of it, but I cannot, nor can my colleague, Doctor Soper."
+
+"Were the pair strangled, smothered, poisoned?" suggested the coroner.
+
+"I have a theory that they were poisoned, but not in an ordinary way.
+Neither Doctor Soper nor myself could find any traces of ordinary
+poison."
+
+"What is your theory?"
+
+"Something was used to stupefy them, and so much was used that it
+killed them."
+
+"In that case the murder might have been unintentional?"
+
+"Yes.  Somebody might have thought to stupefy Mr. Langmore and then rob
+him.  But the drug, being too powerful, or used too long, might have
+done its deadly work.  Then the crime may have been discovered by Mrs.
+Langmore and the murderer might have turned on her to conceal his first
+wrongdoing."
+
+"Hum.  Have you--ahem! any idea of the nature of the poison?"
+
+"No, excepting that it had a very powerful odor.  When I bent over Mr.
+Langmore I got several whiffs of it and it made me sick at the stomach.
+But the odor was soon gone."
+
+"And you have no idea what the poison was?"
+
+"No, nor has Doctor Soper.  It may be something new, or something
+little known.  Chemists are constantly discovering new things," went on
+the young physician, bound to clear himself of any suspicion of
+ignorance concerning medical matters.
+
+"You found no marks of violence, as if there had been a struggle?"
+
+"The only marks I found were two scratches on the right arm of Mrs.
+Langmore, right above the wrist, and a scratch on Mr. Langmore's left
+cheek."
+
+"Finger nail scratches?"
+
+"Possibly, or else they may have been made by a ring or bracelet--if
+there was a struggle."
+
+"Hum!  Have you anything else to tell, doctor?"
+
+"I have not.  I am willing to tell all I know."
+
+There was another pause, as the young physician stepped back.  The
+coroner was about to call one of the women set to guard Margaret and
+the Langmore mansion, when he suddenly turned.
+
+"Miss Langmore, you will please take the stand again," he said, and the
+girl did so, throwing aside her veil.  "Are you in the habit of wearing
+finger rings and bracelets?"
+
+It was a leading question and several gasped as they heard it.  Raymond
+started to rise up, but then sank back again.
+
+"I do not wear bracelets," answered Margaret.  "I have two rings."
+
+"What kind of rings are they?"
+
+"One is a plain gold band.  It was my mother's wedding ring."  The
+girl's voice sank low suddenly.  "The other is a diamond ring, as you
+can see," and she held up her hand.
+
+"Will you let me have the diamond ring?"
+
+"Yes, sir."  She took it off.  "But please be careful of it, for it--it
+is very precious to me."
+
+The coroner nodded.  "That is all just now," and as Margaret let fall
+the veil again, he called Doctor Bardon to his side.  A whispered
+conversation ensued, and the young physician left with the precious
+circlet--Margaret's engagement ring--in an envelope.
+
+"Margaret, you should not have let him have that ring," whispered
+Raymond.
+
+"How could I help it?" was the low answer.  "Oh, this is terrible!  I
+feel as if everybody was trying to look me through and through!"
+
+"I can't understand why Mr. Adams is not here," went on the young man.
+"Perhaps he has found some important clew and is following it up," he
+added hopefully.
+
+"They are bound to convict me, Raymond!  Isn't it horrible?"
+
+"They shall never do it, never!" cried the young man.  And then a sharp
+rapping on the desk terminated the brief conversation and restored
+quietness to the little courtroom.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+THE WEIGHT OF EVIDENCE
+
+The next witness called was Mrs. Morse, who told briefly how she had
+been placed in charge of the upper part of the Langmore mansion shortly
+after the tragedy, and how she had been watching Margaret.  She said
+the girl had had only a few visitors, mentioning Raymond Case and a
+stranger from New York.
+
+"Who was the stranger?" asked Coroner Busby.
+
+"A Mr. Adams.  He's either a lawyer or a detective."
+
+"Oh!"
+
+"I brought Mr. Adams to see Miss Langmore," put in Raymond.  "Wasn't
+that all right?"
+
+"Certainly--certainly," answered the coroner hastily.
+
+"I have kept the best watch on Miss Langmore that I could," went on the
+woman.  "You told me to do it."
+
+"Has Miss Langmore had anything to say about her father?"
+
+"She seems to be very sorry that he is dead."
+
+"What did she say about Mrs. Langmore?"
+
+"She does not seem to care much about her stepmother."
+
+"Have you discovered anything unusual, Mrs. Morse, that had to do with
+this tragedy?"
+
+"Well, I don't know.  I have looked around a bit, and among other
+things I found this.  It was in Miss Langmore's dressing case."
+
+As she spoke the woman held up a small bottle.  It was marked
+chloroform and was empty.
+
+"Anything else?"
+
+"With the empty bottle I found the half of a big silk handkerchief.  It
+was wrapped around the bottle and had Miss Langmore's monogram in the
+corner.  I went on hunting around the house and I found the other half
+of the handkerchief in a dark corner of the upper hallway, not far from
+where Mrs. Langmore's body was found."
+
+At this announcement there was a buzz of excitement.  All present
+looked at the witness and then at Margaret.  The girl had thrown aside
+her veil once more, and was standing up, with a face as pale as death
+itself.
+
+"I--I--may I speak?" she faltered.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"I bought that chloroform a month ago and used it to put a sick canary
+and a sick parrot out of their misery.  Mary Billings saw me chloroform
+the parrot."
+
+"When did you do the chloroforming?"
+
+"About a week ago, on the parrot.  The canary I chloroformed when I
+obtained the drug."
+
+"Sure, and that's roight, sur," broke in the servant girl.
+
+"Then you know all about using chloroform?" remarked the coroner dryly.
+
+"The druggist told me."
+
+"Did it take all you had for the birds?"
+
+"No."
+
+"What did you do with what remained?"
+
+"I threw it away, for I had no further use for it."
+
+"Hum."  The coroner turned to Mary Billings.  "Did you see her throw
+the chloroform away?"
+
+"N--no," stammered the servant girl.  "But if she says she did, she
+did," she added stoutly.
+
+"Now, Mrs. Morse, did you find anything else of value?"
+
+"I did not, but Mrs. Gaspard, who was in charge downstairs, did."
+
+"Very well, you may step down.  Mrs. Gaspard!"  And the other woman
+came forward to face the coroner and his jury, and was sworn.
+
+"Mrs. Morse says you found something of importance.  What was it?"
+
+"It was this, Mr. Busby," and the woman held out a sheet of note paper.
+"I came across it on the stairs leading to Miss Langmore's room.  Shall
+I read it?"  And as the coroner nodded, the woman read as follows:
+
+
+"Since you refuse to open your room door to me, let me give you fair
+warning.  You must either obey your mother that now is, and me, or
+leave this house.  I have had enough of your willfulness and I shall
+not put up with it any longer."
+
+
+As the woman finished reading she handed the paper to the coroner.
+
+"Ahem!  Mrs. Gaspard, do you know who wrote this note?" asked the
+latter.
+
+"The handwriting is exactly like Mr. Langmore's.  I have compared the
+two, and so have Mrs. Morse and Mr. Pickerell, the schoolmaster."
+
+Again all eyes were bent upon Margaret.  She had again arisen and was
+swaying from side to side.
+
+"My father--never--never sent me--never wrote such a note--" she
+gasped, and then sank back and would have fallen had not Raymond
+supported her.
+
+"A glass of water, quick!" cried the young man, and it was handed to
+him, and also a bottle of smelling salts.  In a moment more Margaret
+revived.
+
+"Take me away," she moaned.
+
+"I am sorry, but that cannot be allowed," replied the coroner.  "You
+will have to remain until this session is over."
+
+"It's an outrage!" exclaimed Raymond, his eyes flashing.  "You are all
+against her, and you are going to prove her guilty if you possibly can.
+The whole proceedings is a farce."
+
+"Silence, young man, or I'll have you removed by an officer.  You have
+interrupted the proceedings several times.  I do not know what interest
+you have--"
+
+"I am not ashamed to tell you of my interest, sir.  I am engaged to
+this young lady.  I know she is innocent.  It is preposterous to
+imagine that she would kill her own father.  They loved each other too
+much."
+
+"Yes, but this note--" piped in Mrs. Gaspard.  She was a strong
+believer in Margaret's guilt.
+
+"I know nothing about that.  It may be a forgery.  I know Miss Langmore
+is innocent."
+
+"To merely say a thing does not prove it," came from the coroner.  "We
+want facts, nothing else--and we are bound to have 'em."  He began to
+warm up also.  "I'm here to do my duty, regardless of you or anybody
+else.  I ain't going to shield anybody, rich or poor, high or low,
+known or unknown!  Now, you sit down, and let the inquest proceed."
+And Raymond sat down, but with a great and growing bitterness filling
+his heart.  He looked at Margaret and saw that she was trembling from
+head to foot.
+
+There was an awkward pause.
+
+"Mrs. Gaspard, did Mr. Pickerell say he thought Mr. Langmore had
+written this note?" questioned the coroner.
+
+"He said the two handwritings were exactly alike.  Here is a letter
+written and signed by Mr. Langmore.  You can compare the two, if you
+wish."
+
+The letter was passed over and not only the coroner, but also his jury,
+looked at both documents carefully.
+
+"Pretty much the same thing," whispered one man.
+
+"Exactly the same," added another, and the rest nodded.
+
+The coroner looked around the courtroom and then at the jury.
+
+"Have any of you any questions to ask?" he queried of the men.  "If not
+we'll take a brief recess until Doctor Bardon returns."
+
+One after another the jurors shook their heads.  Whatever the coroner
+did was sufficient for them.  Coroner Busby had picked men he knew
+would agree with him.
+
+The recess had lasted but a few minutes, when Doctor Bardon reappeared.
+His face wore a knowing look that was almost triumphant.
+
+"You will please take the stand again, doctor," was the request.  "I
+wish to ask you if a person could be smothered by chloroform."
+
+"Certainly, under certain conditions."
+
+"Do you think it possible that Mr. and Mrs. Langmore could have been
+smothered in that way?"
+
+"Possibly, yes, although I did not see any traces."
+
+"Would there have been traces?"
+
+"Yes and no--it would depend on circumstances."
+
+"Hum.  Now about the diamond ring belonging to Miss Langmore, which I
+gave you a short while ago to examine?  Have you--ahem--examined it?"
+
+"I have, and so has Doctor Soper.  We used a magnifying glass and made
+several tests."
+
+"Did you find anything unusual?"
+
+"We did.  In the first place two of the prongs which hold the diamond
+in place are bent out and up in such a fashion that each forms a sharp
+point.  We next looked under the stone and found there a substance
+which both of us are convinced is a bit of dried-up blood."
+
+"You are sure it is blood?"
+
+"Yes.  I can illustrate it scientifically, if you desire."
+
+"It will not be necessary just now.  When you say blood do you mean
+human blood?"
+
+At this the young physician shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"I am not prepared to go as far as that.  We should have to make
+another test.  The amount was so very small."
+
+"Might be blood from a mosquito," muttered Raymond.  "There are enough
+around here."
+
+"You may think as you please," said the young doctor.  "I am only
+stating the facts."
+
+"Have you anything else to say, doctor?" came from the coroner.
+
+"Nothing more.  Here is the ring.  We have kept what we found under the
+stone."
+
+"Very well.  Miss Langmore, you may have the ring back."  It was passed
+out and Raymond took it and slipped it back on Margaret's hand, which
+was cold and nerveless.  The girl was sitting as motionless as a marble
+statue.
+
+There was another pause and then, one after another, several minor
+witnesses were brought up and examined.  At four o'clock the coroner
+began to sum up the evidence, to which the jury listened with close
+attention.  Then the jurors filed out into a side room, the door to
+which was tightly closed.
+
+"Is--is it over?" faltered Margaret.  "Wha--what will they do next?"
+
+"We must wait for the finding of the jury, Margaret."
+
+"How long will that take?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"Mr. Adams did not show himself.  I thought he would help us in some
+way."
+
+"He must have a good reason for staying away."
+
+"What do you think the jury will do?"
+
+At this direct question, the young man gave an inward groan.  "I don't
+know," he answered in an unnatural voice.  "We must hope for the best."
+
+In less than an hour it was announced that the jury had arrived at a
+verdict.  Those who had left the courtroom returned and the jurymen
+filed in.  The excitement was subdued, but plainly at a white heat.
+The coroner took his place at the desk.
+
+"Gentlemen of the jury, have you agreed upon a verdict?" was the
+question put.
+
+"We have," was the unanimous answer.
+
+"Who will speak for you?"
+
+"Mr. Blackwell, our foreman."
+
+"Very well.  Ahem!  Mr. Blackwell, what is the verdict?"
+
+Mr. Blackwell, a well-known citizen of the town, stood up.  The
+courtroom became intensely silent.
+
+"We find that Mr. and Mrs. Barry Langmore came to their deaths either
+by being smothered, chloroformed, poisoned, or in some similar fashion,
+the direct means not yet being brought to light, and we find that the
+evidence points to Margaret Langmore as the one who committed the
+murders."
+
+Hardly was the verdict rendered than a wild cry rang out through the
+courtroom.  Margaret staggered to her feet, put out her hands in an
+uncertain fashion, and then dropped senseless into Raymond's arms.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+IS THIS MADNESS?
+
+Instantly there was wild confusion, and half a dozen persons sprang
+forward to assist Raymond with his burden.  But he waved them back.
+
+"Let her have air," he said.  "Don't crowd so close.  She must have
+air," and he moved towards a window.  The crowd separated to let him
+pass and allowed him the use of an entire bench, while more water was
+brought and the bottle of smelling salts was again produced.  In the
+meantime the coroner whispered to the chief of police, who in turn
+whispered to a policeman, and the two minions of the law followed
+Raymond.
+
+Margaret lay like one dead, every particle of color having forsaken her
+cheeks.  Raymond waited anxiously, and then applied his ear to her
+heart.
+
+"A doctor!" he cried hoarsely.  "A doctor, for Heaven's sake!  She is
+dying!"
+
+Doctor Bardon came forward, followed by Doctor Bird, and both looked at
+the unconscious one closely and critically.  There was no shamming
+here--the shock had been heavy--the bolt had struck home.
+
+"This is serious, truly," murmured the older physician.  "We had better
+remove her to a side room and loosen up her garments."
+
+Many were willing to assist, but Raymond shook them off and he and
+Doctor Bird carried Margaret into the room where the jury had arrived
+at the verdict which had so stunned her.  Then a nurse who happened to
+be in the court-room was called in, and she and the physician began to
+work over the suffering girl.
+
+"Doctor--"  Raymond could scarcely speak.  "She will--will come
+around all right?"
+
+"Why, I guess so.  She has swooned, that is all.  The trial was too
+much for her.  And then there was such a crowd, and the ventilation
+being poor--"
+
+The young man waited, five, ten, fifteen minutes--it was as an
+eternity.  The doctor still continued to work, and so did the nurse.
+Then the latter whispered something and Raymond caught the words, "a
+mental shock, by her eyes."
+
+"What's that?" he questioned.  He looked at Margaret and saw that her
+eyes were wide open and she was staring hard at him.  "Margaret!"
+
+She did not answer, but continued to stare, turning from him to the
+nurse and then to the old doctor.  The chief of police was at the
+doorway and she gave him a look that fairly froze his blood.
+
+"Who--" she began and stopped short.  "How light it is!  What struck
+me?  Why are you all staring at me in this manner?  What have I done?
+Where am I?  Have I been sick?"
+
+"Margaret!"  Raymond came closer and took her hand.  "Margaret!"
+
+She stared at him and flung his hand away.  "I've had a horrible
+dream--I dreamed papa was murdered--that somebody had strangled him!
+Strangled him to get my engagement ring from me!  And there was blood
+there, blood, and nobody could come to the lawn party.  Oh, if they
+knew--and my poor head--it swims so!  And the bottle--the
+handkerchief--"
+
+"Margaret, Margaret!  Don't go on so!"  He caught her hand again and
+sank down on his knees beside her.  "Be calm.  It will all come out
+right.  You fainted, that's all.  Don't you remember, Margaret?"
+
+"Yes, yes, I remember.  You said you would marry me, and then you said,
+you," she tore her hand away and pointed her finger at him, "you said I
+had murdered papa and murdered her!  Oh, the shame of it, the shame!"
+And then she gave a shriek and began to rave, tearing at her clothes
+and her hair, until the latter fell all over her face.  The paroxysm
+lasted for several minutes and then she fainted once more.
+
+"I shall have to give her something to quiet her," said the doctor.
+"She is in a worse state than I at first imagined.  The strain has been
+entirely too much for her nervous system.  We must get her to some
+quiet spot."
+
+"Shall we take her home?" asked Raymond.
+
+"No, I would not advise that, Mr. ----"
+
+"My name is Raymond Case."
+
+"My home is a quiet one," spoke up the nurse.  "If you wish you can
+take her there.  It is not very far from here."
+
+"Besides," the old doctor paused.   "The coroner has something to say
+about it."
+
+"Coroner Busby has turned the prisoner over to me," came from the chief
+of police, and he advanced a few feet into the room.
+
+"The prisoner!" faltered Raymond.  "Oh, yes, I suppose that is right.
+But you can't take her to jail.  I'll go her ball for any amount he may
+fix."
+
+"Sorry, Mr. Case, but they don't take bail on such a charge as murder."
+
+"But you can't lock her up in this condition--it would be inhuman.
+I'll have her taken to some quiet place and you can have a guard
+set--I'll pay all the bills.  Ask the coroner if that won't do.  She
+isn't going to run away.  She looks now more as if she might die!" and
+he gave a groan that came straight from his heart.
+
+The chief of police had once been young and in love with a pretty girl
+and his face softened.  Then he remembered what Raymond had said about
+paying the bills.
+
+"I'll fix it up with Busby," he said.  "Go ahead and do what you wish,
+only don't take her out of town."
+
+A little later a carriage was brought around and Margaret was placed
+inside and driven rapidly to the home of Martha Sampson, the nurse.
+She began to rave again, but the physician gave her a quieting potion,
+which put her in a sound but unnatural sleep.  She was placed in a
+pretty and comfortable bedroom on the second floor in the rear, so that
+she might not be annoyed by those passing the house in front.  Two
+policemen, in plain clothes, were put on guard, one relieving the other.
+
+In the meantime the news that Margaret had been adjudged guilty by the
+coroner's jury spread like wild-fire, and the curiosity seekers could
+scarcely be kept away from the place to which the poor girl had been
+taken.
+
+"The grand jury can't do anything but indict her," said more than one.
+"And, if there is any justice left, she'll surely be electrocuted."
+
+It was a bitter blow to Raymond, to have Margaret thought guilty, but
+he did not think of that as he sat by her side, or walked up and down
+in the little hallway just outside of her door.  Her staring eyes
+haunted him and he longed for a look that should tell him her reason
+had once more asserted itself.
+
+The doctor had come and gone twice and had promised to come again that
+evening.  Slowly the hours wore away.  The nurse had gone below to
+prepare herself something to eat, and Raymond stood by the suffering
+one's bedside.  He saw the eyelids of the one he loved quiver slightly.
+
+"Margaret!" he said softly, bending over her.
+
+There was no response and he repeated the name several times.  Then her
+eyes opened full.
+
+"Where am I?" she asked vacantly.
+
+"You are safe, with me," he answered and took her hand.
+
+"With you, Raymond?  Where?"
+
+"At the home of a lady who is going to take care of you for the
+present."
+
+"How queer!  I thought I was at my own home."
+
+"We thought it best to bring you here.  Miss Sampson will do all she
+can for you.  The doctor said you must be kept very quiet."  He
+smoothed down her hair.  "You have had a terrible trial, my dear."
+
+"A trial?  I don't remember it.  What was it?"  She stared vacantly at
+him.  "Oh, how queer my head feels!"  And she put one cold hand to her
+temple.
+
+"Never mind trying to think now, Margaret.  Just take it easy.  The
+doctor will come back in a little while and he will give you something
+that will make you all right again."
+
+"How long have I been here?"
+
+"Only four hours.  Now please, don't worry."
+
+"I can't--I can't think--it's all like a terribly dark cloud, Raymond."
+She stared in a wild fashion and then a look of untold horror crossed
+her drawn features.  "Ah!  Yes, yes, I remember now!  I remember!"  She
+shook from head to foot.  "I remember!  The courtroom!  And those many
+men and women!  And the ring--our engagement ring--think of that,
+Raymond!  They found blood on it, blood!"  And she shivered again.
+
+"Margaret, dearest, you must try to keep quiet," he interrupted
+soothingly.  "It will all come out right, I feel certain of it."
+
+"Right?  I don't know what you mean by that word.  Was I on trial, or
+what?"
+
+"No, not on trial.  It was simply the coroner's inquest.  But don't
+think of it, dear."  He tried to brush back her hair, but she stopped
+him.  The wild look in her eyes was increasing.
+
+"The inquest?  Oh, yes, I know now, and they said--they said--"  She
+gave a piercing scream.  "They said I had killed her and killed my own
+father!  Yes, that I had killed them!  Do you hear, Raymond, I had
+killed them!"  She sat up and motioned him away.  "Do not touch me!  Do
+not come near me!"
+
+"Margaret!" he interrupted appealingly.
+
+"No! no!  It is too late, too late!"  Her voice sank to a hoarse
+whisper.  "I see it all--the blood on the ring, the chloroform, our
+quarrels, and what she said to me, and then, and then--"  She gave
+another scream.  "Go away! go away!  You must not come near me again!"
+
+"But Margaret, dear--"
+
+"No, I cannot listen!  You must go away, and let them take me to
+prison, let them hang me if they will!"  Her voice sank still lower.
+"There is nothing else to do--I see the end.  They have cornered me,
+have found me out!  Yes, they have found me out!"  She gave a wild,
+uncanny laugh that made his flesh creep.  "Ha! ha!  I thought they
+could not do it, but they did.  They have found me out!  They have
+found me out!"  And then, with another scream, she pitched back and lay
+again like one dead.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+LOVE VERSUS BUSINESS
+
+"Uncle Adam, you must tell me everything.  Do you hear?--everything!"
+
+"But my dear Letty, I am not sure of these things.  I only want you to
+wait.  That's easy enough, isn't it?"
+
+"It will be, if you tell me everything.  But I can't wait if I am kept
+in the dark."  The girl raised her tear-stained face to that of the
+detective.  "Oh, I am sure you will do the best you can and all
+that--you have always been so kind to me.  But--but I must know the
+details."
+
+A half hour had passed since he had discovered that Letty Bernard was
+in love with Tom Ostrello, that she had been in love with the traveling
+man ever since they had first met.  He had heard her whole tale, how
+the young man had taken her out and how they had planned for the
+future--a tale not uncommon even in these plain, common-sense days,
+when Romance lingers only on the outskirts of society.  He had been
+tremendously interested, as much so as if the girl was his own flesh
+and blood.
+
+"Of course, he invited me to the theatre before he knew of the death of
+his mother," Letty went on.  "And I suppose he has been so upset he
+hasn't thought to notify me.  But he might have sent me word," she
+added wistfully.  "I should have done so if it was my mother."
+
+"He is not like you, Letty."
+
+"Well, he is just as good."
+
+"That remains to be seen."
+
+"Are you going to tell me what you have in your mind or not, Uncle
+Adam?"
+
+He gazed at her fondly.  How could he tell her?  And yet, if his
+suspicions were correct, it would be better for her to know the truth
+now than to be struck down by it later on.
+
+"There is nothing very definite, Letty," he said slowly.  "You know
+that all detectives get on the wrong trail at times--I have made a mess
+of more than one case--you know that, even if the general public
+doesn't."
+
+"Then he is suspected of these murders?" she said boldly.
+
+"If you must have the whole story, I'll tell it to you.  It is
+certainly a curious situation.  At first suspicions pointed to Mr.
+Langmore's daughter; now they appear to point to Mrs. Langmore's son.
+For your sake and for the sake of Miss Langmore, who appears to be a
+very nice young lady, I trust we shall be able to prove some outside
+party guilty."
+
+"Tom isn't guilty, I am sure of that."
+
+"And Raymond Case is equally certain that Miss Langmore isn't guilty."
+
+"He is the young man who came here and engaged you?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Is he engaged to her?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Then, of course, he thinks her innocent."
+
+"I think her innocent myself."
+
+"Do you think Tom is guilty?"
+
+At this direct question Adam Adams winced.  He saw before him a
+disagreeable duty which must be performed.
+
+"I see I must give you the facts, Letty.  But I will do so on one
+condition only, and that is, that you keep what I have to say to
+yourself--considering them as office secrets."
+
+"Very well, Uncle Adam, I'll promise," she answered, with a pale face
+upturned to him.  He bent down and kissed her on the forehead.  Then he
+locked the office door, sat down in an armchair and let her sit on his
+lap, just as she had done since childhood.
+
+His recital took the best part of an hour, and he gave all the
+particulars of his interview with Cephas Carboy and with Doctor Calkey,
+and told of the finding of the bit of paper with the address of the
+drug firm on it, and of the strange Chinese poison.  At the mention of
+the fatal drug she drew a sharp breath.
+
+"I--I--" she began, and stopped short.
+
+"Do you know anything of that drug, Letty?  Perhaps he spoke to you
+about it?"
+
+"He did, once, when we were speaking of poisons.  He said he was glad
+his firm had decided not to handle it, for it was too dangerous.  It
+has a power that most folks do not know about."
+
+"The power to kill people, I suppose."
+
+"No, not that.  He said it was a fatal drug, but more than that, he
+said it had a strange power, according to the Chinese chemists who
+manufactured it.  That power was, if it was used on a person and did
+not kill it would, in a few days or a week, make that person mad."
+
+"Humph!  Worse and worse!  Such a drug should be banished by law.  But
+to go on with my story, if you must hear the whole of it.  I am fairly
+certain it was that drug which was used to kill Mr. and Mrs. Langmore."
+
+"But Tom did not use it," she insisted.  "Somebody else must have
+gotten the drug from him or from his traveling sample case."
+
+"That is possible.  Now there is another side to this case, which I
+cannot understand at all."  And then he told of the counterfeit bank
+bills.
+
+"Counterfeits!" she exclaimed, and the color began to leave her face
+once more.  "What kind of bills were they, Uncle Adam?"
+
+"They were one hundred dollar bills, on the Excelsior National Bank of
+New York City."
+
+She gave a gasp and clenched her little hands to control herself.  He
+could not help but notice her increased agitation.
+
+"What is it, Letty?  Do you know--"
+
+"Oh, Uncle Adam, do not ask me," she gasped.  "I--I--there  is  some
+mistake--Tom  did not--" she failed to go on and looked at the
+detective hopelessly.
+
+"What do you know about these counterfeits?  Come, it is best that you
+tell me everything," he continued kindly, but firmly.
+
+"To--Tom had a counterfeit one hundred dollar bill.  He--we went to the
+theatre and he got into some trouble over it, until he convinced the
+ticket seller that he did not know it was bad."
+
+"Did he tell you where he got the bill?"
+
+"No, he said he got stuck, that's all."
+
+"Do you know what he did with it?"
+
+"He said he was going to give it back and get a good one for it, if he
+could."
+
+At that moment a postman's whistle sounded in the hallway and several
+letters dropped through the slit in the door.  The girl glanced at
+them, and uttering a faint cry, arose and picked them up.
+
+"Here is one from Tom now."  She tore it open and glanced at it
+hastily.  "I knew it," she went on.  "He is all upset because of the
+murder and scarcely knows what to do.  He had an important engagement
+in Albany for yesterday and one in New York for to-day, but has broken
+both.  He says he will come to me as soon as he can, and adds a
+postscript asking me to look in the papers for the particulars of the
+awful affair.  You read it, Uncle Adam.  That doesn't look much as if
+he were guilty, does it?"
+
+The detective took the communication and scanned it with care.  It had
+evidently been penned in a hurry and was signed, "Your own Tom."  One
+line read: "I hope with all my heart that the authorities bring the
+guilty party to justice."
+
+"How could he pen that if he was guilty himself?" said Letty, pointing
+to the line.  "Oh, Uncle Adam, you must look elsewhere for the one who
+did this foul deed."
+
+"I wish I knew where he got that counterfeit?"
+
+"Perhaps I can find out for you."
+
+"Can you tell me where he stays when in New York?"
+
+"At the Kingdon House, on Broadway."
+
+"Then I may look him up."
+
+"Cannot I do something?"
+
+"Yes--wait and keep quiet, Letty."
+
+"But you will try to clear him, if you can, won't you?"
+
+"I am going to try to find the guilty party."
+
+"It is dreadful to remain here and do nothing, with such a cloud
+hanging over one."
+
+"Then take a vacation.  It will do you good.  Get Miss Harringford to
+come in here--she knows the ropes--and you go off in the country or to
+the seashore.  I'll make you an allowance of fifty dollars for the
+trip.  Take it out of the cash on hand.  And, Letty, don't worry too
+much."
+
+The girl smiled, but it was not a smile to please one.  "Very well,
+I'll go off," she said, and turned back to her desk.  "I'll take the
+time off to help clear poor Tom," she murmured to herself.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+SOMETHING ABOUT A SECRET SERVICE MAN
+
+On the following morning the newspapers brought to Adam Adams the full
+particulars of the Langmore inquest, with the finding of the coroner's
+jury.  The papers also described how Margaret Langmore had fainted and
+been placed at a nurse's residence, under the care of a physician and
+guarded by the police.  By a few it was supposed that the girl's
+illness was genuine, but the general opinion was that it was assumed,
+in order to draw public sympathy.  Raymond Case was pictured as a
+loyal, but misguided young man, and it was hinted that his relatives
+were much chagrined to see him remaining at the accused girl's side, in
+view of the evidence which had been brought to light.
+
+The detective read the accounts with interest and then leaned back in
+his office chair in a thoughtful mood.  Letty had absented herself and
+in the outer office was another girl, who had done substitute work
+before.  Suddenly the detective arose with decision, went to the
+telephone, and rang up Central.
+
+"Hullo!"
+
+"Give me 45678 Park."
+
+There was a buzz and then a heavy voice came over the 'phone.
+
+"Hullo!"
+
+"Is that you, Vapp?"
+
+"Yes.  Is this Mr. Adams?"
+
+"Yes.  Are you particularly busy?"
+
+"Not if there is any money afloat," and a chuckle came over the wire.
+
+"I want you to do some shadowing for me, I don't know how long it will
+take.  It's a man--a commercial traveler.  You can pick out your own
+make-up."
+
+"When am I on?"
+
+"Right away."
+
+"Want me up there first?"
+
+"I think it will be best.  I want to give you some details."
+
+"I'll be there in half an hour and all ready for the job."
+
+Adam Adams busied himself in various ways, and at the end of half an
+hour, a well-dressed, middle-aged man came in, carrying a small sample
+case in one hand.
+
+"Hullo, going to be a commercial traveler yourself, eh?" commented the
+detective.
+
+"It will give me an easy way to get around," answered Charles Vapp.
+"I'm Andy Weber, representing the Boxton Seed Company.  A seed man can
+go anywhere, in the city and the country.  I got the outfit from old
+Boxton himself.  He thinks it a good joke and he will keep mum.  Now,
+what's the game?"
+
+"I want you to do some shadowing for me."
+
+"All right--that's my line."
+
+"This is a bit out of the ordinary, Vapp."
+
+"Well, that makes it more interesting.  Who is the party?"
+
+"The fellow's name is Tom Ostrello."
+
+"Foreigner, eh?"
+
+"No, he is American-born--the son of Mrs. Langmore."
+
+"You don't mean the woman who was murdered with her husband?"
+
+"Yes.  He is a commercial traveler for a drug concern."
+
+"Good!  I'm glad I elected to be a traveler myself."
+
+"As I said, Vapp, this is no ordinary case.  I want you to keep track
+of this man day and night."
+
+"I'll do it--if it can be done."
+
+"I want you to note every person he communicates with."
+
+"I'll do that, too."
+
+"And here is another thing of great importance.  If he spends money,
+try to find out if it is good money."
+
+"Eh?"  The shadower looked surprised for an instant.  "You want me to
+look out for counterfeits?"
+
+"Exactly."
+
+"That is not so easy, but I'll do my best," went on Charley Vapp, and
+then he asked a number of questions regarding Tom Ostrello, all of
+which Adam Adams answered as well as he was able.
+
+"You are to stay on this case until I tell you to drop it," said the
+detective.  "And remember, if anything unusual occurs, let me know as
+soon as you can reach me."
+
+"I understand.  Anything more?"
+
+Adam Adams mused for a moment.
+
+"Yes.  You know Miss Bernard, who works for me here?"
+
+"Sure."
+
+"Well, take care that she doesn't see you shadowing Ostrello."
+
+"I'm wise," answered the shadower, smiling, and the next moment he was
+gone.  He was not flustered by what was before him, for he had been
+shadowing people for eleven years, and as long as there was five
+dollars per day and his expenses in the work, he was willing to
+continue indefinitely.
+
+With the shadower gone, Adam Adams meditated for a moment and then
+donned his walking coat and his hat.  In his pockets he placed several
+large but rather flat packages.
+
+"I am going out, Miss Harringford," he said to the clerk.  "If I am not
+back by five o'clock, you may lock up and go home.  Be on hand as usual
+in the morning."
+
+Down in the street he hopped aboard a passing car and rode eight
+blocks.  He entered an office building, went up in an elevator to the
+third floor, and took himself to a suite of offices occupied by certain
+United States secret service officers.
+
+"I want to see Mr. Breslow," he said, and was shown to a private
+apartment, where an elderly man sat, studying several reports.
+
+"How are you, Adams!" was the greeting.
+
+"Rather busy to-day, but what can I do for you?"
+
+"I want to sell you some bank bills," was the reply, and Adam Adams
+dumped the package on the desk.  Mr. Breslow opened it and examined the
+contents.
+
+"By the jumping Judas!  Where did you get those?  Say, this is worth
+while."
+
+"I guess you haven't rounded up quite as many as I have, have you?"
+said the detective, with a grim smile.
+
+"As many?  Why, man, we've only run across sixteen so far, and you've
+got thirty.  They are such a clever counterfeit that even the banks get
+nipped.  This is wonderful!  I didn't know you were following this
+trail.  Why didn't you say something before?  Or maybe you wanted to
+spring a surprise, and make some of the boys, down here feel cheap."
+
+"No, it was nothing but blind luck.  I wasn't on the trail at all.  I
+simply stumbled over the bills."
+
+"Did you get your man?"
+
+"There was no man to get."
+
+"Do you mean to say you found the bills?"
+
+"I did and I didn't.  They were in the safe of a man who was murdered.
+I guess I'll have to tell you the best part of the story," and Adam
+Adams did so.  "This is, of course, confidential," he went on.
+
+"Trust me for that, Adams.  Strange complication, as you just remarked.
+I suppose you are going to follow up the murder mystery.  Will you
+follow this up, too?"
+
+"I think so.  I can't get it out of my head that the two are related to
+each other."
+
+"More than likely.  Now, you just said you wanted to know something."
+
+"I want to know about this John S. Watkins, of Bryport."
+
+"Um!  If I give you his record, you'll of course keep it to yourself.
+You know how the department is about such things?"
+
+"You are safe with me."
+
+"I'll have the record brought in."
+
+There was a wait of several minutes, and then a big book was produced
+from one of the safes.
+
+"Here you are, Adams: John S. Watkins, Bryport.  Born at New Haven,
+October 4, 1862.  Former occupation, model maker and cabinet maker.
+Private detective for four years, and one year with the Cassell agency.
+Entered the United States service three years ago.  Never been
+advanced.  Cases 45,254; 47,732; 46,829.  Wait till I see what those
+cases are."
+
+Then three other records were brought forth and examined.
+
+"Humph! all small affairs.  No wonder he hasn't been promoted.  The
+first is that of a young woman who used washed postage stamps.  They
+found four dollars worth of washed stamps in her possession.  The next
+is the arrest of a cigar dealer, who used stamped boxes more than once.
+He was a fellow sixty-eight years old and got two years.  The last case
+is a mail-order swindle, a ten-cent puzzle, a small affair, run by a
+nineteen-year-old boy, and sentence was suspended."
+
+"Not a very brilliant record," was Adams's comment.  "It's a wonder he
+can hold his job."
+
+"It is a wonder.  But he may have political influence, or something
+else, or, it is barely possible that he may be doing some work that is
+not on record here.  That is all I can tell you."
+
+"What is his salary?"
+
+"A thousand or twelve hundred a year."
+
+"Not a very elaborate income.  No wonder he would like to run down
+those counterfeiters.  It would be a feather in his cap, eh?"
+
+"Most assuredly.  Do you expect to double up with him?  Of course, it's
+none of my business and you needn't answer if you don't care to."
+
+"I don't know what I'll do yet.  This is a complication I want to study
+first."
+
+"I see.  Well, if we can help you--"
+
+"I'll send word, don't fear.  And if I do send word, I want you to act
+on the jump."
+
+"Don't worry about that.  I know if you send word it means business,"
+answered the secret service officer, with a laugh.
+
+An hour later found Adam Adams on a train bound for Bryport.  He
+reached that city in the evening, and from a directory he learned where
+the secret service man resided.  A street car brought him to within two
+blocks of the dwelling.  It was a building of no mean pretentions and
+on a corner which looked to be valuable.  Walking along the side street
+he saw that two domestics were at work in the kitchen and dining room.
+
+"He certainly lives in style," mused Adam Adams.  "Wonder if he manages
+it on twelve hundred a year?"
+
+As it was a warm night the windows were open and by going close to the
+house he could hear the conversation being carried on by the servants
+as they moved back and forth between the two rooms.
+
+From their talk, he learned that Mrs. Watkins and her two daughters
+were at Saratoga, and that it was expected that the husband would join
+his family there soon.
+
+"And we'll have good times when he's gone, ain't that so, Caddie?" said
+one of the domestics.
+
+"That we will," was the answer.  "Better times than now, anyway, when
+you can't tell when he is coming in and when he is going out.  It is a
+queer way he has with him lately."
+
+"I guess he is worried over his money."
+
+"Why, what do you know about that, Caddie Dix?"
+
+"What do I know, Nellie Casey?  Tim Corey told me Mrs. Watkins didn't
+git a cent of the old grandfather's money, although she said she did,
+and so did the master say so.  It all went to the other part of the
+family."
+
+"Then where did Mr. Watkins git his money, I'd like to know."
+
+"Don't ask me.  Tim says he is flush enough at the club and other
+places.  The government must pay him more than most folks imagine."
+
+"Is Tim goin' to the Rosebud's picnic?"
+
+"Yes, and Dan's goin' too, and Dan wants me to bring you," went on one
+of the domestics, and then the talk drifted into a channel which was of
+no further interest to Adam Adams.
+
+He rightfully surmised that John Watkins was not home and was somewhat
+puzzled to decide what he should do next.  It was a long journey from
+Bryport to Sidham, and it was a question if he could accomplish
+anything at the scene of the tragedy during the night.
+
+"Perhaps it will pay just as well to go to a hotel and go to bed," he
+told himself.
+
+He had just come out to the corner of the street and was halting at the
+curb, when he saw two men approaching.  One of the pair was John
+Watkins, and the other was a heavy-set stranger, with bushy hair and a
+round, red nose and mutton-chop whiskers.
+
+"Here we are, Styles," said John Watkins.  "It's a little late, but I
+reckon the girls can fix us up something to eat.  It's better than
+going to a restaurant."
+
+"Anything will do me, if you've got a glass of ale to go with it," was
+the reply.
+
+"Got to have a real Englishman's drink, eh?" said the secret service
+man, with a short laugh.  "Well, I've remembered you and I can fix you
+up to the queen's taste.  Come on inside."  And then the pair entered
+the house.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION
+
+Adam Adams had watched the appearance and disappearance of the two men
+with interest.  He remembered that Matlock Styles, the man who owed the
+Langmore estate $16,000 on three mortgages, was an Englishman, with
+mutton-chop whiskers.  Evidently the man who had arrived with the
+secret service employee was the same individual.
+
+This being so, the question at once arose, what had brought the pair
+together?  Matlock Styles lived in an old colonial mansion, so Raymond
+Case had said, a mile and a half from the Langmore estate.  Did his
+coming to Bryport have anything to do with the tragedy or with the
+counterfeits?
+
+Going close to the house once more, he heard the two men enter the
+parlor and heard Watkins order supper.  Then followed a conversation in
+such a low tone that he could only catch an occasional word.  He heard
+something about mortgages and then a safe was mentioned, but he could
+not catch the direct connection.  Evidently though, they were
+discussing the Langmore affair.
+
+In a short while supper was served and the two men passed to the dining
+hall.  Here, while the girls were near, they spoke of matters in
+general.  The meal finished, John Watkins invited his visitor up to his
+den on the second floor.
+
+As said before, the house was on a corner, and by the lighting up of a
+room above, Adam Adams located the den, just behind the main front
+corner room, and close to a tree, which grew along the side street.
+Looking around, the detective made certain that nobody was observing
+him, and then began to climb the tree with the agility of a schoolboy.
+One heavy branch ran out close to the building, and standing on this
+brought him to within three feet of the window, which was screened and
+open from the bottom to admit the air.  The curtain was down to within
+three inches of the window sill, thus affording the detective a chance
+to peep into the apartment without running much risk of being
+discovered.
+
+"Then you say the mortgages have not been paid?" came from John Watkins.
+
+"No, blast the luck!" growled Matlock Styles.  "I didn't think he
+wanted the cash so I let them run on."
+
+"Have you any idea how the estate is to be divided?"
+
+"I understand the girl gets half.  The wife's half will go to her two
+sons now."
+
+"That is lucky for them.  I reckon Dick Ostrello can use all the money
+he can lay hands on.  He's a wild one, if ever there was one."
+
+"Don't Tom spend his money?"
+
+"Not lately.  I understand he is saving up to marry some girl in New
+York."
+
+"Humph."
+
+There was a pause, during which time both men lit cigars.
+
+"How is the bloody business going?" asked Matlock Styles presently.
+
+"Oh, I manage to earn my salary," answered the secret service man, with
+a dry laugh.  "I don't get promoted though."
+
+"You ought to try to unearth some big mystery.  That would get your
+name in the papers."
+
+"I don't want my name in the papers.  I am doing well enough.  Ain't I
+on the track of those counterfeits?  What more do you want?"
+
+"Yes, but you haven't got them yet, blast the luck!  And you say you
+had the safe open?"
+
+"I did."
+
+"Then why didn't you look inside?  I should have done so."
+
+"I thought I'd get a better chance later on.  But when I went back hang
+me if I could work the combination again."
+
+"Have the safe makers opened the safe yet?"
+
+"I think so, but if the counterfeits were found the local authorities
+haven't said a word.  Somebody must be laying low."
+
+There was another pause, and then Matlock Styles brought some papers
+from his pocket.
+
+"You might glance over these bloody things while you have time," he
+observed.  "Perhaps they'll give you a clue to work on.  You see, I
+believe in helping a detective all I can," and he chuckled broadly.
+
+As Adam Adams could see, the documents were of legal aspect and with
+them were several letters.
+
+"Then the deal goes through," said John Watkins.
+
+"Doesn't that look like it?"
+
+"And the patent is yours?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"I wonder what Barry Langmore would say to this, if he was alive?"
+
+"He wouldn't like it at all."
+
+"Do you think you can make any money out of the patent?"
+
+"Money?  I hope to make a fortune out of it."
+
+"Say, Styles, you're a lucky dog and always were."
+
+"It's because I watch my bloomin' chances," answered the Englishman.
+"By the way, were you at the inquest?"
+
+"Sure."
+
+"I didn't see you."
+
+"No, but you spoke to me."
+
+"I did?  You're mistaken."
+
+"Don't you remember the farmer who asked you for a chew of terbacker?"
+
+"Was that you?" exclaimed Matlock Styles.  "If it was you're improving.
+The first thing you know you'll be the real thing and getting a head
+position at Washington."
+
+"I shouldn't mind that," answered John Watkins.
+
+"Where are you going to-morrow?"
+
+"To New York--to nose around."
+
+"Want to locate the counterfeits?"
+
+"I want to see if they have been reported.  I've got a certain idea
+about them, but I am not sure if I am right."
+
+"What's the idea?"
+
+"That Langmore girl has engaged a detective named Adam Adams to clear
+her, if he can.  He was dodging around the house when I was there, and
+somehow it's got into my head that he knows about the counterfeits."
+
+"Does he belong to the secret service?"
+
+"No, he's a private detective.  I don't know much about him, but they
+say he's a pretty good one," continued John Watkins.
+
+"You think he opened the safe?"
+
+"I'm thinking that perhaps he was at the safe after I opened it.  The
+safe is of a make in which the combination can be changed with ease.
+He could have looked into it and then have changed the numbers.  I
+certainly didn't forget the old combination--it was so easy, four on
+forty, three on thirty and two on twenty--but that wouldn't open it
+when I went back."
+
+"Can't you get in with him and find out what's what?" suggested Matlock
+Styles.  "You can tell him that you are working up this case of the
+counterfeits."
+
+"I may do that.  The trouble is, these private detectives don't like to
+go in with an outsider--they are too much afraid of losing the credit
+for what they are trying to do."
+
+"Is anybody else on the case?"
+
+"Not that I know of.  If there was--"
+
+At that moment the door bell of the house rang and soon one of the
+girls came upstairs.
+
+"Mr. Martin is below," said she to John Watkins.
+
+"Is that so?  Tell him I will see him in a minute."  The secret service
+man turned to the Englishman.  "He is a real estate man who is going to
+sell this house for me.  I'd forgotten that I had an appointment with
+him."
+
+"Never mind, give me that money you promised and I'll be going,"
+answered Matlock Styles.  "I've got a lot of things to attend to in the
+next few days."
+
+"I'll give it to you in the library.  The money is in the safe," was
+the answer, and then both of the men left the room.
+
+Adam Adams descended to the ground and walked slowly to the front of
+the house.  In a few minutes he saw the Englishman step out on the
+front piazza followed by the secret service man.
+
+"Where are you going now?" asked the latter.
+
+"Home and to bed," was the reply.  "Goodnight.  Will I see you
+to-morrow?"
+
+"Either to-morrow or the day after.  I want to settle up this real
+estate deal.  I promised my wife I'd do it."
+
+The Englishman came away from the house and hurried along the street to
+where the trolley car ran.  He boarded a car moving towards the depot
+and Adam Adams did the same.  At the depot Matlock Styles took a train
+for home.
+
+Adam Adams made his way to a hotel in a thoughtful mood.  The
+conversation he had overheard interested him greatly.  He decided to
+learn more concerning the pair, and especially Matlock Styles, without
+unnecessary delay.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+A GIRL'S RAVINGS
+
+Raymond Case passed a sleepless night watching over Margaret.  The
+doctor called once more, as he had agreed, and left another soothing
+powder, which the nurse administered with difficulty.  She shook her
+head when she came out of the sick room.
+
+"What do you think?" questioned the young man pleadingly.
+
+"To tell the truth, it looks like a bad case to me, Mr. Case," was the
+reply.  "I may be mistaken, but I've had a pretty large hospital
+experience.  She doesn't seem to respond to treatment as she should."
+
+"Don't you think I ought to call in a specialist?"
+
+Martha Sampson shrugged her shoulders.  "That is for you to say.  It
+wouldn't be proper for me to say anything against Doctor Bird."
+
+"I'll send for a specialist at once," said Raymond, and hurried off to
+the nearest telephone station.  He had some difficulty in getting the
+proper connection with New York, and then had to hold the wire until
+the specialist could be roused up.  The expert's fee was large, but
+once guaranteed, he promised to come by the first train.
+
+"He'll be here by seven o'clock," said the young man, on returning to
+the house.
+
+"Will you let Doctor Bird know?"
+
+"Yes, as soon as the specialist gets here.  I want to be sure of my new
+man first."
+
+It was six o'clock when Margaret roused up once more.  Raymond was
+dozing in an armchair, the nurse having retired to get a short sleep.
+The young man was instantly at the sufferer's side.
+
+All the color had left Margaret's face and she was deathly pale.  Her
+eyes were as bright as stars and had a look in them that Raymond had
+never before seen.
+
+"Are you better, Margaret?" he asked softly.
+
+"I--I don't know," she answered slowly.  "I--I feel very strange all
+over me."
+
+"Perhaps you had better go to sleep again."
+
+"No, I don't want to sleep any more, Raymond.  I want to know
+something."
+
+"What is it, dear?"
+
+"Will they make me go to the funerals?"  Her face began to show signs
+of worriment.
+
+"You'll not have to go if you don't wish to," he answered, and gave a
+slight shiver in spite of himself, for the question was such an
+unexpected one.
+
+"I can't go--I can't look at them!  And then the crowd would stare so!
+Oh, Raymond, the crowd is the worst of all!  Hundreds of eyes boring
+one through and through!  I can't stand that!"
+
+"You'll not have to stand that, Margaret.  But go to sleep, do!  It
+will do you a world of good," and he smoothed down her hair fondly.
+
+"No, I've slept enough--I want to talk.  Oh, I am not afraid to talk
+now," she added, sitting up.  "I thought it all out while I was
+sleeping.  Isn't it funny that one can think a thing out in one's
+sleep?  And it's so very clear now--as clear as crystal--and it was so
+dark and muddled before.  Will they give me a trial?"
+
+He started in spite of himself.  "Please don't think of that now,
+Margaret, I beg of you.  Lie down and try to sleep.  I have sent for
+another doctor, a specialist.  He will be here soon."
+
+"A specialist?  How can he help me?  You hired that Mr. Adam Adams but
+he has deserted me.  But then--but then--he must have learned the
+truth!"  She gave a sob and buried her face in her hands.  "Yes, he
+must have learned the truth!"
+
+"Margaret, do keep quiet, please!" he pleaded.  "You need rest, you
+must have rest."
+
+"No, I want to talk, to tell you something, Raymond.  I--I want you to
+go away."
+
+"Away?  Oh, Margaret!"
+
+"Yes, away--you mustn't come near me any more.  You are innocent and it
+isn't right that you should suffer with me.  You must go away and
+forget me."
+
+"I'll never do that.  You mustn't even dream of such a thing.  We are
+going to get you well, and we are going to prove your innocence to the
+world."
+
+"My innocence?  Oh, Raymond, don't speak so--it cuts me like a knife!"
+
+"But I mean it," he said firmly.
+
+"Yes, yes, I know--you are so good-hearted, so true!  But haven't I
+told you?  Must I go over it again?  The ring, the blood--"
+
+"Margaret!"
+
+"And that note, and the quarrels, and all.  Didn't they prove that I
+was guilty?  Yes, they proved it, and I must--must--  Will they hang
+me or electrocute me?  I wonder how it feels to be hung or
+electrocuted?"  She gave a hollow, bitter laugh.  "I'll soon know, I
+suppose!"  And then she fell back on her pillow exhausted.
+
+The nurse had been aroused by the talking and stood in the doorway.
+She gazed questioningly at the young man.
+
+"Did you wake her up?"
+
+"No, she roused up and insisted upon talking."
+
+"She ought to be kept quiet.  I'll give her another powder."
+
+"Had you not better wait until the specialist arrives?"
+
+"Well, we can do that--if he isn't delayed too long."
+
+After that the time dragged heavily.  Just before train time Raymond
+took a coach to the depot and there met the specialist and told his
+story as the pair were driven rapidly to the house.
+
+"It is a purely nervous shock, undoubtedly," said the specialist.  "I
+will first find out from the nurse what the other doctor has given her."
+
+He was soon in consultation with Martha Sampson.  In the midst of this
+Doctor Bird arrived.  The local physician was willing enough to
+transfer the case to new hands.
+
+"I am of the opinion that she is guilty," he said in private to the
+specialist.  "Mr. Case, of course, thinks differently.  You can figure
+it out to suit yourself," and he told exactly what he had done and then
+went away, not to return.
+
+Doctor Fanning watched at the sufferer's side for over an hour, before
+Margaret roused up again.  The girl was very weak and spoke
+disconnectedly, but always in the same strain.  She went over the scene
+at the inquest several times, and spoke of the blood on the engagement
+ring, as if that was the crown of her misfortunes.  Then she sat up
+suddenly and looked at the new doctor.
+
+"Are you the judge?" she demanded.  "If you are I will tell you all.  I
+am guilty--they proved it!  I am guilty! guilty! guilty!" she repeated
+the words over and over again, until she fell back on the pillow as
+before.  Then she became delirious and it took both the nurse and
+Raymond to hold her.  The doctor speedily opened up his case of
+medicines and gave her a hypodermic injection in the forearm.  Then he
+made an examination of the patient, lasting some time.
+
+"I will be plain with you, Mr. Case," he said, drawing the young man to
+another room.  "This is a serious matter--a very serious matter indeed.
+I believe you think the young lady innocent of the crime of which she
+is accused?"
+
+"I am willing to stake my life on it.  She is raving now, that is all."
+
+"Um!"  The specialist nodded slowly and thoughtfully.  "Well then, we
+can only hope for the best.  I had better stay with her, at least
+to-day and to-morrow--there may be another turn to her condition
+shortly."
+
+"Do your best, doctor.  I am willing to foot the bill, no matter what
+it is."
+
+"If I was certain she was innocent--"
+
+"I am certain of it."
+
+"You have the proofs?"
+
+"No, not that.  But--"
+
+"I understand your situation, Mr. Case, and I honor you for the stand
+you have taken.  At the same time I feel it my duty to tell you
+something.  It is about a case that came under my notice three years
+ago.  An old man was murdered and his wife was suspected of the crime.
+She declared that she was innocent and many believed her.  But soon the
+evidence began to accumulate against her and she had the same kind of a
+shock that Miss Langmore has experienced.  She raved and at last cried
+out that she was guilty--"
+
+"And was she guilty?"
+
+"It was never proven, although matters looked black against her.  The
+case hung fire because the old woman kept growing worse.  The doctors
+who were in attendance did all that medical science could suggest to
+bring the old woman out of her peculiar state.  But it was of no avail."
+
+"And the end, doctor, the end?" questioned the young man eagerly.
+
+"It's a sorry thing to tell you, but it is best to be warned.  The old
+woman went mad and while in that condition she one night committed
+suicide by leaping out of a window.  It is a sad case but it may act as
+a warning.  Someone must be on hand to watch Miss Langmore constantly."
+
+A long conversation followed, and the specialist gave minute direction
+to the nurse, who promised to get another nurse to relieve her.  Then
+the medical man mixed up several drugs and placed the mixture in a
+glass with some water.
+
+The talk left Raymond in low spirits and the young man walked up and
+down in the parlor below in a thoughtful mood.  The outlook was
+certainly gloomy enough.  What if the shock should prove so severe that
+Margaret would never get over it?  In that case it would matter little
+even if her innocence was established.
+
+In the midst of his meditations he saw a man come up on the porch and
+he opened the door to admit Adam Adams and ushered the detective in the
+parlor.
+
+"I understand Miss Langmore was brought here," said Adam Adams,
+dropping into a chair.
+
+"Yes," and Raymond told his story.  "We looked for you at the trial,"
+he added.
+
+"I had other things to do, Mr. Case, and I read the most of the
+testimony in the newspapers.  But I am sorry to learn that Miss
+Langmore is in this condition and I trust the specialist pulls her
+through in good shape."
+
+"Yes, yes, so do I.  But we must clear her, Mr. Adams--it must be done."
+
+"I said I would do my best.  But this is going to be no ordinary
+mystery to unravel.  It is deeper than most folks suspect.  A deep
+motive was the cause of the double murder--a motive I hope to unearth
+before I am through."
+
+"Unless the mystery is speedily cleared up I am afraid Miss Langmore
+will go raving mad, and the specialist is afraid so, too."
+
+"Yes, such things have happened before--the mental strain is too great
+for sensitive nerves to bear.  So I must lose no time.  Now to come to
+business.  I want you to tell me all you can about Mr. Langmore's life
+and his business dealings with people in this vicinity."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+ADAM ADAMS MAKES A NEW MOVE
+
+It was not until an hour later that Adam Adams left Martha Sampson's
+cottage.  He had gained from Raymond all the information he could and
+also the names and addresses of half a dozen people he thought to
+interview.  He spent what was left of the forenoon in the town, calling
+at the bank, and on a lawyer and one of the merchants, and about three
+o'clock in the afternoon made his way once more to the vicinity of the
+Langmore mansion.  Here, to his surprise, he ran into Charles Vapp.
+
+"Is your man around here?" he asked, as the pair met in the shadow of
+some bushes.
+
+"Yes, went into the house five minutes ago."
+
+"Have you learned anything unusual?"
+
+"Not much.  He has been around arranging his business affairs and he
+met Miss Bernard and the two had a confidential talk, but I couldn't
+get close enough to hear what was said.  After that he came out to
+Sidham and there met a man named Matlock Styles."
+
+"Go on."
+
+"The two had a long talk, and Ostrello seemed to be angry about
+something.  Then this Styles seemed to threaten Ostrello and the young
+man seemed to lose all his nerve and wilt.  I never saw a fellow change
+so.  'You can't do it!' I heard him say and Styles answered: 'I can and
+I will, if you try to interfere with my business.'  Then they talked in
+a low tone and Styles went off in a buggy, saying he was going home.
+Ostrello walked up the street and down again, as if he didn't know what
+to do.  At last he hired a rig and came out here.  He went into the
+house and I was just going to change my disguise and take a look around
+when you came up."
+
+"I see.  Well, Vapp, if he meets this Styles again you do your level
+best to hear what is said."
+
+"I did it before, but they kept in a corner of a building and I
+couldn't get near without attracting their attention.  I tried it once
+but both of them gave me such a suspicious look I had to move on."
+
+"That's all?"
+
+"He sent three letters and a telegram.  The telegram was to the firm he
+works for, something about an order for quinine pills--I heard it
+clicked off at the telegraph office."
+
+"Well, you can stay here and I'll go into the house.  If he comes out
+you follow him," said Adam Adams.
+
+The detective found the mansion in charge of the policeman and Mrs.
+Morse.  Both looked at him questioningly as he entered.
+
+"Nothing is to be touched," said the policeman.  "Them's orders from
+headquarters."
+
+"Is anybody here?"
+
+"Mrs. Morse and myself, that's all."
+
+"No visitors at all?"
+
+"No, sir."
+
+"That's queer.  Haven't seen anything of Mrs. Langmore's son to-day?"
+
+The policeman shook his head.  "You haven't seen him, have you?" he
+asked of the woman.
+
+"No, and I don't want to see him," she answered tartly.  "I don't want
+anybody to bother me," and she looked directly at the detective.
+
+"I shan't bother you," was the quick reply.  "But as I am working on
+behalf of Miss Langmore, and as this was her father's house and the one
+in which she lived, I think I shall take a look around," he went on, in
+a slightly stiffer voice.
+
+"But orders--" began the policeman.
+
+"You may go around with me, so that you can be sure I do not touch
+anything."
+
+"Well, I dunno--" began the bluecoat.
+
+His speech was cut short by the banging of a rear door, as the wind
+caught it.  Mrs. Morse gave a cry.
+
+"What was that?  I didn't leave any door open!"
+
+She ran to the rear of the mansion and the policeman followed.  Adam
+Adams stepped to the front door and then out on the lawn.  He was in
+time to see a man leap a side fence and start down the road.  A moment
+later Charles Vapp was following the disappearing individual.  The
+detective stepped into the house again.
+
+"Well, that's mighty queer," muttered the policeman, as he came back.
+
+"It is queer," answered Adam Adams, eying him sternly.  "You had better
+explain it if you want to keep out of trouble."
+
+"Explain what?" came from Mrs. Morse.
+
+"You just told me that nobody was in the house."
+
+"Well?"
+
+"A man just left by the back door and ran away.  Either you knew he was
+here or else you are not taking proper care of these premises."
+
+"Why, sir--" began the woman, but then her eyes dropped before the
+steady gaze of the detective.  "I--that is--"
+
+"Who was that man?  Come, answer me truthfully, or I shall report this,
+and let me say, my word will carry great weight."
+
+"Oh, well, if you must know, it was Mr. Ostrello, Mrs. Langmore's son.
+He wanted--er--some books he left here some time ago.  I don't know why
+he left in such a hurry.  Perhaps because he didn't wish to meet you."
+
+"Then you admit you lied to me, do you?"
+
+At this the woman broke down completely and began to cry.  "I didn't
+want to do any wrong, sir.  He said he wanted to get the books and he
+didn't want every Tom, Dick and Harry to know he was here--those are
+his own words.  He's a very nice gentleman, and so--so--I said what I
+did."
+
+"You let him go through the house?"
+
+"He had that right.  It was his mother's home, wasn't it?"
+
+"Yet you didn't want me to go through."
+
+"A relative is different."
+
+"Nevertheless, I think I'll take a look around, now he has gone,"
+returned Adam Adams.
+
+To this the woman felt she could no longer object and the policeman
+merely shrugged his shoulders.  From the pair the detective learned
+that the safe had been opened by an expert in the presence of the
+coroner and chief of police, who had then had the combination set to
+suit themselves.
+
+A tour of the mansion brought nothing new to light and Adam Adams left
+by the back way and walked down to the brook.  Then he leaped the
+stream and took to a narrow path leading through the woods beyond.
+Deep in the woods he paused, to make several changes in his appearance,
+putting on a light wig and blue goggles and also an old-fashioned
+collar and necktie.  Then he rubbed a little brown powder on his hands
+and face, rendering his complexion several shades darker than ordinary,
+
+From a map of the county he had studied the surrounding roads
+thoroughly, and soon came out on a highway leading to Matlock Styles'
+residence.  He was more than ever interested in the Englishman and
+wondered what John Watkins, Tom Ostrello and Styles might have in
+common.
+
+In the distance he presently beheld a house he knew must be the Styles
+place.  There was a turn in the road and instead of going up to the
+house by the front way the detective leaped a fence and passed through
+a wheatfield.  Beyond this, and quite close to the house and the
+out-buildings, was a field planted with corn, between the rows of which
+were pumpkins and squashes.
+
+He had hoped to gain the vicinity of the residence without being
+observed, as it was now growing darker, but he was not yet halfway
+through the cornfield when the deep baying of a mastiff burst upon his
+ear, coming nearer and nearer.
+
+"Hullo! this is something I didn't bargain for," he muttered.  He did
+not wish to shoot a valuable dog and at the same time he did not intend
+to run the risk of being bitten and perhaps torn to pieces.
+
+He halted and drew his pistol, and a second later the dog burst into
+view.  He was a full-blooded mastiff and a magnificent creature in
+every way.  He came to a halt and showed his teeth, and presently his
+mate also appeared.
+
+"Back there!" cried the detective.  "Back, I say!"  But the dogs only
+came closer, baying loudly and eying him in anything but a friendly
+fashion.
+
+"Hi, there, Nelson!" came a voice from the other side of the cornfield.
+"Hi, Queen, what's the matter?"
+
+"Call off your dogs, unless you want me to shoot them!" exclaimed Adam
+Adams.
+
+"Blast you, don't you shoot my dogs," was the answer, and in a moment
+more Matlock Styles put in an appearance.  He carried a dog-whip and
+motioned the animals away.  "Back, Nelson, you bloody brute!  Back,
+Queen!"  And both animals slunk to his rear.
+
+"Thanks!  I am glad you came," said Adam Adams, and slipped his pistol
+back into his pocket.
+
+"Are you?" sneered the Englishman.  "If you had killed one of those
+dogs you would have gotten into a mess, I can warrant.  They are worth
+a hundred pounds--five hundred dollars--each."
+
+"Great smoke!  I'm glad I didn't touch 'em, sir.  I couldn't pay for
+one leg," and the detective grinned.
+
+"What are you doing in this field?"
+
+"I thought I'd take a short-cut to the Knoxbury road.  It's getting
+late and I want to get back to the tavern there."
+
+"The Knoxbury road?  Why, man, you're a good three miles out of your
+bloomin' way.  The Knoxbury road isn't this way--it's over there," and
+Matlock Styles pointed with his whip.
+
+"Is that so?  Then I'm twisted.  Too bad!  I'm so dog tired I can't
+walk much further either."
+
+"Been taking a constitutional?"
+
+"That and I walked over to look at the place where that double murder
+took place.  Awful crime that, eh?  Made me shiver just to look at the
+house.  I suppose you've heard about it?"
+
+"Yes, everybody knows about it around here."
+
+"They say the man's daughter did it."
+
+"If she did, they ought to string her up for it," growled Matlock
+Styles.  "Such a blasted, cold-blooded crime as that was.  Was you to
+the inquest?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Our coroner got her to rights.  He's a sharp one."
+
+While the two were talking they were walking towards the house, which
+was a pretentious affair but closed up on one side.  They halted near a
+side porch.
+
+"If I am three or four miles from the Knoxbury road I'd like to get
+something to eat and rest a bit before I start out again," said the
+detective.  "Could you supply me with a bite?  I'm willing to pay
+whatever's fair."
+
+"I fancy so," answered the Englishman, after a slight hesitation,
+during which he eyed Adam Adams keenly.  "Polly!" he called, and an old
+woman, with a wrinkled face and a tangle of gray hair appeared, holding
+a cup in one hand and a towel in the other.
+
+"What are ye wantin' now, Mat?" she croaked.
+
+"Here's a gentleman has lost his way.  He wants a bite to eat before he
+starts again.  Fix him up some sandwiches and some milk, and whatever
+else you have handy that's good.  Where is Paul?"
+
+"Gone to town."
+
+"And Fred?"
+
+"Gone to see the Garrison girl."
+
+The woman disappeared from view, and a moment later Matlock Styles and
+Adam Adams entered the dining room of the abode.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+A QUEER TURN OF AFFAIRS
+
+The detective felt that he was on delicate as well as dangerous ground.
+Nothing had been said to arouse his suspicions but he could feel by
+instinct that the Englishman was growing distrustful of him.
+
+"Take off your coat, it's bloomin' warm in here," said Matlock Styles,
+as he proceeded to shed his outer garment.
+
+"Thanks, but I'd just as soon keep my coat on," was the answer.  "I am
+used to it.  Fine farm you have here."
+
+"Pretty fair."
+
+"Raise much grain?"
+
+"Only for the stock.  I deal mostly in horses and in fancy dogs."
+
+"I used to own a fancy dog myself," said Adam Adams smoothly and
+mentioned the fine points.  The Englishman seemed to warm up to this
+subject and spoke of the many dogs he had, and of the prices some had
+brought him.  In the midst of the conversation a lunch was brought in
+and the detective sat down to eat.  Then with great care Adam Adams
+brought the talk around once more to the Langmore tragedy.  But Matlock
+Styles at once grew cold.
+
+"The girl did it," he reaffirmed.  "They have her cornered.  It won't
+be possible for her to clear herself, even with the best lawyers in the
+country."
+
+"Do they suspect anybody else?"
+
+"I think not.  By the way, did you say you were at the house?"
+
+"Oh, I walked around the place, that's all.  I saw a policeman on guard
+there."
+
+"Anybody else?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Did you come across the stream?" asked the Englishman quickly.
+
+"Yes.  I thought it was a short cut, but I got lost."
+
+"You came right from the brook to my place?"
+
+"Well, not exactly.  I got tangled up in the woods before I got on the
+path that brought me here."
+
+"See anything strange around the Langmore house--any tracks or anything
+like that?"
+
+"Why do you ask that?  I thought you were sure Miss Langmore was
+guilty."
+
+"So I am, but a fellow makes some bloomin' mistakes sometimes.  I am
+not interested very much though," continued Matlock Styles, and gave a
+yawn.
+
+"I saw nothing out of the ordinary.  There were a good many footprints."
+
+"Running this way?"
+
+"Running every way, I thought.  What kind of a man was this Barry
+Langmore?"
+
+"A fairly good sort.  He wanted everything that was coming to him, and
+so did his wife.  She was a tartar and so was the girl.  I shouldn't
+have wanted to live in the house with them."
+
+At that moment another man appeared at the doorway.
+
+"Hullo! got company?" he called out.
+
+"Not exactly, Bart," answered Matlock Styles.  "Excuse me for a
+moment," he continued, to the detective, and passed out of the room and
+to the kitchen with the newcomer.
+
+He was gone for several minutes and during that time Adam Adams
+finished his lunch and took a good look at the room he occupied.  There
+was nothing unusual about the apartment and his survey was finished
+before the Englishman returned.
+
+"Now I think I'll pay you and be on my way," said Adam Adams, rising.
+There seemed to be no excuse for his lingering longer.  "How much do I
+owe you?"
+
+"Not a blasted farthing."
+
+"Then I am much obliged.  Will you have a smoke?" and Adam Adams handed
+forth a couple of choice Havana cigars.
+
+"I don't know as I care to smoke, Mr.--You didn't give me your name."
+
+"Robert Dixon.  And yours?"
+
+"Matlock Styles.  I don't care to smoke."
+
+"Bart!"
+
+At the call the other man came in from the kitchen.  To his surprise
+Adam Adams saw that he carried a rope in one hand and a pistol in the
+other.  He was followed by the mastiff Nelson.
+
+"Don't you dare to stir, you bloody rascal!" went on Matlock Styles to
+the detective.
+
+"Why, what's the matter now?" queried Adam Adams.  The turn of affairs
+puzzled him not a little.
+
+"You'll soon see what's the matter," said the man called Bart.
+
+"I must say I don't understand you."
+
+"Maybe you'll understand when you are a prisoner," put in Matlock
+Styles.
+
+"A prisoner?  What for?"
+
+"You know well enough."
+
+"I am entirely in the dark.  See here, is this a hold-up?"
+
+"Yes, for we are going to hold you up, you bloody villain," said the
+Englishman, with a chuckle.  "Don't dare to resist, or it will be the
+worse for you," and he drew a pistol from his pocket.
+
+"But what does it mean?"
+
+"It means that I have found you out.  You are the murderer of Mr. and
+Mrs. Langmore."
+
+"What!"
+
+For the instant Adam Adams was truly surprised.  It was such a turn of
+affairs as he had not anticipated.  He looked at Matlock Styles keenly.
+Could the Englishman really mean what he said?  He certainly appeared
+sincere enough.
+
+"You have made a great mistake, sir," said the detective.  "I know
+nothing more of the murders than I have already related."
+
+"I think differently, my fine fellow."
+
+"What makes you imagine I am guilty?"
+
+"Never mind that now."
+
+"Why, I can prove an _alibi_."
+
+"Then you'll have to prove it, and a bloody strong one too, before I
+let you go.  I've seen you sneaking around before.  That's a wig you
+are wearing.  Bart, bind him, and do it bloomin' tight, too."
+
+"I'll do it tight enough," answered the other man, pocketing his
+pistol.  "Hold out your hands," he went on to the detective.
+
+Adam Adams looked around to see if there was some means of escape.  But
+he realized that between the two men and the somewhat savage mastiff he
+was squarely cornered.
+
+"I suppose I'll have to submit," he said.  "But let me tell you that
+you are making a big mistake and it will cost you dear if you make me
+submit to this indignity.  I'll sue you for a good round sum."
+
+At this Matlock Styles winced.  Evidently he was one who did not like
+to have his pocketbook touched.  But then he stiffened again.
+
+"I am willing to run the risk.  Go ahead, Bart."
+
+Adam Adams was compelled to hold out his hands and to his astonishment,
+not to say chagrin, his arms and also his legs were tightly bound.
+
+"Going to search him?" asked the fellow called Bart.
+
+"Of course," answered Matlock Styles and went through the detective's
+pockets one after the other.  Fortunately Adam Adams had but little
+with him outside of a roll of bankbills and the material for several
+disguises.  Matlock Styles allowed him to keep his money but placed the
+disguises on the table.
+
+"That looks as if you were an honest man," said he with a sneer.
+"Honest men don't go around in this fashion.  You're the man, beyond a
+bloody doubt, and I am going to hand you over to the police.  Nelson!"
+
+At the call the mastiff came up and looked inquiringly at his master.
+
+"Sit down in that chair," continued the Englishman to Adam Adams,
+shoving him backward on a seat.  "Now, Nelson, watch him.  Watch him,
+old boy.  Don't let him get up."  And the dog growled in response.
+
+The Englishman then motioned to the other man, and the pair went out
+together, closing the door after them.  Listening, the detective heard
+a murmur of voices in the kitchen of the house and then all became
+quiet.
+
+Adam Adams was angry, and that anger was directed entirely at himself.
+In the easiest possible manner he had allowed himself to be outwitted
+and exposed.
+
+Could the Englishman be honest in what he said, or was he playing a
+deep game?  That was a question which could not as yet be answered.  If
+the fellow was honest he was most likely now getting ready to take his
+prisoner to the Sidham lockup.  The absurdity of such a move compelled
+Adam Adams to smile bitterly.
+
+To escape was out of the question.  He could not slip from the cords
+which bound him, and at his slightest move the mastiff growled and
+showed an inclination to leap at his throat.  So the detective
+considered discretion the better part of valor and remained quiet.
+
+It was fully an hour before Matlock Styles returned.  He was alone and
+carried a lantern on his arm, for it was now dark outside.
+
+"I can't take you to town to-night," he said.  "I am going to keep you
+here until morning."
+
+"You haven't any right to keep me at all."
+
+"I'll risk that.  I'll make you comfortable, don't you fear."
+
+Adam Adams thought rapidly.  Perhaps to remain a prisoner at the
+farmhouse would be better than to be taken to town.  During the night
+he might get the opportunity to escape.
+
+Matlock Styles untied the end of the rope which bound the detective's
+legs and ordered the prisoner to follow him.
+
+"And don't try to run away, unless you want Nelson to make a meal of
+you," he added grimly.
+
+"Where are you going to take me?"
+
+"You'll soon see."
+
+The Englishman led the way out of the farmhouse and past the barn and
+several other out-buildings.  Then he took to a path leading to the
+river and presently came to a halt in front of an old deserted mill.
+The building was dark and forbidding, and an owl, hooting in a nearby
+tree, added to the loneliness of the situation.
+
+"I don't understand this," said the detective, as Matlock Styles came
+to a halt.
+
+The Englishman did not answer.  Instead, he set down his lantern and
+proceeded to bind the detective's legs once more.  His manner was now
+rough and he acted as if he was somewhat desperate.  He shoved open a
+door to the mill and peered around inside.  Then he stepped back, put
+his lantern over his arm and caught Adam Adams up by the middle and
+threw the detective over his shoulder as if his prisoner were a log of
+wood.
+
+There was no use arguing and Adam Adams did not attempt it.  Indeed, he
+was rather curious to see what the fellow would do next.  Matlock
+Styles entered the old mill and then descended a flight of stone steps.
+Below was a sort of cellar, damp and musty.  Crossing the cellar the
+Englishman opened an iron door in a brick wall and literally threw Adam
+Adams into the inky darkness beyond.
+
+"Now stay there until I get ready to take you to jail," cried the man.
+
+He banged the heavy iron door shut and bolted it.  The next instant the
+detective heard him cross the cellar.  He mounted the stairs, banged
+the door above; and all became quiet.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+CLOSE TO DEATH
+
+For several seconds after being forced into the darkness beyond the
+iron door Adam Adams stood perfectly still.  He heard Matlock Styles go
+upstairs and was fairly well satisfied that the Englishman had left the
+old mill.
+
+"That man has something up his sleeve as sure as fate," murmured the
+detective to himself.  "He is playing a game, and a deep one, too."
+
+The darkness was absolute, and although he strained his eyes to the
+utmost he could not see a single thing surrounding him.  To all
+appearances he was in a veritable dungeon.
+
+He sat down on the cement floor, and bending forward, managed, after
+much labor, to loosen the rope around his legs with his teeth.  Then he
+began to twist and turn at the rope which held his arms and presently
+that also came away.  His efforts lacerated his wrists and ankles, but
+to the pain he paid no attention.
+
+With caution he moved around until his hands came in contact with a
+stone wall.  He paused for a moment and then moved along the wall,
+feeling carefully, so that he might not miss any opening which might
+present itself, and keeping one hand in front of him, so that he might
+not run into anything.
+
+The wall was smooth and apparently solid.  Suddenly he put out his foot
+and stepped upon nothing but air.  He tried to draw back, but it was
+too late, and with a cry that could not be suppressed he went down into
+pitch-black space.  He struck on some sharp rocks, and then his senses
+forsook him.
+
+The fall was a perilous one and it was only by good luck that Adam
+Adams did not have his brains dashed out.  As it was he remained
+unconscious for fully half an hour, and came to his senses to find a
+large lump on his head and the blood flowing over his face.  His left
+shoulder was lame and for the time being he was afraid it was broken.
+
+The rocks upon which he had fallen rested in several inches of water,
+and with this water he washed off the blood and bathed his hurts as
+best he could in the darkness.
+
+The mishap made him reach but one conclusion.  Matlock Styles had
+placed him there so that he might injure if not kill himself!
+
+"The rascal!" muttered the detective.  "If I ever get out of here he
+shall suffer for this if for nothing else!"
+
+It took him some time to pull himself together and get his breath.
+Then he felt around cautiously, being careful to take no more steps
+until he was sure of his footing.
+
+In a quarter of an hour he knew he was a prisoner in a circular cistern
+perhaps twelve feet in diameter and of uncertain depth.  The walls were
+perpendicular, smooth and covered with slime, so to crawl up was
+totally out of the question.
+
+"A pretty fix to be in," he mused.  "If Styles had wanted to kill and
+bury me he couldn't have started out better.  Ha!  What's that?"  He
+listened and then smiled grimly to himself.  "Rats.  I suppose there
+are scores of them around this place.  I must see to it that they don't
+get a chance to feed upon my body!"
+
+What was the best way to get out?  For some minutes the detective
+studied the situation.  In one of his pockets he had stuffed the rope
+taken from his legs, thinking it might come in handy in some way.  He
+made a small loop at one end of this rope and threw it upward a dozen
+times or more.  At last it caught on something and held fast.
+
+Being on guard, in case he might fall backward, Adam Adams pulled
+himself up on the rope.  It had caught on a sharp stone close to the
+top of the cistern and with an effort he drew himself to the flooring
+above.
+
+"Thank Heaven for that," he murmured.  "I must steer clear of such
+pitfalls in the future.  If only I had a light!"
+
+But his pocket light as well as his pistol had been taken from him.
+Whatever was to be done, must be accomplished in the darkness, and once
+more he set out on his tour of exploration, but this time with added
+caution.
+
+It was not long before he found a place where the cellar sloped
+downward.  At the end was a semi-circular opening, not unlike a huge
+drain.
+
+"I'll follow this and see where it leads to," he told himself, and went
+ahead a distance of thirty feet, when he found himself wading into
+water that was fairly clean and sweet.
+
+"I must be close to the river now," he reasoned.  "I wonder if I can
+swim out to the stream?"
+
+He hesitated for a minute and then resolved to make a dive for liberty.
+Down he went into the water and plunged along until he was over his
+head.  Then he struck out as well as circumstances permitted.  It was a
+truly perilous thing to attempt, but the detective was on his mettle
+and desperate.
+
+Twenty feet were passed and then the force of the water seemed to drive
+him upward.  There was now no turning back, and holding his breath with
+difficulty, he swam on and on, rising steadily until his head struck an
+iron obstruction.  He put up his hands and found that it was a grating.
+Opening his eyes he made out that the grating was less than three
+inches from the surface of the river.  Beyond he could see the open sky
+and the stars shining brightly.
+
+With might and main he tried to push the grating aside.  It refused to
+budge, and he grew frantic, for his breath was fast leaving him.  It
+looked as if he would be drowned like a rat in a trap.
+
+Desperately and with all of his remaining strength he threw himself at
+the grating.  It bent at one end and came loose.  Then he made another
+attack and the grating dropped to one side and his body shot upward to
+the surface of the river, out into the life-giving air.  He gasped,
+spluttered, almost tumbled down again, and then staggered to the shore,
+which was close at hand.  He had been under water less than three
+minutes, yet the time had seemed an age.
+
+He sat on the grassy bank for a long time, trying to get back his
+strength and wondering what he had best do next.  All was silent around
+him, saving for the hooting of some owls and the occasional far-off cry
+of a whip-poor-will.  He gazed around, but not a light was in sight.
+The old mill was beyond him, partly screened by a number of trees.
+
+Should he return to the vicinity of Matlock Styles' house and set a
+watch?  This he thought a good idea, but there were two objections.  He
+was wet to the skin and wanted some dry clothes, and he did not relish
+running into one or more of the Englishman's savage dogs, when he had
+nothing with which to defend himself.
+
+As he sat there meditating, a stream of light shot across his feet and
+then disappeared.  It had come from an upper window of the old mill and
+he scrambled to his feet to see what it meant.  In a moment more he saw
+another stream of light and then a curious white cloud floated up from
+another window of the mill.  At the same time he heard loud groans and
+then a hoarse note coming from what appeared to him to be a fog horn.
+The groans and the white vapor lasted for several minutes and then died
+away together.
+
+It was a most uncanny happening and made his heart beat a little
+quicker than was its usual habit.  Then of a sudden his face brightened
+and he smiled to himself.
+
+"Make-believe ghosts and nothing more," he mused.  "I wonder who is
+trying to scare folks away from the old mill?  Most likely it is this
+Matlock Styles and it is part of another game of his.  He must have
+gotten his idea from the old miser in the 'Chimes of Normandy,' only he
+works his ghostship a little differently."
+
+He was about to move forward when a sound reached his ears which caused
+him to pause.  A dog was approaching--one of the mastiffs he had met
+before.  The animal growled ominously and would have attacked Adam
+Adams had not the detective leaped into the water and begun to swim
+away.  The dog halted on the edge of the bank, and then there seemed
+nothing for the detective to do but to swim to the other side of the
+river, which he did, and then disappeared into the bushes.
+
+"I think this investigation will keep--at least for to-night," he
+reasoned.  "I may as well get back to town, get some dry clothes, and
+go to bed."
+
+His adventures had tired him and he was thoroughly exhausted by the
+time he reached the Beechwood Hotel.  Here he explained that he had
+slipped into the river and readily obtained some dry garments, after
+which he went to bed, sleeping soundly until sunrise.
+
+He obtained an early and substantial breakfast and then visited a
+clothing establishment for another suit of clothing and a hat.  From
+the clothing store he stepped into a drug shop, purchasing a number of
+chemicals and also an atomizer.  Then he visited a barber shop and got
+a close hair cut.
+
+At the post-office he received a letter, dropped by Charles Vapp the
+evening before.  It was short and to the point:
+
+
+"The man is keeping me on the jump.  He went to see Matlock Styles and
+Styles threatened him with something again and Ostrello was greatly
+disturbed.  After that Ostrello sent a money-order to his brother Dick
+for fifty dollars.  He is now going to New York again and I shall
+follow."
+
+
+This communication set Adam Adams to thinking once more.  That Tom
+Ostrello and Matlock Styles had something in common there could be no
+doubt.  The question was, What?
+
+As the detective was walking back to the hotel he saw Raymond Case
+approaching and went to meet the young man.
+
+"Oh, Mr. Adams, I am glad to meet you," cried Raymond.  "Have you
+learned anything new?"
+
+"A little but not a great deal.  How is Miss Langmore this morning?"
+
+Raymond drew a long sigh.
+
+"I do not think she is much better.  She is more quiet, but--"
+
+"She is not clear in her mind?"
+
+"That's it.  She is now thoroughly convinced that she is guilty."
+
+"And you do not believe her?"
+
+"Of course not.  I know she is innocent.  Come now, honestly, don't you
+think so yourself?"
+
+"I do."
+
+"I knew it!"  The young man's face brightened for an instant.
+
+"But it is going to be no easy thing to prove," pursued the detective.
+"This crime was no simple matter.  I am certain it was carefully
+planned and just as carefully executed.  Those who committed it made it
+look as simple as possible for a purpose."
+
+"And you are on the track?"
+
+"I am on several tracks.  I am not sure of the right one yet."
+
+"Do you think those counterfeits had anything to do with the crime?"
+
+"Undoubtedly.  You say Miss Langmore seems to be resting easier?"
+
+"Slightly."
+
+"If it would not hurt, I should like to have a few words with her."
+
+"Then come along and we can ask the specialist I have called in from
+New York."
+
+Placing his purchases in the room at the hotel, Adam Adams accompanied
+Raymond to Martha Sampson's residence.  They found the nurse and the
+doctor discussing the case, and the detective was introduced and he
+mentioned the object of his visit.
+
+"It will do no harm to speak to Miss Langmore so long as you do not
+excite her," said the specialist.  "But do not dwell on the subject of
+the murder too long."
+
+"I shall not mention the murder," was the reply.
+
+When Adam Adams entered the sick room he found Margaret sitting up in
+bed with several pillows behind her head.  She gazed at him in
+perplexity and then gave a slight shiver.
+
+"You--you have come to take me to prison," she cried.
+
+"Not at all, Miss Langmore," he answered, dropping into a chair by her
+side.  "You shall never go to prison if I can prevent it.  But I came
+to see you about something else.  Do you feel a bit stronger?"
+
+"No, I feel very weak.  What do you want to see me about, if not about
+the--"
+
+"Oh, I want to ask you about some of the men with whom your father did
+business."
+
+"Didn't you ask me that before?"
+
+"Perhaps I did.  But I want you to give me all the information you
+possibly can."
+
+"I will."
+
+"In the first place, you know Matlock Styles."
+
+"Why, yes, I know him fairly well."
+
+"He had some business dealings with your father."
+
+"Yes, he owed my father money on several mortgages."
+
+"Did they have any other business relations?"
+
+"I think Mr. Styles had some interest in one of my father's
+patents--or, at least he claimed an interest.  He and my father had
+some differences of opinion in the matter."
+
+"Was the patent matter settled up?"
+
+"I do not know, but I do not think so."
+
+"Can you tell me anything else about Mr. Styles?"
+
+The girl hesitated and then a flush mounted to her face.  "Yes, I can.
+I--I did not wish to speak of it before, yet I see no harm in doing so.
+About four months ago Mr. Styles asked me to marry him.  I told him I
+could not do so.  He was very persistent and said he had more money
+than I imagined.  I told him that that would make no difference, that I
+did not love him and did not wish him to mention the matter again."
+
+"How did he take your refusal?"
+
+"He was very bitter and overbearing.  He said I had better think it
+over, and he hinted something about having my father in his power.  He
+did not say it in just so many words but he hinted at it."
+
+"Did he mean about the patent?"
+
+"No, I think it was something else.  But I did not pay much attention,
+for I thought he was talking merely to get me to consider his suit, and
+I did not wish to consider it, for I had become acquainted with
+Raymond."
+
+"Did he ever bother you after that?"
+
+"Only once, when I met him on the road.  Then he asked me again, and
+said I'd be sorry some day if I refused him."
+
+"Humph!" Adam Adams mused for a moment.  "Now to change the subject.
+When did Matlock Styles last call on your father?"
+
+"He called several times last week.  I don't know exactly when he
+called last.  But I do know that my father was greatly excited over
+something, and that he called in my stepmother and she was excited,
+too.  I was not told what it was about."
+
+"Well, to drop him, do you know a man named John Watkins, of Bryport?"
+
+"Watkins?  Yes, I do.  He once called on my father, about the same time
+that Mr. Styles called last."
+
+"Do you know why he called?"
+
+"I do not.  I thought it was about a patent.  I learned that Mr.
+Watkins worked for the United States government and I thought it was
+for the patent office."
+
+"Then that is all, Miss Langmore."  The detective arose and held out
+his hand.  "Now take good care of yourself and do not worry.  Matters
+are bound to come out right in the end."
+
+"But how can they be better for me?" Margaret's face took on its
+worried look again.  "They have proved that I am guilty."
+
+"You are not guilty," said Adam Adams firmly and looking her squarely
+in the eyes.  "You are not guilty.  I say so, and I know.  Do not
+worry.  Rest quietly, and soon everything shall be made plain to you."
+And then before she could answer he was gone.  She sank back among the
+pillows, closed her eyes and heaved a sigh.
+
+"It cannot be!" she murmured.  "It is too late!  I am guilty!  I am
+guilty!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+AN UNDERGROUND MYSTERY
+
+Late that afternoon a burly negro, plainly dressed and wearing a slouch
+hat, made his way along the river road in the direction of the old
+mill.  He kept as much as possible in the shade of the bushes and trees
+and when close to the mill sank low in the tall grass, that he might
+not be seen by anyone who was passing.
+
+The negro was Adam Adams and his disguise was perfection itself.  The
+detective was heavily armed and carried in his pockets several things
+which were unusual to him.
+
+He waited around the old mill until the sun went down and the stars
+began to come out one by one.  No one was in sight, but this did not
+ruffle him.  He was ready to play a waiting game and take whatever was
+to come, even at the risk of his life.
+
+Presently he heard a whistle at a distance.  Then a man appeared whom
+he rightfully took to be the fellow called Bart.  This individual
+passed up and down the road near the mill and also came down to the
+water's edge, to gaze at the footpath on the other side of the river.
+The man had the mastiff Queen with him and the dog came within a
+hundred feet of where Adam Adams was in hiding.  Quickly the detective
+pulled a large atomizer from his pocket.  Then, as the man walked back
+to the Styles' farmhouse, the dog turned and disappeared in the bushes
+as if following a trail.
+
+"Don't come here, old lady," muttered the detective, as he stood on
+guard, with the atomizer ready for use.  "If you do you'll be sorry."
+
+The mastiff was following Adam Adams' trail and in a minute more she
+came up and set up a fierce growl.  Then she made a savage leap forward.
+
+The detective might have finished her with a shot from his pistol, for
+he was an expert marksman.  But he had come prepared to strike a blow
+without making any noise.  As the mastiff sprang at him, he held the
+atomizer at full length and let a portion of the contents fly full into
+the animal's face.  There was a snarl and a gasp and the magnificent
+canine fell over on her side.  Leaping forward, the detective held the
+atomizer at the dog's nostrils and used it vigorously for a few
+seconds.  It was more than sufficient for his purpose and soon the
+animal stiffened out in death.
+
+"It's a shame to kill so fine a brute, but it can't be helped," he
+muttered as he restored the atomizer to his pocket.  He had used a
+mixture of chloroform, carbolic acid and other drugs, and the dog had
+been blinded as well as smothered by the application.
+
+He left the mastiff where she had fallen and, as the darkness
+increased, drew closer to the mill.  Then he saw a man approaching and
+recognized Matlock Styles.  The Englishman entered the old mill,
+closing the door carefully behind him.
+
+"More ghost work, I suppose," murmured the detective, but he was
+mistaken, no such manifestations occurring.  Evidently they were to
+take place later.
+
+Without making a sound he crawled up to a side door of the old mill.
+It was unfastened, and pushing it open, he entered the lower floor of
+the building.  All was silent.
+
+He waited and after awhile heard a step overhead and a low murmur of
+voices.  Then a man came down a narrow stairs, carrying a pole, a white
+sheet and a round, flat pan in which evidently something had been burnt.
+
+"Looks like the ghost outfit," thought Adam Adams, as he crouched down
+behind some empty boxes and bins.
+
+The fellow was tall, broad-shouldered and powerful looking, and Adam
+Adams felt certain he was not Matlock Styles.  He wore a thin white bag
+over his head, with two holes for seeing purposes, and in one hand
+carried a flash lantern.
+
+To the detective matters seemed to be growing tremendously interesting.
+
+The man placed the things he carried in a closet partly filled with
+rubbish.  Then he flashed his light around carefully.  Adam Adams got
+down out of sight and placed his hand on the butt of his pistol.  He
+was resolved to take no more risks than were absolutely necessary.
+
+Presently the light was lowered, and taking a peep Adam Adams saw the
+man kneeling down and tugging away at an iron ring in the floor.  Soon
+a trapdoor came up, and the man, taking up his lantern, disappeared
+from view, closing the trapdoor behind him.
+
+The detective waited for several minutes and then stole forward in the
+utter darkness.  He had measured the distance perfectly and found the
+iron ring with ease.  He pulled upon it gently but firmly and raised
+the secret door several inches.
+
+A look below showed nothing but darkness.  He strained his ears, and
+heard a faint noise at a distance but could not determine whether it
+was the flowing of the river over the stones or something else.
+
+He got out his pistol and examined it with care, to make certain that
+it was ready for use.  Then, with a quick motion, he threw up the
+trapdoor, dropped below, and closed the opening above him.
+
+He felt as does a lion tamer stepping into a cage of beasts new to him.
+He realized that he was on the verge of some important discovery, but
+that this investigation might cost him his life.
+
+He was on a narrow staircase.  There were but ten steps and then he
+found himself between two stone walls with the roof just above his
+head.  Not caring to take another drop into the unknown, he advanced
+slowly, taking no step until he was sure of it.
+
+Presently he came to a turn and then another.  He could now see a light
+shining ahead, coming from under a heavy wooden door.  The barrier was
+tightly closed.  He tried it softly, to find it fastened on the other
+side.
+
+There was a strange whirr and a clicking in the apartment beyond, as if
+some machinery was in motion.  But then came a loud voice and the other
+sounds stopped.  By getting down on his hands and knees Adam Adams was
+enabled to hear nearly all that was said in the place beyond the barred
+door.
+
+"I will listen to reports," said a voice which sounded much like that
+of Matlock Styles.  "Number One, have you performed the ghostly
+manifestations?"
+
+"I have, chief," was the answer.
+
+"Did you notice anything unusual?"
+
+"A boy and a girl on the other side of the river ran away as if the Old
+Nick were after them."
+
+"Anything else?"
+
+"No, but it's Number Three's turn after tonight."
+
+"Very well; Number Three, take notice of that.  Number Two, there are
+but six of you here to-night.  What of the other two?"
+
+"A note was left at the foot of the tree.  They could not come, for one
+had business in New York and the other business in New Haven."
+
+"Very well.  Number Three, what of the goods you shipped to
+Philadelphia day before yesterday?"
+
+"I have a telegram that it was safely received and payment will be made
+to-morrow."
+
+"How much?"
+
+"Two thousand dollars."
+
+"That is fine.  We are doing better than we did."
+
+"I'll try to get more next time."
+
+"Do so by all means.  The more we get the better off we shall be and
+the sooner we can retire.  Number Four, what have you to report?"
+
+"I haven't heard from Albany yet.  I think I'll hear to-morrow."
+
+"What have you to say, Number Five?"
+
+"I met my man last night.  He won't touch the stuff--says it is too
+risky."
+
+"Humph!  What does he expect?  A fortune for nothing?  What have you to
+say, Number Six?"
+
+"I got a long letter from Denver.  The man out there will take twenty
+thousand dollars' worth at fifteen per cent."
+
+"Didn't you tell him our rate was twenty-five per cent.?"
+
+"I did, but he won't bite at that figure.  He says he will go
+elsewhere."
+
+"Where can he go?"
+
+"He didn't say, but he swears he can get the goods."
+
+"Not as good as ours.  However, let him have the stuff at fifteen per
+cent. for the present."
+
+There was a pause.  "Now, has anybody got anything to say?"
+
+"I have," spoke up the man called Number Three.  "I say we must be
+careful.  That tragedy at the Langmore house has brought a lot of
+detectives to this vicinity."
+
+"Yes, I know that.  One of them came over to the farm," answered the
+leader, and now Adam Adams was sure he was Matlock Styles.
+
+"Came to the farm?  What did you say to him?"
+
+"I put him off the track.  He will never bother us again, to my way of
+thinking."
+
+"That's sure?" asked another of the men.
+
+"Bloody sure."
+
+"We must make certain--" began another of the number, when a noise
+outside of the door caused an interruption.
+
+So interested had Adam Adams become in the conversation that he had not
+noticed the advance of two burly men upon him and he was not aware of
+their presence until one pounced on his back and made him a prisoner.
+
+"What's the row out there?" came from within the room.
+
+"A spy, boys!  Open the door and help capture him!"
+
+Instantly there was wild confusion.  The door was flung open and seven
+men poured forth, each armed, and all wearing the white head coverings,
+such as has already been described.
+
+It was a battle of one man against nine and the space was so small that
+Adam Adams could not turn himself.  He drew his pistol, but while one
+man held his wrist another wrenched the weapon from his grasp.  Then
+the detective went down and was severely kicked and pummelled, until to
+resist further was out of the question.
+
+"He ought to be killed!" cried one man.
+
+"That's right, kill him!" put in several.
+
+"No! no! not yet.  We must question him first," said another.
+
+The band surrounded Adam Adams and several pistols were leveled at his
+head as he arose.
+
+"It's funny how the nigger got down here--" began one of the men.
+
+"Nigger?" broke in another.  "He is no nigger.  See how the black has
+rubbed off his face."
+
+The men stepped closer and then one of them gave a start.
+
+"It's the same man!" he cried excitedly.  He turned to another.  "I
+thought you said--"
+
+"I did," was the agitated answer.  "There's a bloomin' mystery here.
+He couldn't get out!  He was bound and the door was locked--I locked it
+myself."
+
+"Go and make sure."
+
+Matlock Styles, for it was he, ran from the room and was gone several
+minutes.  When he came back he was more disturbed than ever.
+
+"You are right, he is gone!" he gasped.  "Can this be the same man?"
+He made another examination of Adam Adams.  "Yes, you are right.  Well,
+he shall not get away again!" he added, significantly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MARGARET
+
+"Tom, I tell you the best you can do is to make a clean breast of it
+and get Uncle Adam to help you."
+
+It was Letty Bernard who spoke and she addressed Tom Ostrello.  The two
+were seated on a bench in the park, where they had gone to talk matters
+over without fear of interruption or of being overheard.  The
+conversation had lasted over two hours, and in that time the girl had
+learned many of the young man's secrets, and in return had told him a
+few things which had astonished and disturbed him.
+
+He was much downcast and with good reason.  For the past month many
+things had gone wrong with him.  The one bright spot had been Letty's
+love for him, pure and strong, helping him to carry his burdens.
+
+"That's an easy thing to say, Letty," he answered.  "But it is not such
+an easy thing to do.  Poor Dick is deep enough in the mud as it is, and
+it will not be to my credit to mention my connection with Matlock
+Styles."
+
+"Yes, but Tom, you--you--Oh, how can I explain?  Can't you trust me
+when I tell you that I am speaking for your own good?  I--I know many
+things of which you are ignorant."
+
+"Then why don't you tell me, Letty?  Is it fair for you to keep silent?"
+
+"No, but then you must remember that I am Mr. Adams' private clerk, and
+he is working on this case in the interests of Miss Langmore."
+
+"I know he is working for her and I hope he clears her.  I always
+thought she was a pretty nice kind of a girl, and I can't believe that
+she is guilty."
+
+"Tom, did you ever imagine they would think you were guilty?" and she
+gazed at him earnestly, as if to search his very soul.
+
+He started.
+
+"Me?  Why--why should anybody imagine I was guilty?  It's--it's out of
+all reason."  He drew a quick breath.  "Letty, do you mean to insinuate
+that Mr. Adams imagines--"
+
+"You mustn't ask me questions, Tom.   But think over what you have told
+me--of that letter your brother Dick wrote asking for money, and how
+you visited the house on the very morning of the murder to get the
+money, and how Mr. Langmore took the letter from your mother and tore
+it in half, and the scene afterwards."
+
+"Yes, I know.  But--"
+
+"And then think of the way by which Mr. Langmore and your mother died.
+Killed by a curious poison, something that they inhaled, which, when
+the doctor got a whiff of it, gave him cramps in the stomach--a curious
+drug not generally known to medical science, a drug--"
+
+He caught her by the wrist and looked fearfully, frightfully, into her
+face.
+
+"Letty!  My God!"
+
+A short silence followed and she saw that he was thinking, deeply,
+swiftly.  The cold perspiration stood out on his forehead but he did
+not appear to notice it.  He dropped her wrist and his hand fell as if
+made of stone.
+
+"Now you understand, Tom.  I--I am speaking for I--I--want you to clear
+yourself."
+
+"Then it has gone as far as this?"  He gave a groan.  "It was that
+drug--Letty, are you sure they have found out about that drug?"
+
+"Yes, but do not say I said so."
+
+"That drug is accursed--a Chinese student told me so.  I laughed at him
+then, but now I believe it.  The first time I carried it around with me
+I was wrecked in a railroad accident and had my arm hurt.  Then, two
+weeks later, when I had it with me, I got caught in that hotel fire in
+Buffalo.  After that a vial once broke on me and if I hadn't gotten
+away in a hurry I should have been smothered.  And now--"
+
+"Have you carried any of it lately?"
+
+"No, not for a month.  I was afraid of it, and so was the firm.  We got
+rid of it, and I was glad of it."  He bit his lip meditatively.  "And
+they think--they suspect--that that drug was used?  It may be."
+
+"Cannot you trace where the drug went to, Tom?"
+
+"That might be possible, although a good many people saw and heard of
+it while our firm handled it."
+
+"Was any of it sold or used in the vicinity of Sidham?"
+
+"No, but--" The young commercial traveler stopped short.  "I
+think--But no, it can't be.  And yet--"
+
+"What, Tom?" she asked eagerly.
+
+He shook his head.  "What's the use?  It would only drag me into the
+mud deeper.  I really can't see what's to do," he went on with
+something of anguish in his tones.
+
+"I am certain the very best thing you can do is to go to Uncle Adam and
+tell him everything.  He will help you and clear up this great mystery."
+
+"But he is working for Margaret."
+
+"Yes, but I know he will work for you--after he has heard your story.
+But you must tell him everything."
+
+"Where is he now?"
+
+"Somewhere around your mother's home, or in Sidham, I think.  I can
+find out for you."
+
+"Very well, I will go to him and ask him if he is willing to side with
+me as well as with Margaret.  But wait, I think I'll go and see
+Margaret first.  You can send word to Mr. Adams that I want to see him.
+Tell him I will be at the Beechwood Hotel.  He can send me a message
+there.  Tell him I can clear up some points which may seem queer to
+him."
+
+"I will, Tom," Letty looked much relieved.  "Oh, I am sure he will help
+you!  He has never yet failed to accomplish anything he has undertaken!"
+
+An hour later saw Tom Ostrello on his way to Sidham.  His face was
+careworn and he looked to be ten years older than he had a week before.
+He was in a thoughtful mood and scarcely looked out of the car window
+as the train rushed onward to its destination.
+
+Arriving at the town, he speedily learned that Margaret had been taken
+to the home of Martha Sampson and was said to be in a serious if not
+dangerous state.  This caused him to halt, and he was half inclined to
+give up the idea of interviewing her,
+
+"It will only make her condition worse," he mused.  "And, poor girl,
+she seems to have suffered more than her share already.  Perhaps I had
+better wait until I hear from Adam Adams."
+
+But then he determined to learn exactly how she was, anyway, and turned
+his footsteps toward the cottage, which stood on a side street of the
+town, backed up by a patch of woods leading to the river.  He was just
+in sight of the place when he heard a cry, and a man came running out
+of the cottage, followed by a woman and a policeman.
+
+"Where is she?  Where is she?" cried the man, and Tom Ostrello
+recognized Raymond Case.
+
+"Hullo!  What's up?" queried the commercial traveler.
+
+"Margaret!  She is gone!" cried Raymond.  He ran back of the house.  "I
+can't see anything of her!" he added with a groan.
+
+"Margaret gone?  I thought she was sick."
+
+"So she is.  She was out of her mind and slipped out of her room while
+the nurse went downstairs for some broth.  I was in the parlor writing
+a letter."
+
+"And I was on guard in the hallway," put in the policeman.  "She didn't
+pass me, that I'll swear to."
+
+"I was only gone a few minutes," said the nurse.  "And I am sure she
+did not go through the kitchen."
+
+"How long ago was this?" asked Tom Ostrello.
+
+"Only a few minutes ago.  Oh, we must find her," answered Raymond.  "If
+she wanders off in her present state of mind there is no telling what
+will happen to her."
+
+The four scattered, and a vigorous search was instituted for the
+missing girl.  Soon the news spread and the chief of police came
+hurrying to the scene.
+
+"Collins, you are responsible for this escape," said he sternly to the
+policeman.
+
+"I did the best I could, sir," was the nervous answer.  "She was that
+sick, sir, I didn't think she could get out of bed, much less walk off."
+
+"Perhaps she is hiding in the house."
+
+The building was searched from cellar to garret, and so were several
+other buildings in that vicinity, but without avail.  Then the
+gathering crowd scattered through the woods and along the river.
+
+"I don't believe she was as sick as they pretended," said one of the
+number.  "This is only a bluff to let her get away.  I said all along
+she was a sly one."
+
+"Perhaps she pulled the wool over the doctor's eyes," came from
+another.  "And over the eyes of that young fellow who's in love with
+her, too."
+
+Raymond heard some of these remarks and they made his face burn.  He
+longed to knock some of the speakers down, but held his temper in check
+as best he could.  He realized that no argument he might advance would
+make an impression where opinions were so set.
+
+Tom Ostrello joined in the search as diligently as the rest, and he and
+Raymond ran through the woods from end to end several times.  Then they
+procured a boat and rowed up and down the river, and crossed over to
+the other side.
+
+"She could not have gone far," said Raymond.  "Her strength was not
+equal to it."
+
+It was dark by the time they came back to the river, to cross to the
+town side.  As they rowed along, slowly and silently, Tom Ostrello
+noticed something floating on the water.  He steered toward the object
+and picked it up.  It was a girl's summer hat.
+
+"Margaret's hat!" cried Raymond.   He dropped his oar and his face
+turned as white as death.  "I know the truth now!  She has drowned
+herself in the river!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+ONE AGAINST MANY
+
+Surrounded by his enemies, Adam Adams stood in the center of the stone
+room under the old mill, speculating upon what was to happen next.  He
+saw that the men were thoroughly aroused and ready for any crime.
+Although all were masked by the hoods over their heads, each showed his
+rage and temper by his movements and his tone of voice.
+
+"Well, now you are in our power, what have you to say for yourself?"
+came from Matlock Styles, after a pause.
+
+"What do you want me to say?" returned the detective.  "You have the
+best of the game just now, so it would seem."
+
+"You're right--and we mean to keep it; eh, boys?"
+
+"That's so," answered several.
+
+"As a spy, he must suffer the fate of a spy," put in one of the number.
+
+"Unless he consents to join us," added another.
+
+"I'd never trust this bloody rascal," broke in Matlock Styles.  "He's
+too sharp for us.  He's a detective."
+
+"If you don't mind telling, what is your business down here, Matlock
+Styles?" asked Adam Adams.  He thought it best to put on a bold front,
+even with matters looking as black as they did.
+
+"Ha!  So you think you know me?" questioned the Englishman harshly.
+
+"Of course, I know you."
+
+"Well--it don't matter much--now," was the significant return.
+
+"Are you transacting business down here?"
+
+"Don't you know?"
+
+"I do not."
+
+"In that case, it's best to keep you ignorant."
+
+"That's right, don't tell him a thing," came from one of the men who
+had first caught the detective.
+
+"I want to know why you followed me up?" continued Matlock Styles.
+"You'll find it to your interest to answer me."
+
+"I might answer as you have done and say it is best to keep you in
+ignorance.  But I won't do it.  I followed you up because I think you
+were connected with the Langmore murders."
+
+At this Matlock Styles started, but quickly recovered.
+
+"What made you think that?"
+
+"Certain things I discovered around the mansion."
+
+"Bah!  That shows how you detectives often miss it.  I was not near the
+Langmore house when the murders were committed."
+
+"You can prove that?" questioned Adam Adams curiously.
+
+"Of course I can.  I was over to Stony Hill with my team, doing some
+trading.  I stopped at the tavern and at the hardware store, and had
+quite a chat with several people there.  I left home at eight o'clock
+in the morning and didn't get back until one o'clock in the afternoon.
+If you had taken the trouble you could easily have found out that what
+I have told you is the truth."
+
+"You can prove that you were at Stony Hill from ten to twelve that
+morning?"
+
+"I can easily do it.  You can ask Doc Mason, at the hardware shop, Sam
+Ross at the tavern, and Dick Stout at the stables, besides a dozen
+others.  Why, I was even talking to Mr. Anderson, the minister.  He is
+thinking of buying a horse from me."
+
+"That detective ain't going to prove anything," broke in one of the men.
+
+"That's right," came from another.  "He has got to take his medicine as
+a spy."
+
+"Of course," said Matlock Styles.  "I only wanted to satisfy his
+curiosity.  Maybe he'll die feeling easier now."
+
+His cold-blooded way of speaking made a chill run down Adam Adams'
+backbone.  He was beginning to see the Englishman in a new light.  The
+man was a master of deception, not as clumsy in thought and action as
+he assumed to be.  And he was as heartless as a stone.
+
+"Would you murder me?" asked the detective.
+
+"It is the rule of our order that no man who acts the spy on us shall
+get away to tell of what he has discovered.  How did you get away after
+I put you in that other room in the dark?"
+
+"It was an easy trick."
+
+"Won't you explain?"
+
+"I might, but it would hinder my getting away in the present instance."
+
+"You'll not get away again, never fear."
+
+"Perhaps he didn't come alone!" exclaimed one of the other men.  "He
+may have others with him, and they may have helped him to escape in the
+first place."
+
+"He was alone when he came to the farm," answered the Englishman.  And
+then he added:
+
+"Bind him, and Number Three and Number Four shall remain on guard to
+watch him."
+
+"Where shall we take him?" questioned Number Four.
+
+"Take him to the last chamber.  But blindfold him first.  He has seen
+enough already."
+
+In a moment Adam Adams was seized and bound in such a fashion that he
+could scarcely move a hand or a foot.  Then a bag was placed over his
+head, with the eye-holes to the back, so that he could see absolutely
+nothing.  He was led away, through a door opposite to the one he had
+entered and along a stone passageway.  When the party came to a halt
+they were in a stone chamber, not over twelve feet square.  Here the
+detective was tied fast to a ring in the wall and the two men sat down
+on a bench to guard him, lighting pipes and smoking in the meanwhile.
+
+"Are you going to keep me blindfolded?" asked the detective.
+
+"We are," was the surly response.
+
+"For how long?"
+
+"Until we get orders to do otherwise."
+
+"Matlock Styles is your master, is he?"
+
+"He is our chief.  But you needn't to ask any questions about him."
+
+"I don't intend to, but if you'll take this off my head I'll tell you
+something worth knowing," went on Adam Adams smoothly.
+
+"Is this a game?" growled the fellow, known as Number Three.  "Because
+if it is, I warn you it won't work.  We've got pistols and we can
+shoot."
+
+"How can I play any game on you, tied up in this fashion?  No, I want
+to see a little and get more air--and I want to get square on Matlock
+Styles."
+
+The two guards consulted together and finally came to the conclusion to
+remove the head covering.  The men had a lantern with them and one
+glance around showed the detective to what a stronghold he had been
+brought.
+
+"Now, what have you got to say about Matlock?" asked one of the men.
+
+"You say he is your chief.  Have you any idea as to whether he is
+treating you fairly?"
+
+"Why do you ask that?"
+
+"Well, perhaps it is nothing to me, but if I was taking the risks you
+take I'd want all that was coming to me."
+
+"We get our share."
+
+"How do you know?  I once exposed a gang of counterfeiters in Maine and
+I found that the chief, Bill Davidson, was getting the lion share of
+the returns.  More than that, when the exposure came, Davidson tried
+his best to get out of it by turning State's evidence."
+
+"And did he get out?" asked one of the men, becoming interested.
+
+"No, he did not.  I would not allow it.  I got two of the other men to
+tell the truth, and Davidson got twenty years."
+
+"And what of the other men?"
+
+"One got scared and ran away and the authorities let him slide.  The
+other man was not prosecuted.  The rest of the gang, four of them, got
+from five to twelve years each."
+
+"Are you a government detective?"
+
+"Not exactly, although I occasionally work for the government.  Here is
+another thing I want you two fellows to know.  The government has been
+hot-footed after your counterfeits ever since they were first marketed."
+
+"Humph, they ain't found out much."
+
+"You are mistaken, they have found out a great deal.  I am only at one
+end of this game, and I must say I have put my foot into it bad."
+
+"That's right," commented Number Three.  He was a small-built man and
+evidently of a vicious temper.
+
+"I am sorry in more ways than one," continued the detective, not
+appearing to notice the interruption.  "I'd like to get out of this
+mess and get ahead of the other fellows working on this case.  It would
+mean great credit to me and a big reward besides.  The gang is bound to
+be rounded up very soon now, and when one or two are caught they'll
+tell on the others.  If I could get somebody to help me out of this
+scrape, and put me next to the whole game, I'd pay him well and see
+that he got out with a whole skin in the bargain."
+
+"Look here, you can't bribe me, so don't try it!" growled Number Three.
+"I'm in this game to a finish, see?  I never got caught yet and I don't
+intend to begin now."
+
+"All counterfeiters get caught sooner or later."
+
+Adam Adams directed his words especially to Number Four, a big-boned
+young man, who was plainly nervous.  The fellow fumbled with his pipe
+but made no reply.
+
+"I always help the man who helps me," went on the detective.  "And I am
+so well known in my profession that my word counts for a great deal.  I
+can save a man if he will only put his trust in me.  I have done it
+many a time."
+
+"Ah, I don't want to hear your fairy stories," growled Number Three,
+but Number Four merely shrugged his shoulders, knocked his pipe clean
+and restored the article to his pocket.
+
+The detective continued to talk, in a low and earnest manner.  He was
+really pleading for his life, for he realized that it was not Matlock
+Styles' intention to let him escape again.  As soon as the
+counterfeiters were sure the coast was clear outside, they would turn
+again to the prisoner and settle his fate.
+
+Thus an hour passed and then came a low whistle.  A minute later
+Matlock Styles entered the stone chamber.
+
+"We'll get to business again," he said shortly.  "We have no time to
+spare."
+
+"What are you going to do next?" asked Number Four, and Adam Adams
+thought he detected a tremor in the tones.
+
+"We are going to draw lots as to who is to dispose of the prisoner."
+
+"How is he to be killed?" asked Number Three.
+
+"That can be decided by the man who draws the red ball," was the
+Englishman's cold-blooded response.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY
+
+"If I can't get away now I am doomed!"
+
+It was Adam Adams who uttered the words in a low but firm voice.  He
+sat on a small bench, in the stone chamber.  His feet were bound with a
+rope and his hands were chained to a ring in the wall behind him.
+
+The counterfeiters had started to draw lots, to see who should be the
+one to do the detective to death.  Then had come an interruption, in
+the shape of an important message, and the detective had been bundled
+off by himself, while the communication was under discussion.
+
+Adam Adams knew that his situation was a desperate one.  The
+counterfeiters were a gang who would stop at nothing to keep their
+secrets.  The only one who appeared to be at all timid was the fellow
+known as Number Four.  Possibly if he could get this fellow alone and
+work on his feelings Number Four might aid him.  But just now such a
+course seemed out of the question.
+
+The detective listened attentively, but only a faint murmur of voices
+reached his ears.  The counterfeiters were having an animated
+discussion over something, but they were on their guard so that not
+even their prisoner might hear.
+
+"Wonder why they are so careful?" mused the detective grimly.  "If they
+are going to take my life I don't see what difference it will make
+whether I know their secrets or not."
+
+Adam Adams was not the man to give in easily.  Upon every case where
+his services were called for, he usually "kept at it" until every
+possibility was exhausted.  He did not give in now, yet it must be
+confessed, being but human, his heart was somewhat heavy.
+
+"I'll have to take chances," he told himself.  "Anything is better than
+to let them kill me in cold blood."
+
+He waited for a few minutes, to find out if anybody was coming to watch
+him.  One of the counterfeiters came in, looked him over in silence,
+and then passed out again, this time closing the door more tightly than
+before.
+
+As soon as the fellow had departed, Adam Adams commenced to work on his
+bonds.  He had studied all sorts of handcuffs, and knew well how to
+manage his hands and wrists when being fastened.  He had not been able
+to get the better of the fellow at the cottage, but now it was
+different, and, with a twist of his wrists, he withdrew first one hand
+and then the other.
+
+With his hands free, it was an easy matter to untie his feet.  This
+done, he arose and tiptoed his way to the door.  He opened the barrier
+with caution, and peered out.
+
+The sight that met his gaze was not a reassuring one.  The
+counterfeiters sat on all sides of the room, and each had a pistol
+where it could be gotten at with ease.
+
+"It's got to be done!" Matlock Styles was saying.  "It should have been
+done long ago."
+
+"All right, I'll do it," grumbled another member of the band.  "But
+I'll be running a big risk."
+
+"Not half the bloomin' risk I've been running," grumbled the Englishman.
+
+"What about the word from Buffalo?" asked another.
+
+"We'll settle that to-night--after we have settled about our prisoner."
+
+"I've got to get back to New York."
+
+"How soon?"
+
+"Just as soon as possible."
+
+"Do you want to take the letter along?"
+
+"Yes; I gave my word I'd bring the letter."
+
+"All right, then; we'll have to write the letter, and each man sign
+it," said Matlock Styles.  "But, I must say, I don't like this way of
+doing things."
+
+"No more do I," growled another of the band.
+
+"It's putting a fellow's head under the axe," came from Number Four.
+
+"Oh, don't get scared!" came from another.  "I know Luffer--he's O.K."
+
+"Everybody is O.K. until he gets in a tight corner and squeals,"
+grumbled Number Four.
+
+"Kicking again, eh?" roared Matlock Styles, glaring sourly at Number
+Four.
+
+"Oh, no; I'll do as the others say!" answered the big-boned young man,
+but with a slight tremble in his voice.  Then all of the counterfeiters
+gathered around a table, to dictate and sign a certain letter some
+outside party had demanded.
+
+Adam Adams did not stop to listen to all of this conversation.  He felt
+that if he was to get away he must lose no time in making the attempt.
+For a moment he thought to rush past the counterfeiters and try to gain
+the regular entrance to the den, but then he realized the foolishness
+of such an attempt.  Before he got a dozen steps, they would fire at
+him, and, most likely, kill him.
+
+He closed the door gently, and, seeing a small stick of wood on the
+floor, stuck this under the barrier and shoved it as tight as possible.
+Then he took up the bench and braced this under the handle of the door,
+so that to shove the door inwards would be all but impossible.
+
+"Now, then, to see if there is some other way out," he mused.
+
+A lantern, hanging on a nail, lit up the stone chamber.  Taking the
+light in hand, he commenced a rapid but thorough investigation of his
+prison.
+
+The walls were practically solid, the only break being at the door and
+on the opposite side, where there had once been another door.  This
+second doorway had been bricked up to within six inches of the top,
+which had been left open, probably for ventilation.
+
+Standing on tiptoes, Adam Adams held up the lantern and looked through
+the ventilating space.  Some cool air coming in, told him that the
+passageway beyond must lead to the outer world.
+
+"If that opening was only a bit larger a fellow might crawl through,"
+was what he told himself.
+
+He set the lantern down and felt of the wall, putting his arm through
+the opening.  It was about a foot thick, and the bricks were well laid,
+in good cement.
+
+"Not much show there," he reasoned grimly.  "If a fellow had time, it
+could be done.  But it would take hours--with only a pocketknife--and
+they'd be sure to hear the noise.  I must see if there isn't some other
+way."
+
+He listened at the door for a moment.  The counterfeiters were still at
+work over the letter, and another angry discussion was in full sway.
+Then he held up the lantern, looking at the flooring over his head.
+
+The planks were heavy but old, and several of them looked to be pretty
+well rotted.  Picking up a stick that was handy, he poked at one plank
+after another.  It was not long before he came to one that was so far
+decayed that the end of the stick went through it with ease.
+
+There was nothing to stand upon but the bench, and so he took it away
+from the door and placed it directly under the decayed plank.  Then he
+stood up and pushed on the plank with both hands.  It gave way, sending
+down a shower of dust and mold in his face, and almost blinding him.
+
+He had made considerable noise, but angry words between the men in the
+other chamber drowned out the sounds.  Catching up the lantern once
+more, he lifted it through the opening over his head, and tried to look
+around.
+
+He could see but little, excepting boxes and barrels, some as decayed
+as was the floor.  Evidently the apartment above had once been a
+store-room, but had not been used for years.
+
+Adam Adams did not speculate long over what to do next.  He felt that
+the farther he got from the counterfeiters the better off he would be.
+Setting the lantern on the floor above, he took a firm hold on a plank
+that looked fairly strong, and drew himself up.  It was a tight
+squeeze, but he had been through many tight squeezes before, so did not
+mind it.
+
+Once in the storeroom, his next move was to place what was left of the
+broken plank into position, and on it he piled several empty boxes and
+barrels.
+
+"That may keep them guessing as to how I got out of the room below," he
+thought.  "They'll find out sooner or later--but the later the better."
+
+Lantern in hand, he moved cautiously around the old storeroom.  There
+were many empty boxes and barrels, and also sacks that contained musty
+flour.  Rats were in evidence, and they scurried hither and thither as
+the detective moved around.
+
+It was not long before he discovered two doors.  One was nailed up, and
+where it led to, he could not surmise.  The other stood partly open,
+and through it came a whiff of fresh air.
+
+"That smells like liberty," he thought, as he breathed in the fresh air.
+
+He looked down a passageway, with a flooring partly of brick and partly
+of stone.  Where it led to, there was no telling.
+
+Feeling that it would be unwise to use the light longer, he put it out.
+But he kept the lantern in his hand, for possible use in the future,
+either to show the way or as a weapon.
+
+The passageway made several turns, and in the darkness he had to feel
+his way along.  Then he reached a flight of stone steps, leading
+downward.
+
+"I don't want to go down--I want to go up," he reasoned.  But there
+seemed no help for it, and down he went, sixteen steps, to land in a
+small room at the bottom.
+
+Here all was pitch-dark, and for the moment he stood still, not knowing
+in what direction to move next.  All around him were stone walls.
+
+Presently he felt a small iron door.  He took hold of the handle and
+found the door locked.
+
+Curious to learn his whereabouts, he felt for a match, struck it, and
+lit the lantern once more.  A brief glance at the door caused a look of
+wonder to overspread his face.  The door was locked with a combination
+lock similar in make-up to the lock on a safe.
+
+He gazed around, and soon learned that there was no exit from where he
+was, save by the flight of stone steps.  To get out, he would have to
+go back.
+
+He gazed again at the small iron door, set in an iron frame, embedded
+in the stone wall.  What could be behind that barrier?  Most likely
+something of great value.
+
+On the floor at his feet was a bit of dirty white paper.  Mechanically,
+he picked it up and looked it over.  On it was the following:
+
+    O--4
+    L 2--12
+    R 3 53
+    L 2 44
+
+"The combination!" he murmured.  "Somebody had it on that paper and
+dropped it.  Shall I try to work it, or try to get out?"
+
+His better judgment told him he should try to make his escape.  But he
+was curious to know what was behind that iron door; and, setting the
+lantern down, he commenced to work the combination knob.  He twirled
+the knob around four times and stopped at O.  Then he began on the
+combination proper--twice to the left, stopping at 12; three times to
+the right, stopping at 53; and then twice to the left again, stopping
+at 44.  Then he came around slowly to O again.  There followed a click.
+The combination was off.
+
+He twisted the handle of the iron door and pulled upon it.  It came
+open noiselessly, revealing a stone chamber beyond, eight feet square,
+and equally high.
+
+Lantern in hand, Adam Adams stepped into the vault and gazed around
+eagerly.  On two sides were wooden shelves, six in number.  On the
+shelves rested several boxes, of wood and of metal.
+
+He opened one of the boxes, and gazed at the contents with interest.
+It contained a quantity of haired paper, almost an exact duplicate of
+the haired paper used in the making of banknotes.
+
+He looked at another box.  This also contained paper.  The third box
+held a quantity of counterfeits, the amount of which made even the
+matter-of-fact detective gasp.
+
+"If they ever floated these, they would be the richest gang of
+counterfeiters in the world!" was his mental comment.  He had no idea
+of the exact amount, but saw that it would total up to a tremendous sum.
+
+He turned to one of the metal boxes.  It was empty, and he set it down
+again.  Then he took up another box that was fairly heavy, and threw
+open the cover.
+
+There, resting on some thick blotting paper, was a counterfeit plate--a
+plate undoubtedly used for printing the backs of the spurious $100
+bills!
+
+Adam Adams could not help but gaze at that plate with interest.  How
+the Secret Service men had worked to bring that plate to light, and
+arrest the users!  And here he, in following up the clues of one crime,
+had stumbled upon the broad trail of another.
+
+As he put the plate down, a noise reached his ears.  By instinct, he
+blew out the lantern and listened.  The noise was that from footsteps
+at a distance.  Then he heard a murmur of voices, quickly growing
+louder.
+
+"They have discovered my escape," he told himself.  And then he blamed
+himself for not having made better use of his time in an endeavor to
+get away.
+
+He stepped out of the vault, and listened with strained ears.  The
+counterfeiters had separated, and were searching in all directions for
+him.
+
+"If they come this way, I'll have to fight," he reasoned.  "I might as
+well die that way, as to be killed in cold blood."
+
+But then a sudden idea came to him, and as quickly as he had left the
+vault, he returned to it.  Footsteps were coming closer, and he had no
+time to spare.
+
+One of the shelves of the vault was close to the top and very broad.
+Up on this climbed the detective, and laid out at full length, as close
+to the wall as possible.  In front of him he held two of the wooden
+boxes containing the haired paper.
+
+Somebody came closer, and he heard talking in the passageway at the
+foot of the stone steps.  A hand was placed on the door of the vault.
+
+"Who left this unlocked?" came in Matlock Styles' voice.
+
+"Is it unlocked?" asked another of the band.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"That is strange.  It was locked yesterday; I am sure of it."
+
+"Maybe that bloody rascal got here!" growled the Englishman.
+
+"How could he work the combination?"
+
+"Oh, some of those chaps are keener than you think.  Wait, hold up the
+light."
+
+Matlock Styles opened the door and gazed into the vault.  For the
+moment he saw nothing.
+
+"Not here," he said briefly.  "Come on; we'll have to look elsewhere."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+DOOMED TO DIE
+
+"Wait a minute!" came from the other man, as Matlock Styles was on the
+point of coming out of the vault.
+
+"What do you want?"
+
+"I want to get some of that new paper."
+
+"Oh, you can get there after we have caught our man."
+
+"I'll take it now--it won't take a minute."
+
+The man pushed his way into the vault.  He took hold of a box.  Then he
+suddenly backed away.
+
+"He's in there!" he gasped.
+
+"In there?  Where?"
+
+"There--on the shelf!  Look out!"
+
+"Ha!  So he is!" ejaculated Matlock Styles.  He, too, leaped back.
+"I've got him, too, the skunk!"
+
+Both of the counterfeiters leaped into the passageway.  Adam Adams came
+down from the shelf.  But the movement was not swift enough.  As he
+leaped towards the iron door, it was banged shut in his face.  Then the
+combination knob was twirled around.
+
+"Ha! ha!  That's the time we caught you like a rat in a trap!" sang out
+the Englishman in triumph.
+
+"Sure it was our man?" queried his companion.  "I didn't get a very
+good look."
+
+"Yes, it was our man, the bloody villain!"
+
+"He's a slick one!"
+
+"So he is--but he'll not get away again.  Go and tell the others that
+it is all right--that we have him," went on Matlock Styles.
+
+"You are sure he can't get out of there?"
+
+"Not in a hundred years!  He'd have to blast his way out to do it."
+
+"Then it's all right," returned the other man, and walked away up the
+flight of stone steps.
+
+"Now, then, you have come to the end of your rope, you bloomin', bloody
+rascal!" cried Matlock Styles, when he was left alone in front of the
+vault.  "You'll not get out of there until I open the door."
+
+"Styles, supposing we talk this matter over?" suggested Adam Adams, as
+calmly as he could.
+
+"Talk it over?  What do you mean?"
+
+"Let me out, and I'll explain."
+
+"I'll not let you out."
+
+"It won't do you any good to keep me in here."
+
+"I know better."
+
+"Don't think that I am alone on this case, for I am not.  If you harm
+me, you'll take the consequences."
+
+"Bah!  You can't scare me!  I'm not a baby.  If you weren't alone, some
+of your chums would be after you long ago.  You thought to run me and
+my gang down single-handed, and have your praises sung in every
+bloomin' newspaper of the country!  I know your kind.  But I've got you
+now like a rat in a trap.  And you'll get out like the rat does--after
+he's dead."
+
+"You won't talk then?"
+
+"No--at least, not now.  Perhaps I'll talk later.  But I'll not give
+you your liberty," and thus speaking Matlock Styles tried the door of
+the vault, to make certain that it was secure, and walked away.
+
+It must be confessed that Adam Adams felt that he was in a dangerous
+situation--a situation in which the majority of men would have given up
+utterly.  He still had his lantern, and this he lit once more, and by
+its rays examined every foot of the vault in which he was a prisoner.
+
+He saw little that gave him encouragement.  The sides and flooring were
+of stone and brick, well put together and strong.  The ceiling was
+likewise of brick, resting on arches of iron.
+
+"Looks as if I was booked to stay here!" he muttered grimly, as he
+viewed the situation.  "No getting out as I got out of that other hole."
+
+He noticed that the air was not good, and this soon gave him cause for
+additional alarm.  If he could not get any fresh air, he might smother
+before anybody came to release him.
+
+Once more he went over the walls and the flooring, and even pounded on
+the iron door.  It was all to no purpose.  He was as close a prisoner
+as if encased in a stone tomb.
+
+"Perhaps they will leave me here until I either smother or starve to
+death," he reasoned.  "It would be an easy way of disposing of me.  And
+Miss Langmore and Mr. Case would wonder how I came to disappear so
+mysteriously."
+
+He set the boxes on the floor, and, standing on one of them, proceeded
+to examine the roofing of the vault more carefully.  He found one of
+the iron arches a bit loose at one end, and pulled upon it with all his
+might.
+
+The result was greater than he had anticipated.  The iron brace came
+down, and with it fell several dozens of brick, some hitting the
+detective on the legs and feet.  He shrank back against the shelves,
+and so avoided getting the shower on his head.  The lantern was
+smashed, leaving him in total darkness.
+
+As soon as the fall was over, he pulled the boxes from beneath the
+bricks and piled them one on top of the other.  Mounting as high as he
+could, he felt around, secured a hold on some bricks and stones above,
+and hauled himself upward.
+
+"Now to get out somehow!" he told himself.  "No more lingering in this
+den of criminals!"
+
+He felt around, as he moved forward.  On all sides the walls were wet
+and slimy.  He advanced with care, resolved to avoid all pitfalls, were
+it possible to do so.  He was in a place where the roofing was no
+higher than his shoulders, so he had to stoop as he progressed.
+
+A moment later he found himself in a narrow passageway, with rocks on
+one side and a heavy wooden partition on the other.  Through a slit in
+the partition a faint light was streaming.
+
+Adam Adams tiptoed his way to the slit and looked through.  Beyond he
+made out the printing room of the counterfeiting plant.  Only one man
+was present, the big-boned fellow known as Number Four.  He was seated
+on the corner of a rude table, idly tearing some paper into strips, and
+evidently thinking deeply.
+
+As the detective was about to move on, another person entered the
+printing room.
+
+"Did they get him?" asked Number Four eagerly.
+
+"Yes," was the short reply.
+
+"Where was he?"
+
+"You'd never guess."
+
+"At the river?"
+
+"No; in the vault."
+
+"What!  How did he get there?"
+
+"Nobody knows.  He must have found the door open.  But it's against the
+rules for anybody to leave that door unlocked."
+
+"I know that," said Number Four, and heaved a deep sigh.
+
+"Say, you don't like your job, do you?" went on the other
+counterfeiter, with a sniff.
+
+"Would you like it?" demanded Number Four, half angrily.
+
+"Well, not particularly."
+
+"When I joined this gang, I did it to make money, both ways.  I didn't
+join to kill folks."
+
+"Sure, that's true.  But the fellow deserves what he'll get.  He is a
+spy, and when a fellow spies on the likes of us he takes his life in
+his hands--and he knows it."
+
+"Well, that may be so.  Just the same, I'm sorry I drew the red ball,"
+went on Number Four.
+
+"Ain't going to back out, are you?"
+
+"Humph!  How can I back out?  Styles wouldn't allow it."
+
+"You bet he wouldn't--and none of us would, for that matter.  If I had
+drawn the red ball I would have done what was asked of me, and no
+shirking--and you've got to do the same."
+
+"I ain't shirking," growled Number Four.  "I'll do my duty.  But I
+don't like the job," and then he arose and left the room.
+
+Adam Adams had moved on, too--down the dark passageway.  Soon he came
+to a place so narrow that he squeezed through with difficulty.  Here he
+stepped into a nest of rats, and one bit him in the ankle, causing him
+to give an involuntary cry of pain.  The rats were all around, and he
+had to hiss quite loudly to make them keep their distance.
+
+He could now smell the water, and knew he must be close to the river.
+Once in the stream, he felt that he could swim to safety.  But he must
+look our for more traps.
+
+Another turn, and he found the water flowing at his feet.  Far ahead
+was a faint glimmer of light.  He entered the water and pushed forward.
+Then, of a sudden, he came to a halt.  He had heard the sound of
+somebody rowing.
+
+The small boat passed, and all became silent once more.  Again he
+pushed on, and presently reached a spot at the edge of the old mill.
+He was under a dock.  Close at hand rested a rowboat, with the oars
+across the seats.
+
+"The boat for mine--if I can get into it without being seen," the
+detective told himself.
+
+With added caution, he waded around to the stern of the rowboat, and
+peered around carefully.  Not a soul seemed to be in sight, and, with
+care, he climbed over the stern of the craft.
+
+"Stop!" came a cry.  "Here he is!"
+
+He turned and leaped to the oars.  As he did this, something whizzed
+through the air.  It struck him on the head, and over he went, across
+the seats of the boat.  He clutched wildly at the air; and then his
+senses forsook him.
+
+"Who is it?" came another call.
+
+"That rascal who escaped!"
+
+"It can't be--he is in the vault."
+
+"Come, see for yourself.  Quick!"
+
+Three men came rushing to the spot, and the rowboat was hauled close to
+the dock.  The counterfeiters pounced upon Adam Adams, and by the time
+he had recovered his senses, he was again a close prisoner.  Then
+Matlock Styles appeared.
+
+"He is a wizard!" ejaculated the Englishman.  "But he shall not get
+away again!  I'll guard him myself--until Number Four finishes him!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+TOM OSTRELLO'S STORY
+
+On the following evening, at exactly seven o'clock, an old man came to
+the depot at Sidham and met the incoming train.  He was rather feeble in
+his movements and hobbled rather than walked to meet a man who came in
+with a portfolio under his arm.
+
+"Excuse me, but is this Mr. Granby?" he asked in a quavering voice.
+
+"That's my name," said the new arrival, with a slight start.
+
+"How are the sketches getting along?  I hope you are making a good
+picture of my daughter."
+
+"Very good, I think, sir.  If you will come to my room, I will show you
+my proof."
+
+"All right, sir," answered the old man.
+
+The two men left the depot, and crossing the roadway, walked to a hotel
+on the next block.  They ascended to the third floor and made their way
+to a fine apartment in the front.  Here the door was locked, the curtains
+drawn, and the gas was lit.  Then both men removed wigs and false
+whiskers, and there stood revealed Charles Vapp and Adam Adams.
+
+"You are on time, I see," said the latter, as he dropped into an easy
+chair and lit a cigar.
+
+"Yes, I was lucky enough to get your telegram directly after it came in.
+The trail took me near the office and Frank passed it to me."
+
+"What of the man you have been following?"
+
+"He is looking for you."
+
+"Do you know the reason?"
+
+"Yes.  He has had several talks with Letty Bernard, and she has advised
+him to speak to you, and tell you everything, whatever that may mean.
+The girl told him that you could clear him."
+
+"Humph!  She takes a good deal for granted.  Anything else?"
+
+"Do you know that Margaret Langmore has disappeared?"
+
+"So I heard, less than an hour ago."
+
+"They say she ran away to escape trial."
+
+"Perhaps so, but if she did she was out of her head.  It is too bad, for
+it complicates matters."
+
+"By your telegram I see that you want me to turn to something else," went
+on Charles Vapp, after a pause.
+
+"I do."  Adam Adams drew a long breath.
+
+"Charley, wonderful things can happen in twenty-four hours."
+
+"I know that, Adam."
+
+"Last night I was doomed to die.  I was in the hands of one of the worst
+band of evil-doers I ever ran across.  They drew lots as to who should
+slay me--just as the Anarchists draw lots to kill one who has been marked
+by them."
+
+"And you escaped?"
+
+"If I hadn't I shouldn't be here.  It's a long story.  As luck would have
+it, the foul deed fell to the lot of a fellow known as Number Four.  He
+was a weak-kneed chap, and I had previously spoken to him about getting
+caught and imprisoned, and I said I would befriend anybody who would
+befriend me.  He was to shoot me, tie my body in a bag with rocks, and
+sink me to the bottom of the river.  He said he would do the job only
+when alone and the others took him at his word.  When he got me where he
+wanted me, he told his story.  He used to be poor but honest, and was
+once sent up for a theft that he had not committed.  The gang got hold of
+him, when he came out of prison, and he was made to join the band.  He
+said he did not want to kill anyone, that he was sick of what he had been
+doing, and wanted to reform.  I promised him a thousand dollars if he
+would let me go, and promised not to testify against him, if he would
+tell me all he knew.  He took me at my word, and sank a sack full of
+grass and stones to the bottom of the river, instead of yours truly.
+Then he came away with me, told me some astonishing things, took his
+thousand dollars; and I haven't seen him since, and I doubt if he will
+ever show himself again."
+
+"You were more than lucky.  But what is this band--if it is any of my
+business?"
+
+Adam Adams leaned forward.
+
+"Don't breathe it to a soul, not even at headquarters," he whispered.  "I
+have located a band of counterfeiters--the makers of that clever
+counterfeit bill on the Excelsior National Bank of New York.  You've
+heard of it--the one they said was printed from the Racksburg plates."
+
+"Sure, the one Fields tried to run to earth last year."
+
+"The same."
+
+"That's a big feather in your cap."
+
+"In following up one thread I seem to have gotten away from another.  I
+started out to find the murderer of Mr. and Mrs. Langmore.  I thought I
+had a line on one fellow, but it would seem now that he can readily prove
+a complete _alibi_."
+
+"What do you want me to do?"
+
+"I want you to keep your eyes on certain people in and around this town,
+and especially on that Matlock Styles.  If you see any indications of his
+running away, arrest him on the spot.  Here is a list of the men to be
+watched."  Adam Adams brought out a slip of paper.  Then he described the
+old mill.  "The counterfeiters' rendezvous is under that mill," he
+continued.  "They make folks think the place is haunted and Styles has
+savage dogs on his farm near by, and that keeps the curious away.  I want
+you to watch the mill, too, if you can.  But keep out of all danger.  If
+any of the gang try to trap you shoot them down, for if they catch you
+they won't be apt to let you get away alive.  If you wish get Strong to
+help you."
+
+"I understand, and I'll be on my guard," said the assistant.
+
+After that the pair conversed for a quarter of an hour longer and then,
+after making some changes in his disguise, Charles Vapp hurried from the
+hotel and out into the darkness of what looked as if it would prove a
+stormy night.
+
+As soon as Vapp had gone, Adam Adams sat down and penned a brief note.
+This he sent out by a hotel messenger, and then sank back in his easy
+chair, to smoke and to meditate.
+
+The detective had learned much, yet about certain things he was in the
+dark as much as ever.  The mysterious Number Four--he had not asked the
+penitent for his name--had given him the names and addresses of fourteen
+men connected with the band of counterfeiters.  Eleven of these
+individuals were makers of the bogus bank bills, and the other three
+operated in the big cities, disposing of the "goods" in bulk to others,
+who in their turn, fed the bad bills to the general public.
+
+So far as Number Four knew, Matlock Styles was the head of the gang, but
+the man had said there was another individual, to whom Styles often went
+for advice.  This man was considered to be very shrewd, but what his name
+was there was no telling.  Number Four ventured a guess that he might be
+connected with the United States treasury department.
+
+After his escape from the den, Adam Adams had gone to Stony Hill in
+secret, and there verified Matlock Styles' story that the Englishman had
+not been near the Langmore mansion during the time the murders were
+committed.  So, from that crime, at least, the counterfeiter was
+apparently cleared.
+
+But this only made the mystery connected with the counterfeits in the
+safe so much deeper.  Number Four had never mentioned Barry Langmore when
+speaking of the members of the gang, and when questioned about the man,
+said he had known him by sight and that was all.
+
+Less than an hour after he had sent out the messenger, there came a knock
+on the door and Tom Ostrello presented himself.
+
+"You are the gentleman that wishes to see me?" he inquired.
+
+"I believe you wish to see me," was the reply, as the detective closed
+the door and locked it again.  "Sit down, Mr. Ostrello.  I am Adam Adams."
+
+"Oh, I--er--I didn't quite recognize you in that dress."
+
+"I suppose not."  There was a brief pause.  "Mr. Ostrello, if you wish to
+speak to me, I am at your disposal for the next hour."
+
+"Thank you."  The young commercial traveler cleared his throat.  "You
+are--I mean, I believe you know the relationship between Miss Bernard and
+myself?"
+
+"She has told me something about that."
+
+"She tells me you are her closest friend--that you have really been a
+father to her since her own parent died.  And she tells me that you are
+one of the greatest detectives in the world.  I wish I had known that
+when we first met--I should have engaged you to clear up the mystery of
+this sad affair."
+
+The young man paused again.  Evidently it was hard work for him to get
+directly at the subject on hand.  Adam Adams remained silent.
+
+"I did not imagine that I--well, that I would be connected with this
+great crime.  I mean, that anybody would suspect that I had done the
+deed.  It is a fearful thought!  That I would kill my own mother!  I know
+such things have been done, but they must have been done by beasts, not
+men.  I know I should have spoken of the visit that very morning to my
+mother."
+
+"Then you admit that you called at the house?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"You were dressed in a gray suit and wore a slouch hat, and you entered
+by the back way?"
+
+"How did you learn all that?" cried the young commercial traveler in
+astonishment.
+
+"Never mind.  In coming away you slipped and fell, and your hat dropped
+off."
+
+Tom Ostrello nodded.  "I understand that somebody must have noticed me
+after all.  I came in by the back way because I missed the train for
+Sidham, and took that which stops only at Chester.  It is a short cut
+through the woods from Chester Station to the Langmore place.  When I
+came away I had just time enough to catch another train at Chester, and I
+was very anxious to get back to the city, for I had an important
+engagement with one of my customers."
+
+"I understand.  Proceed, please."
+
+"I came to the house for two reasons.  In the first place, as perhaps you
+know, my brother, Dick, is a spendthrift, and works occasionally only.
+He got into a scrape in Los Angeles, and telegraphed me to help him out
+financially.  It was an old plea, but I thought if I left him to himself
+my mother would not forgive me.  I did not have money enough to help him
+by myself, for my capital was tied up in such a fashion that I could not
+get at it.  More than that, I had in my possession two one hundred dollar
+bills, which my mother had gotten from Mr. Langmore, and both of these
+were counterfeits."
+
+"One of those bills you had tried to pass at a theatre, eh?"
+
+"Ha!  You know that, too!  Then you have been following me up?"
+
+"The United States Government has been trying to follow up those bills
+for several years."
+
+"I came to the house and saw my mother.  Mr. Langmore had gone to the
+bank.  There had been a family row, but that was not all of the trouble.
+Mr. Langmore was strangely excited, so my mother said, and had declared
+he was going to have somebody arrested, before the week was out."
+
+"On account of the counterfeits?"
+
+"Either that, or on account of a patent.  She said he had sent off
+several letters and was also going to telegraph to somebody.  She said he
+had asked her to give back the hundred dollar bills, and had been much
+disturbed when she told him that I had them.  She took the bills back and
+gave me good money for them, and also gave me two hundred dollars more,
+to forward to my brother Dick, which I did, adding a hundred of my own."
+
+"Did your mother tell you anything more about the counterfeits?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Did you see Miss Langmore?"
+
+"I did not, nor did I see the servant.  I was in a hurry, and so I came
+away as soon as my business was accomplished."
+
+"When you came away from the house and dropped your hat, did you go back
+again, crawling along by the bushes?"
+
+"I certainly did not."
+
+"Did you see any other man around?"
+
+"Not there.  I caught a glimpse of a man when I was hurrying through the
+woods to the station."
+
+"When you came to the house, after the tragedy, Mr. Ostrello, what were
+you so anxious about?"
+
+"You mean what was I looking for?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"A letter Dick had sent me.  It told about his trouble.  I thought at
+first it might be in the library, but I found it in my mother's room.  It
+contained an account of the scandal he had gotten into.  I did not wish
+that scandal to become public property.  I can show you that letter if
+you wish to see it."
+
+"Lately you have had some trouble with a man named Matlock Styles.  What
+was that about?"
+
+"It was over a patent.  I thought of an idea for a machine to box up
+pills in a new way, and spoke to Mr. Langmore about it.  I left some
+papers with Mr. Langmore and I think Styles got hold of them and applied
+for the patent.  We had several disputes, and at last he threatened to
+get me into trouble with the firm I represent.  He said he had influence,
+and as I didn't want to lose my job, I didn't press him about the patent.
+He acts like a farmer, but he is a shrewd fellow, and not to be trusted."
+
+"You went back to the house lately, on the sly--told Mrs. Morse you
+wanted some books."
+
+"I admit it.  I wanted to get some of my mother's private papers.  Now
+she is dead, I wish to look out for any share of the estate that may be
+coming to my brother Dick and myself.  Isn't that natural?  It was
+foolish of me to run away as I did, but--well, I was nervous.  This
+tragedy has completely unnerved me, and I hardly know what I am doing."
+
+"How about this bit of wrapping paper?" and Adam Adams brought forth the
+piece he had found under Mr. Langmore's safe.
+
+"I do not know where that came from, but it is evidently a part of some
+of my firm's advertising.  The first three lines are the name and
+address.  The last line reads, 'Keep dark'."
+
+"I found this under the library safe."
+
+"That is not to be wondered at.  Some time ago, I remember, I got some
+powders for Mr. Langmore, for headaches.  I remember the box had a
+wrapper of that sort on it.  The powders lose their strength if exposed
+to the sunlight.  And that reminds me, you--you think these murders were
+committed through the agency of a Chinese powder--_yamlang-peholo_--a
+powder my firm once introduced in this country."
+
+"The evidence points that way."
+
+"I know of nobody around that house who had any of the accursed stuff,
+for it certainly was accursed.  I never took any there--or, at least, if
+I ever did, I do not remember taking it out of my grip."
+
+"Can you furnish me with a list of people who received this stuff from
+you or from others?"
+
+"I can.  On my way to Sidham I made out this list, and here it is," and
+the young man brought it forth.
+
+Adam Adams glanced at it quickly, and read over the long line of names
+and addresses--doctors, druggists and private individuals.  Suddenly he
+paused and a smile of triumph lit up his features.
+
+"Good!" he almost shouted.
+
+"You have discovered something?" asked Tom Ostrello quickly.
+
+"Yes, I have discovered a great deal.  I think the murder mystery is as
+good as solved."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+WHAT HAPPENED TO MARGARET
+
+It is said by specialists that the human brain can stand just so much,
+and no more.  The tension becomes so great--something snaps--and then?
+The question is one, hard, if not impossible, to answer.
+
+So it was with poor Margaret, hounded by the well-meaning but ignorant
+officers of the law of the community in which the double crime had been
+committed.  So searching had been the questions put, so strong the
+accusations, that the reasoning powers of the girl were completely
+shattered.  She imagined herself guilty--imagined herself being taken
+to prison, to be hung or electrocuted, and in a hundred ways suffered
+the mental tortures of the eternally condemned.
+
+Then came a change, when she grew hysterical and laughed softly to
+herself.  No! no! she must not let them hang or electrocute her!  It
+would be too much of a disgrace!  She must escape such a fearful fate!
+
+But how?  There could be but one answer to that question.  She must
+contrive in some way to outwit her enemies--she must escape--must fly
+to some place where they would never be able to find her.
+
+It is said that those who are insane are usually shrewd, and so it was
+in Margaret's case.  She prepared to run away, but she did not allow
+the nurse or the doctor to become aware of what she was doing.  She
+waited until the doctor had made another call, and then asked the nurse
+to fix her something special to eat.
+
+"Why, yes, I'll get whatever you wish, my dear!" said the nurse, and
+went below to prepare the food.
+
+No sooner had the woman disappeared than Margaret leaped from her bed
+and began to dress.  All of her things, even to her hat, were in a
+closet of the bedroom, so this was easy.
+
+"How shall I go?" she asked herself.  She knew, from the talk she had
+heard, that a policeman was somewhere around, watching the house.  She
+looked out of a window and saw him, leaning against a fence, taking
+occasional sly puffs from a pipe he held in the hollow of his hand.
+
+She did not dare descend the stairs.  She looked out of the window.  It
+was not very far to the roof of a porch, and against the porch was a
+trellis, with a wealth of honeysuckle growing upon it.
+
+How she did it, Margaret could not afterwards remember.  But she
+crawled forth from the window, and climbed down the trellis as if it
+were a ladder.  The sweet scent of the honeysuckle made her sick, and
+she came close to falling in a faint at the foot of the vines.
+
+Reaching the ground, she stared around like a frightened fawn seeking
+to hide from the hunters.  Then, without knowing why, she sped for the
+river bank.
+
+The water looked cool and inviting, and for several minutes the
+beautiful girl stood there, gazing steadily down into those depths.
+Should she make a leap and end it all?
+
+"It would be the easiest way out of it!" she moaned to herself.  "The
+easiest way, and nobody would care!"
+
+But, as she bent lower, she seemed to see reflected, not her own face,
+but the face of Raymond.  With a cry of despair, she shrank back as if
+struck a blow.
+
+"No! no!  It will not do!" she moaned.  "Not that!  Not that!"
+
+She ran along the river bank until she came to where a rowboat was tied
+up.  On the seats were the oars, and, scarcely knowing what she was
+doing, she leaped into the craft, untied the painter, and took up the
+oars.
+
+The fresh air seemed to give her strength, and she pulled on and on.
+She grew thirsty and stopped to drink some of the water and to bathe
+her face and hands.  While doing this, her hat slipped overboard and
+drifted away, but she did not notice this.
+
+Presently she took up the oars once more, and rowed along the stream
+until she reached a spot where there was an island.  Here she went
+ashore, hiding the rowboat in the bushes.
+
+It was only a small island, but in the center some boys had erected a
+hut where they had once camped out.  Margaret dragged herself to this
+shelter.  Her strength was almost gone now, and, as she dropped on a
+rude bench, her senses forsook her.
+
+She did not remain unconscious long, but during that time she had a
+dream or vision.  She imagined that she was back home once more, and
+that her father and her stepmother were alive and well, and that the
+bitter quarrelling had come to an end.  She sat up and brushed the
+tumbled hair from her forehead,
+
+"It--it must have been a dream!" she murmured.  "It can't be true--that
+daddy is dead!  I--I must go home and find out!"
+
+She was surprised to find herself on the island, but the sight of the
+rowboat brought with it a memory of how she had used the craft, and
+once again she got in and rowed away.
+
+This time she headed for the Langmore mansion, and it was not long
+before she came within sight of the well-known dock where her own tiny
+craft still rested.  She looked around.  Not a soul seemed to be in
+sight.
+
+With a cunningness far out of the ordinary, the poor girl crept along
+the shrubbery in the direction of the barn.  This structure was locked
+up.  From the barn she turned to the house, and, watching her chance,
+she entered by the cellar-way, which chanced to be standing open.
+
+It was dark and damp below stairs, and the girl shivered as she stood
+there, trying to make up her mind what to do next.  Should she go right
+up and try to find her father?  Supposing her stepmother was there,
+would she try to make more trouble?
+
+Margaret mounted the stairs and entered the lower hall of the house.
+The blinds were closed, and all was dark.  She moved towards the room
+where the body of her father had been found.
+
+At that moment the woman who had been left at the mansion came from the
+kitchen.  She caught one glimpse of the girl and set up a shriek.
+
+"It's a ghost!" she cried.  "A ghost!  Heaven help me!"
+
+The cry was so piercing and so genuine, it roused Margaret from the
+stupor in which she was moving.
+
+"My father!  He is dead, after all!  Oh, daddy!" she screamed, and then
+turned, brushed past the woman, and sped out of the back door of the
+mansion.
+
+"What's the matter?" came from the policeman who was on guard.
+
+"She--a ghost!" stammered Mrs. Morse.  "I saw her!"
+
+"Her?  Who?"
+
+"Margaret Langmore!  Or else her ghost!"  The woman had gone white, and
+was shaking from head to feet.
+
+"Where?"
+
+"Here."
+
+"When?"
+
+"Just now!"
+
+"It can't have been the girl.  She is in bed, under the doctor's care."
+
+"But I saw her!" insisted the woman.
+
+"We'll take a look around," answered the guardian of the law.
+
+They commenced the search, but long before this was done Margaret had
+run back to the river.  She dropped into the rowboat, and rowed off as
+swiftly as her failing strength would permit.
+
+"Daddy is dead, after all!" she moaned, over and over again.  "And she
+is dead, too!  I remember it all, now.  And the blood!  Oh, I must get
+away, or they will hang me, or electrocute me!"
+
+Five minutes more and the rowboat came to grief on some rocks close to
+the side of the stream.  It commenced to fill with water, and Margaret
+had to wade ashore, which she did, slowly and deliberately, like one in
+a dream.  Then she passed into the woods.  Coming to a thick clump of
+bushes, she sank down exhausted, and there merciful sleep overtook her.
+
+How long she slept, she did not know.  The low growl of a dog aroused
+her.  She sat up, and the growl of the dog became a heavy bark.
+Looking from out of the clump of bushes, she saw a mastiff standing
+there, eying her suspiciously.
+
+"What is it, boy?" she heard a heavy voice ask.  "A woodchuck?  Never
+mind now, come on."
+
+But the mastiff continued to bark, and came close enough to sniff at
+Margaret's foot.  She essayed to draw back, but was too weak to do so.
+
+"Won't come, eh?" cried the man.  "What's the bloomin' reason, I'd like
+to know?"
+
+He came closer and then caught sight of Margaret.  For a second he
+stared in amazement; then uttered an exclamation.
+
+"You!  How did you get here?"
+
+"Oh!" she fairly screamed.  She recognized Matlock Styles, and knew not
+what to say.  For some reason she felt as does the bird in the net of
+the fowler.
+
+"This is bloomin' strange," went on the Englishman.  "I thought you
+were down in the village, under the care of the doctors."
+
+"I was," she managed to falter.
+
+"How did you get here--run away?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"I--I do not know.  I--they have found me out!  They are going to hang
+me, or electrocute me!  I--I couldn't stand it!"
+
+"How do you know that?"
+
+"Oh, I know only too well."
+
+"So you ran away, did you?  'Twas a bloody cute thing to do, Margaret.
+Say, your dress is wet," he went on wonderingly.
+
+"Yes, I was in a rowboat and had to wade ashore."  She looked at him
+with a face full of wild misery.  "Oh, please go away and leave me!"
+
+"Leave you?"
+
+"Yes! yes!"
+
+"I can't do that, Margaret."
+
+"You must!"
+
+"But you are not fit to be left alone.  You're sick."
+
+"Never mind--only leave me!"
+
+"Better let me take care of you."  And now, having stopped the barking
+of the mastiff, he came and sat down by her side.
+
+"No! no!"  She tried to shrink away, but was too weak to succeed.
+
+"So you ran away, eh?  Are they after you?"
+
+"I don't know.  I--I suppose so."
+
+"How did you get out of the house?"
+
+"I climbed out of a window, when the nurse and the policeman were not
+looking."
+
+"Bloomin' clever, that," he murmured.  His eyes were watching her
+closely, and to himself he was saying: "Gad, what a beauty she is, in
+spite of what she has suffered!"
+
+"I am going away--far away!" she went on, in a low voice.  "Oh, I
+cannot, cannot stay here."
+
+"You can't travel in your condition, Margaret."  He pulled thoughtfully
+at his mutton-chop whiskers.  "You let me help you."
+
+"You?"
+
+"Yes.  Come, give me your arm," and he caught hold of her, as if to
+assist her to arise.
+
+"No, no!  Please leave me!" she begged.  "I can take care of myself.
+Only give me the chance to get away!"
+
+"Margaret!  You are out of your mind."
+
+"No, I am not."
+
+"I know better.  And I am not going to let you go away.  You shall go
+with me."
+
+"Oh, Mr. Styles!  Please go away."
+
+"No," he answered firmly.  "Come, you have got to go with me."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+A GLASS OF POISON
+
+Margaret could do nothing but stare at the man before her.  He was
+heavy-set and powerful, and wont to having his own way.
+
+"Mr. Styles--" she began, but he put his hand over her mouth.
+
+"You are sick--out of your head," he interrupted.  "I know what is
+best, and you must do as I say.  Come on."  And he pulled her forward
+by the hand.
+
+"Where to?"
+
+"Not very far."
+
+"I--I do not wish to go to your home."
+
+"I'll not take you there, don't fear."
+
+"You are going to hand me over to the--the authorities."
+
+"Never!  Come.  I won't hurt you."
+
+He led the way through the woods, across a small stream and past a spot
+where some wild berries grew.  Then they struck a trail leading up a
+hillside.  The place was new to her.
+
+"I want to know where you are taking me," she said presently, and came
+to a halt.
+
+"To a place where you will be safe."
+
+"That isn't answering the question."
+
+"We'll be there in a few minutes, and then you can see for yourself,
+Margaret.  Cannot you trust me, girl?  I'm not going to hurt you.  I
+love you, and I'll do all I can to help you.  Come!"  And again he made
+her move on.
+
+At last they came in sight of a tumbled-down cottage on the edge of
+what had once been a clearing, but which was now overgrown with weeds
+and brushwood.  As they came up, Margaret's strength gave out, and
+suddenly she sank down on her knees.
+
+"All in, are you?" he said, not unkindly, and, stooping, he picked her
+up bodily.  She tried to resist, but could not, and he took her into
+the cottage and placed her on a couch.
+
+"I'll get you a nurse," he said, noting her extreme paleness.  "You
+need one."
+
+"A--a woman?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Thank you," she murmured, and then closed her eyes, for she was too
+far gone to say more, or to make a move.
+
+He was as good as his word, and when she roused up once more an old
+woman was at Margaret's side.  She had administered some sort of
+drug--what, the girl did not know--and it had put her into a sound
+sleep.
+
+When Margaret looked around again, she was surprised to see that it was
+morning.  She tried to think, but her mind was almost a blank.  Outside
+of the broken window a wild bird was singing gayly.  She looked around.
+The old woman was not in sight.
+
+She had been put to bed, and sat there, trying to think for several
+minutes.  Then she gave a low call, and the old woman appeared in the
+doorway.
+
+"Come awake, have ye, miss?" said she.
+
+"Where am I?" asked Margaret feebly.
+
+"You're safe enough, never fear."
+
+Margaret said no more and the woman went about some little work.
+Presently the girl arose and dressed herself.  She felt much stronger
+than when at the home of Martha Sampson, in spite of what she had
+experienced in running away.  She sank down in a rocking chair, to
+think matters over.
+
+How far was she from Sidham?  She knew she must have come a long
+distance, but could not tell if it was five miles or fifty.  She looked
+out of the window, but the scenery was strange to her.
+
+As she sat there she reviewed what had passed, her mind becoming
+clearer as she thought.  She remembered the scene at the inquest, and
+remembered how she had fainted, and how Raymond had supported her and
+taken her to the nurse's house.  Then she remembered how the coroner's
+jury had accused her of the terrible crime, and she gave a deep shudder.
+
+"Poor, dear father," she murmured.  "Who could have been so wicked as
+to take your life?"
+
+An hour went by, and she prepared to leave the cottage, when a shadow
+fell across the window, and Matlock Styles appeared.  He spoke a few
+low words to the old woman, and the latter walked away.
+
+As the man entered the room, Margaret arose and faced him.  The
+Englishman was well dressed, and newly shaven, and wore a rosebud in
+his buttonhole.  Evidently, he had spent some time over his toilet in
+honor of the occasion.
+
+"I'm glad to see you up and looking so well," he said pleasantly.  "I
+was afraid your running away would hurt you."
+
+"I--I must thank you for what you have done for me, Mr. Styles," she
+answered.
+
+"Oh, that's all right, Miss Margaret.  I'd do as much for you any day.
+I think it's a bloomin' shame the way you have been treated."
+
+"Well, I suppose it cannot be helped.  But I must be getting back soon.
+You will show me the road?"
+
+"Don't be in a hurry to go.  You're not strong enough to go.
+Besides--" the Englishman paused impressively.  "What's the use of
+going back?  Don't you know things look beastly black for you?"
+
+"Perhaps, but I am not afraid--now.  I am not guilty, Mr. Styles."
+
+"Of course not!  Of course not!  I knew that from the start.  But
+things do look black, no use of talking.  I want to help you."  He came
+closer, at which she retreated a step.
+
+"Thank you, but I do not see what you can do.  I must go back and give
+myself up.  I--I was not myself when I ran away.  It was a very foolish
+thing to do."
+
+"If you go back, do you know what they will do?  They will surely hang
+you?"
+
+"Oh, merciful Heaven?  Do not say that!"
+
+"I wouldn't if it wasn't so.  But I've been talking to the coroner and
+the chief of police, and they have all of the evidence as straight as a
+string."
+
+"I am innocent."
+
+"I feel that you are, and that is why I side with you.  Besides, you
+know my feeling for you.  I've loved you for a long time--I told you so
+before."  He took hold of her arm.  "If you'll do what I wish, I'll see
+to it that you escape--that you are never bothered any more."
+
+"How can you do that?"
+
+"Never mind how it can be done.  Promise to give up Case, and be my
+wife, and I will attend to all of the rest.  And I'll promise you more
+than that.  Listen, do you know that I am immensely wealthy?  It is so,
+and I can easily prove it.  Look here."  He drew a big roll of bank
+bills from his pocket, each bill of a large denomination.  "I have ten
+thousand dollars here.  It shall be yours for the taking--if you will
+marry me.  I can easily raise five times this amount in forty-eight
+hours.  We can go to Europe, or Australia, or anywhere we wish.  Isn't
+that far better than to stay here, to be hung by a lot of country
+bumpkins, who don't understand the matter at all?"
+
+She put up her hands, and waved him away.  Then she burst into tears.
+
+"Don't speak so, please don't!  I--I cannot bear it, I have gone
+through so much already!"
+
+"Won't you listen to reason?"  Matlock Styles' face darkened.  "I am
+giving you everything I have, my wealth, my honor, everything!  Can a
+man do more than that?  I love you--love you more than Raymond Case
+ever did, or will."
+
+She wrung her hands and his dark eyes seemed to pierce her very soul.
+She felt faint and sank on a bench.
+
+"Come, will you accept, Margaret?"
+
+"No, no, I cannot!"
+
+"But think of what is before you."
+
+"If I tried to escape, they would soon be on my track--"
+
+"No, I can prevent that."
+
+"How?"
+
+"Because the world will know that you are innocent."
+
+She gave a start and looked at him wildly, pleadingly.
+
+"Then you know the real murderer?" she panted.
+
+"If I answer that question, will you become my wife?"
+
+Again she shrank back.
+
+"You know the murderer," she repeated.  "Perhaps you committed the foul
+deeds yourself."
+
+He took a step back as if struck a blow.  Then he recovered quickly and
+smiled a bitter smile.
+
+"No, I was not near the place, I can prove it.  Besides, your folks and
+myself were on good terms.  There is somebody else, who was around the
+house when the affair happened--somebody you know well, a person who
+would know all about the drug with which your father and Mrs. Langmore
+were killed."
+
+"Who was it?"
+
+"Will you consent to marry me?"
+
+"Tell me first."
+
+"No, afterwards."
+
+"You are fooling me."
+
+"I swear I am not, Margaret.  Marry me, and I will clear you as surely
+as the sun is shining."
+
+"And if I refuse?"
+
+He came and caught her by the arm, his face blazing with sudden passion.
+
+"Do not dare to do that!  Don't you understand the matter?  You are in
+my power--in my power absolutely.  I can hand you over to the police
+whenever I will."
+
+"That will not be such a hardship.  I said I was going back."
+
+"Bah!  If I tell them that I caught you, that you begged me to let you
+get away--that you even said you would marry me, if I would aid you,
+what then?  Everybody will think you guilty, and Raymond Case will
+never come near you again."
+
+"You--you monster!"
+
+"Perhaps I am a monster when aroused.  You had better think this matter
+over."
+
+"I do not want to think it over.  My mind is made up.  I shall never
+marry you, never, no matter what happens.  I loathe and despise you!"
+
+There was a moment of silence, and his dark face turned a sickly white
+and then red.  He breathed heavily through his set teeth.
+
+"You mean that?" he said finally, his eyes shining like those of a
+serpent.
+
+"I do."
+
+He glared at her steadily.  Then, in a burst of rage, he caught her by
+the throat and threw her backward to the floor.  She offered no
+resistance, and pausing in his madness he realized that she had swooned
+away.
+
+"Fainted!" he hissed between his set teeth.  "I wish she was dead!
+Curse her and her beauty!"
+
+He waited, and as she did not return to consciousness, he picked her
+up, and placed her on the bed.  Then he hurried outside:
+
+"Go back to the house," he said to the old woman.  "You'll not be
+needed here any more.  And see that you keep your jaw closed over
+this," he added harshly.  And the woman slunk away as if struck, like a
+dog.
+
+Once inside of the cottage, he took up a glass of water standing on the
+table, and to this added a powder taken from his pocket, stirring it up
+well.  Then he looked around to see that there was no other water
+around the building.
+
+"When she rouses up she will be dry, and she will drink this," he
+muttered to himself.  "Half a glass will do the work and she will never
+bother me or anybody else any more."
+
+He paused again and took from his pocket several sheets of paper,
+closely and carelessly written upon in pencil.  The first sheet was
+headed:
+
+
+    _Dying Confession of Margaret Langmore._
+
+
+"A fine forgery, if I do say so myself," he mused.  "Mat, you always
+were a plum with the pen.  I'll add a line telling where she can be
+found and then send it to the coroner.  That will be better than
+leaving it around here.  She might find it before she drank that dose."
+He paused again.  "Perhaps she won't drink it after all.  I'll give her
+some of it now, and make sure."
+
+He raised up the almost lifeless girl, and forced open her lips.  Then
+he took the glass, and poured half the contents down her throat.  She
+spluttered, but swallowed, and he let her form drop back on the bed.
+He was in a cold perspiration now, and in sudden fear, he fairly rushed
+out of the cottage and down the hillside in the direction of his home.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+RAISING THE CURTAIN
+
+As soon as his interview with Tom Ostrello was at an end, Adam Adams
+asked the young man to leave him.
+
+"I am going to follow up this clew," he said.  "And the quicker the
+better."
+
+He looked over a valise he carried and selected a number of things he
+wanted.  Midnight found him at the depot, boarding a train for
+Fairfield.  At the latter place he changed and took another train for
+Bryport.  Arriving at that city, he located at a hotel, and went to bed.
+
+He was up at sunrise and procured an early breakfast.  Then he returned
+to his room and spent a full hour in donning another outfit and in
+powdering his face, and adjusting a wig and a reddish moustache.
+
+The same car that had taken him to the vicinity of John Watkins'
+residence before, took him there again.  As he approached the house he
+saw the secret service man coming forth.
+
+"Excuse me, Mr. Watkins, but I must see you," said he, in a low and
+suggestive tone.
+
+"To see me?" questioned the man.  "What about?"
+
+"Well, I must see you alone.  _The sky may be rather red_, you know."
+
+At the last words the secret service man started slightly.  "That's
+true, and _I don't like a red sky_," he answered.  "Come into the
+house.  You just caught me in time."
+
+He led the way inside and up to his den, closing and locking the door
+after him.
+
+"Now, then, what do you want to see me about?" he demanded sharply.
+
+"Don't you recognize me?"
+
+"I must say I do not, although your face seems familiar."
+
+"I am Number Four."
+
+There was a pause, and Adam Adams studied the face before him closely.
+
+"Well?" came from the secret service man coldly.
+
+"There has been trouble, Mr. Watkins.  Matlock Styles sent me to you."
+
+"The dickens you say.   What right has he--"
+
+"He had to do it.  Things are getting warm."
+
+"He should have come himself."
+
+"He couldn't do it.  The detectives are shadowing every movement he
+makes.  He didn't even dare to drop you a letter."
+
+"What's the cause of the trouble?"
+
+"Those queers in the safe."
+
+"Then the authorities got them?"
+
+"Yes, and they've sent down some New York detectives, who are watching
+everybody."
+
+"Bah!  Styles must be getting nervous."
+
+"He told me to tell you something more.  They found something else.
+It's about the poison powder that was used.  You made some kind of a
+mistake--"
+
+John Watkins leaped to his feet and turned pale.
+
+"I made a mistake?" he cried.  "How?  For Heaven's sake, man, tell me
+all!"  He went to a cupboard, got out some brandy and drank a stiff
+portion.
+
+"That is what Styles wants to find out.  He thinks you put out some
+clews that point to him.  He says if you did he will blow you sky-high.
+He wants the truth from you, and he wants it right away."
+
+"Clews?  Against him?  He is crazy.  I never put out a single clew
+against him.  Why should I?  Wasn't it arranged that we should fix it
+against the girl, and didn't I even go to the trouble to spy on
+Langmore and get the combination of the safe--although it didn't do any
+good.  And then after the job was done, didn't I--"  The secret
+service man came to an abrupt stop, as if fearing he had said too much.
+"Look here, did he tell you all this, or is this some game?"
+
+"Hey!" exclaimed Adam Adams, pretending to be amazed.  "Did he tell me.
+See here, I don't care if you are the boss, I am not going to run the
+risk of being sent up for twenty years for you.  I came to help Styles
+out, that's all.  I had the devil's own job getting out of Sidham
+without being followed.  To-morrow I am going to take my money and move
+West.  You won't trust a fellow, and yet you expect--"
+
+"Never mind, Pink, don't get on your ear so quick--"
+
+"Ain't I got a right to get on my ear?  You go and poison two people
+and then--"
+
+"Who said I did the poisoning?"  John Watkins was plainly agitated.
+
+"Didn't Styles tell all of us?  He wasn't going to have those clews
+pointing to him.  He says you bungled."
+
+"He is a calf!" roared John Watkins.  "Where is the nerve he used to
+have?  So he told all of you that I did the job, eh?  Well, I'll square
+things with him for that."
+
+"He wouldn't care if you hadn't made some sort of a botch--"
+
+"I?  A botch?  Say, don't you believe what he tells you, because it
+isn't true!"
+
+"Well, he says--"
+
+"I don't care what he says.  I didn't do the job, and I am not going to
+let him shift the responsibility on my shoulders.  He's a fool.  Don't
+everybody think the girl is guilty, and if they clear her isn't there
+another string to the bow?"
+
+"You mean Tom Ostrello?"
+
+"That's it.  So he told you about that, too," came from the secret
+service man bitterly.  "Well, he isn't the man I thought he was.  I
+suppose he has gone and blabbed right and left."
+
+"Only to the band.  We knew something was on the carpet and we cornered
+him and then he had to speak.  Why, one of the New York detectives
+found our place under the old mill, and we had to do him, to keep the
+thing a secret."
+
+"You got him out of the way?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Did Styles do that job?"
+
+"No.  We had to draw lots.  I ain't saying who drew the red ball."
+
+"Maybe you drew it yourself."
+
+"Maybe I did and maybe I didn't.  What I want to know is: What are we
+to do?  The crowd don't like Styles much, and I can tell you
+confidentially, that for two pins we would throw him over--that is, if
+you will stand by us."
+
+"You want to elect a new leader?"
+
+"Yes.  But with the understanding that the crowd is to be let in on the
+ground floor after this.  No more working in the dark.  Even yet we
+don't know why those murders were committed, and yet it looks as if all
+of us might suffer, unless you pull us through O.K."
+
+"Didn't Styles tell you why?"
+
+"No, although he hinted at something."
+
+"Well, I'll tell you, Pink, and you can tell the rest.  Barry Langmore
+had some dealings with Styles about patents and mortgages.  One day
+Styles drank a little too much, and went to Langmore to pay a bill.  He
+had two packages of money with him, each for several thousand dollars.
+One package was good money and the other was our own brand.  Styles
+also had some loose bills with him.  He paid part of a mortgage and
+also something on an invention.  When he went away, he saw that he had
+made a mistake and given Langmore the counterfeit bills.  He went back
+the next day, but Langmore had gone away, on a short vacation.  When he
+came back Styles went to him and they had a pretty stormy scene.
+Langmore had tried to pass a bill, and learned it was a counterfeit.
+Styles pretended that he didn't know the money was bad, but Langmore
+wouldn't believe him.  Some of the money had gone to Mrs. Langmore,
+too.  Styles begged to get the money back and offered Langmore his
+rights in an invention if only Langmore would keep quiet.  Langmore
+said he would think it over, but I am inclined to think he communicated
+with the police instead, although I have no proof.  Anyway, we made up
+our minds that Langmore knew too much, and so did his wife.
+Then--well, they were found dead, that's all."
+
+"And you say you didn't commit the deed?"
+
+"I did not."
+
+"Then Styles must have done the job, since there was no one else."
+
+"Didn't he tell you that he can prove an _alibi_!  That he was over to
+Stony Hill at the time the deed was done?"
+
+"Yes, but if that is true, then you are guilty.  You got that poison
+from Henry Bloom, and he told Tom Ostrello that he let you have it.
+There is where you blundered.  Ostrello and others are on your track.
+You can't escape unless you can prove an _alibi_, too."
+
+Again John Watkins shrank back as if struck a blow.
+
+"Who--who told this--who says--" he began hoarsely.
+
+"Matlock Styles."
+
+"Then he can go to perdition!  I'll not stand up for him a minute
+longer.  Yes, I got the poison, but I gave it to him.  I can prove it
+by the old woman who works for him, if I have to wring her neck to make
+her speak.  She heard me tell him how to use it.  He trusts her,
+because he has her where the hair is short.  She killed a child years
+ago, when she ran a baby farm.  And then about that _alibi_--"  The
+secret service man laughed bitterly.  "So that's his game, if it comes
+to a showing of hands?  Well, I can put a spoke in his wheel.  He was
+at Stony Hill, was he?  Well, so was I.  I can prove that, too."
+
+There was a pause, during which the secret service man took another
+drink of liquor.  He was plainly very nervous.  With great
+deliberation, Adam Adams drew from one pocket a pistol, and from
+another a pair of handcuffs.
+
+"The scene is ended, Mr. Watkins," he said coolly.  "I want you to slip
+on those and come with me."  And he threw the handcuffs on the table,
+and leveled the pistol at the fellow's head.
+
+The man staggered and threw up his hands, half expecting a shot.  He
+suddenly began to tremble, as if with the ague.
+
+"What do you mean?  Wh--who are you?" he faltered.
+
+"I am Adam Adams.  I believe we have met before."
+
+"Adams!"  The secret service man sank back in an armchair.  "And
+you--you are here to arrest me?"
+
+"Exactly.  As I said before, the whole game is up.  Inside of half an
+hour you will be safe in prison, and then we shall round up such other
+members of the gang as are still at large.  Unless you want to make a
+confession, you will have to stand trial for the murder of Mr. and Mrs.
+Langmore."
+
+"Never!  I'll--I'll tell all I know, first!"  The man's lips were white
+and his eyes full of commingled rage and fear.
+
+"You will make a clean and clear statement?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Clearing up the murder mystery?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+CHAPTER XXXI
+
+LIGHT AT LAST--CONCLUSION
+
+As soon as Adam Adams returned to Sidham he communicated with the chief
+of police, and with several other persons, and also sent two telegrams
+to New York.  He tried to find Charles Vapp, but could not locate his
+assistant.
+
+The detective's plans were laid with care and he gave the posse of men
+under him minute instructions as to what to do.  In the midst of the
+work Raymond and Tom Ostrello appeared.
+
+"Let me go along," said Raymond.  "I want to do my little towards
+rounding that gang up."
+
+"And so do I," came from the young commercial traveler.
+
+"You may go as far as Styles' farm, if you wish," said Adam Adams.
+"But why not look for Miss Langmore instead?"
+
+At this Raymond's face grew troubled.
+
+"We have looked everywhere--" he began.
+
+"As you please."
+
+It was not long after this that a portion of the party set out, to be
+followed presently by the rest.  The men did not keep together, but
+scattered in a wide semicircle, and then in a circle, which completely
+surrounded the Styles' farm, and the old mill, and its vicinity.
+
+As they approached the farm they saw the man called Bart come out, and
+walk towards the barn.  He was promptly arrested by Adam Adams and was
+asked where Matlock Styles could be found.
+
+"I don't know," he answered sullenly.  "I don't know why you are
+arresting me.  I haven't done anything wrong."
+
+"We'll see about that later," returned the detective, and when the man
+wanted to blow a whistle he carried, promptly prevented it, and took
+the whistle away.  Then the man was compelled to quiet the dogs, which
+he did with bad grace.
+
+In the kitchen of the house they found the old woman, who gave a cry of
+alarm when told that she must give herself up to the law.
+
+"Sure, I didn't have anything to do with it!" she wailed.  "I--I didn't
+touch the young lady!"
+
+"What's that?" cried Raymond, stepping forward.
+
+"I didn't touch the young lady, sir.  I offered her something to eat,
+that's all."
+
+"Can she mean Margaret?" whispered Tom Ostrello.
+
+"Where did you meet Miss Langmore?" demanded Raymond sharply.
+
+"Up at the old cottage on the hill.  I--I didn't take her there.  It
+was--"  She stopped short.  "I can't tell you.  Mat would kill me,"
+she whined.
+
+"See here, tell all you know," came sternly from Adam Adams.  "I know
+you.  You once ran a baby farm, and a baby died, and I know how."
+
+The old woman gave a shriek and fell on her knees, rocking to and fro.
+
+"I knew it!  I knew it would come!  It can't be hid any longer!  Yes, I
+did it!"
+
+"Where is Miss Langmore?" demanded Raymond impatiently.
+
+"At the cottage on the hill.  Mat took her there.  He's in love with
+her.  Oh, dear!  Oh, dear!" she began to rock to and fro again.  "I
+knew it would come!  Murder will out, they say!"
+
+"Take us to that cottage and be quick about it," said Raymond.  "Will
+you go along?" he asked of Adam Adams and Tom Ostrello.
+
+They said they would, and set off without delay.  It was rather a long
+walk and the old woman was out of breath when they reached the building
+near the top of the hill.
+
+"Watch her," said the detective to Tom Ostrello, and he and Raymond
+entered the cottage.  As they did so, they stumbled over a person lying
+on the floor.
+
+"Margaret!" burst out the young man and caught his sweetheart in his
+arms.  Then he gave a gasp, and staggered with his burden to the bed.
+"She is dead!"
+
+"Dead!" ejaculated Adam Adams.  "You are certain?"  He placed his ear
+to her heart.  "No, she still lives."
+
+"But what does this mean?  Margaret!  Margaret!  Speak to me!  What has
+happened to you?"
+
+The girl offered no reply, nor did she open her eyes.  She rested on
+him and on the bed like a leaden weight.  He kissed her fondly, a great
+agony filling his soul.
+
+Adam Adams looked around the room.  On the table rested a glass, with a
+dirty substance at the bottom.  He tasted the stuff.  It was sweetishly
+bitter.  He ran outside.
+
+"Tell me at once, did Matlock Styles say anything about poisoning this
+young lady?" he demanded, catching the old woman by the arm.  "The
+truth now, remember!"
+
+"No, he didn't say anything.  But he had some poison, a powder--you put
+it in water.  It kills a person in six to ten hours, sure."
+
+"We must have a doctor!"
+
+Tom Ostrello had heard the talk and saw what had happened.
+
+"I'll get a doctor, if you'll watch the old woman.  I can get a horse
+at Styles' farm."
+
+"Do it, and hurry!" cried Raymond.  "Take the best horse and bring the
+doctor at once.  Tell him it is poison--a powder in water.  Offer him
+any amount of money--"
+
+"I will!" Ostrello shouted back.  He was running down the hill path
+with the swiftness of a college sprinter.  In a moment the bushes hid
+him from sight.
+
+Adam Adams was talking to the old woman.  "You know about the poison.
+Is there nothing we can give her to counteract the effects?  Do
+something, and I'll not be so hard on you when you stand up for trial."
+
+"I can do nothing.  But wait, yes, I can!  Make a fire, and boil some
+water!"
+
+She ran to the back of the cottage and to some bushes growing close at
+hand.  With her bare hands she dug at the roots and tore them up,
+stripping off the bark with her teeth.  Adam Adams comprehended, and
+lit a fire and set on the kettle to boil.  Then the roots were placed
+in the boiling water.
+
+"Make her drink--it will do her good," said the old woman.  "I swear it
+will help, at least a little--until the doctor comes."  And with
+shaking hands, she poured the concoction she had made into a saucer to
+cool.
+
+It was no easy matter to get Margaret to swallow, but after a while it
+was accomplished, and her heart appeared to beat a trifle more
+steadily.  But still she did not rouse up or open her eyes, and Raymond
+was as depressed as before.
+
+"We can't overcome the effects of the drug," he groaned.  "Oh, if only
+the doctor would come!"
+
+"Give her some more," said the old woman.  "Give her all of it," and
+this was done.
+
+Slowly the time dragged by, until they heard a shouting in the
+distance, followed by a pistol shot.  Then two horses burst into view,
+one ridden by Ostrello, and the other by a doctor who lived not a great
+distance away.
+
+"I will do all I can," said the physician, as he leaped to the ground.
+He set to work at once, meanwhile questioning the old woman regarding
+what had already been done.  "That was all right--it has helped to put
+the patient into a perspiration and keep up the heart action."
+
+"Another doctor is also coming," said Ostrello to Raymond and the
+detective.
+
+"In that case I'll join my men," came from Adam Adams.  "By that pistol
+shot something must be doing.  I will be back later.  See that that old
+woman does not get away."  And he was off.
+
+Something was indeed doing.  The old mill had been surrounded and the
+chief of police had entered the building, followed by several other men
+of the party.  The counterfeiters were taken by surprise, but they did
+not give up at once.  Some began to fight, and in the melee two were
+seriously wounded.  Then all but three surrendered, these three doing
+what they could to get out by a back way.  One of the three was Matlock
+Styles.
+
+The three men came out in the woods, and one was quickly shot in the
+leg, and fell headlong among the trees.  Seeing this the second man
+shouted that he would surrender, and threw up his arms as a signal.
+
+"You bloomin' fool!  I'll not surrender!" cried Matlock Styles, and ran
+on, through the woods, and up the hill that led to the cottage.
+
+He was still some distance off, when Adam Adams saw him coming.  The
+detective had his pistol in his hand.
+
+"Stop, Styles, or I'll fire on you!" he called out.
+
+For an answer the Englishman raised his own pistol and fired point
+blank, the bullet cutting through the loose flap of Adam Adams' coat.
+Then the Englishman went down, with a bullet in his left side.  When
+Adam Adams ran up to him he was twisting and breathing heavily.
+
+"You've done me up, hang you!" he gasped.  "Oh, if I only could get at
+you!" and he tried to crawl towards his pistol, but Adam Adams promptly
+kicked it out of the way.
+
+"You're down and out, Styles," said the detective.  "It won't do you
+any good to squirm.  You're in the hands of the law."
+
+"What for, counterfeiting?"
+
+"That and worse."
+
+"Worse?"
+
+"Yes, a good deal worse.  Murder!"
+
+
+By nightfall all of the prisoners were either in the jail or at the
+hospital at Sidham.  Some of the secret service authorities from New
+York had arrived, and to them Adam Adams turned over the case, so far
+as it related to the counterfeiters.
+
+"I did not start out to round up such a gang," he said, in speaking of
+the affair to Mr. Breslow, some days later.  "I came here to clear up
+the murder mystery."
+
+"But you get the credit, Adams," said the head of the secret service
+detail.  "And you deserve it.  But do you think you are going to
+convict Matlock Styles of the tragedy?"
+
+"It's a sure thing.  The _alibi_ won't bother me, for I can now prove
+it was a bogus one.  John Watkins got the poison for him, and promised
+to impersonate him at Stony Hill, while the crime was being committed.
+He did it, but I have found two people who thought it was not Styles
+after all.  Watkins himself is willing to testify that he did the
+impersonating."
+
+"How did they happen to use that strange powder?"
+
+"Watkins got it from a friend of his, who afterwards mentioned the fact
+to Tom Ostrello.  When Styles got it I suppose he thought the use of it
+might throw suspicion on Ostrello, which it did.  Then suspicion was
+also thrown on Miss Langmore, so that the general public might get
+tangled up."
+
+"Did Styles write that note, which was supposed to have been written by
+Mr. Langmore, saying she must obey or leave the house?"
+
+"Yes.  He is an expert penman, and most likely a regular forger as well
+as counterfeiter.  He only made a mistake when he drank too much."
+
+"Did Watkins know any of the details of the murder?"
+
+"Yes.  After it was over, Styles came to him and told his story, being
+half drunk at the time.  He said he left home and came through the
+woods, where he saw Tom Ostrello just coming from the Langmore mansion.
+As soon as the coast seemed clear, he ran past the bushes and got in
+the house by a window.  He found Mr. Langmore in the library and asked
+again for the counterfeits.  Langmore said he was going to give them to
+the authorities, and expose Styles.  Then the Englishman said he would
+explain, and Langmore sat down in his chair to listen.  Styles turned
+around, took some cotton from his pocket, and saturated it with the
+powder, and sprang at Langmore from behind.  The victim struggled and
+got his face scratched from the Englishman's ring.  Langmore was no
+match for his assailant, and in a minute the murder was done.  Then
+Styles ran upstairs.  He knew the servant was in the barn, and he heard
+Miss Langmore playing on the piano in the parlor.  He met Mrs. Langmore
+just coming from her room.  She was scared, but before she could scream
+or resist, he gave her what was left of the powder and she fell over
+where she was found.  Then he stepped out of an upper window to the top
+of the piazza and dropped to the ground, and came away across the brook
+and through the woods."
+
+"Then you are bound to convict him.  What of Watkins?"
+
+"I'll use him as a witness against Styles in the murder trial and then
+you can have him tried as a counterfeiter.  The old woman will also
+prove a good witness.  She is so old, and has promised to reform, so
+there is no use of our pushing a charge against her.  The rest of the
+crowd will all get what they deserve.  I'm glad we got the bogus
+printing plates."
+
+"Have you heard anything of the Langmore estate?"
+
+"Yes.  Mr. Langmore left his wife her legal share, and the balance to
+his daughters, Margaret getting a little the larger portion.  Mrs.
+Langmore leaves her money to her sons, one-fourth to Dick, the
+spendthrift, and three-fourths to Tom.  I have also rooted out some
+papers among Styles' effects, which will give Tom Ostrello his patent
+back, and also give some patent rights to Mr. Langmore's estate.  I can
+tell you, Matlock Styles was a deep one.  It was only once in a great
+while that he drank and bungled."
+
+"Well, the greatest of criminals have their weak spots, you know that
+as well as I do.  Styles, I suppose, also got up that bogus confession,
+signed in Miss Langmore's name."
+
+"He did.  When he found the girl wouldn't marry him, he was wild and
+ready for any treachery."
+
+"And how is the girl doing?"
+
+"I am going to see now."
+
+When out on the street, Adam Adams ran into Tom Ostrello, arm in arm
+with Letty.  He was amazed for an instant, and then his face broke into
+a smile.
+
+"I just couldn't help it, Uncle Adam!" cried the girl.  "I had to come
+here to congratulate Tom on his escape."
+
+"Well, I don't blame you, Letty.  Yes, it has turned out well for you.
+I hope it turns out as well for Miss Langmore and Mr. Case."
+
+Margaret was again at Martha Sampson's cottage.  When the detective
+entered he heard a murmur of voices in one of the upper rooms.  He ran
+upstairs, to find the girl sitting up in bed and Raymond by her side.
+The young man's face was filled with happiness.
+
+"Come in!  Come in!" he cried joyously.  "She has come around all
+right, Mr. Adams.  She is a little weak still, but the doctor says she
+will be well as ever in a week or ten days.  The good news has braced
+her up wonderfully."
+
+"And all due to you, Mr. Adams," said the girl.  "Oh, how can I ever
+thank you enough?"  She clasped his hand warmly.  "You are so good!"
+
+"This is certainly famous," he replied, sitting down at the foot of the
+bed.  "It's the best news yet.  I have just left one happy couple and
+here I find another."
+
+"You mean Tom Ostrello and that young lady from your office?" asked
+Raymond.  And then, as the detective nodded, he went on: "I met them,
+and I asked them to come here.  Margaret wanted to see them."
+
+"I wish Tom to know that I want to be friends, always," said Margaret.
+"We have had enough of trouble in the family.  And when he gets
+married, I want to be friends with his wife, too."
+
+"I am glad to hear that, for I know it will please Letty and she is a
+good girl.  It may be--  Here they come, now!"
+
+A minute later the newcomers were ushered into the sick room, and the
+two girls, who had never met, were introduced to each other.  It was a
+happy meeting all around, and the lovers were all as devoted as lovers
+can well be.  Seeing this, Adam Adams thought it about time to leave.
+
+"I am going now," he said, and stopped at the door.
+
+"So soon?" asked Margaret.
+
+"Yes, I have another important case on hand," answered Adam Adams.
+
+"Another case?" queried Tom Ostrello.  "Well, I wish you luck, I am
+sure."
+
+"We all do," chimed in Raymond.
+
+"What is it?" queried Letty.
+
+Adam Adams smiled broadly.  "As you are no longer connected with the
+office, I cannot tell you," he said.
+
+"Maybe I can guess it!" cried Raymond.  "The disappearance of John
+Darr--the case all New York is talking about?"
+
+Adam Adams smiled faintly.  "You've struck it," he said.  "It is a
+wonderful case, and will demand all of my attention.  But I'll be back
+tomorrow.  In the meantime, I want you all to remember that you owe me
+an invitation."
+
+"An invitation to what?" asked both girls, in a breath, and knowing
+perfectly well what he meant.
+
+"An invitation to the weddings, when they come off."
+
+"Oh!" came in a little feminine shriek.
+
+"Well, you get them," said Raymond.
+
+"Indeed, he does," said Tom.
+
+And he did.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MANSION OF MYSTERY***
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