,,the ,,treasure-,,train ,,by ,,arthur ,b4 ,,reeve ,,frontispiece ,,by ,,will ,,foster ,,contents ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,treasure-,,train ,,ii4 ,,the ,,truth-,,detector ,,iii4 ,,the ,,soul-,,analysis ,,iv4 ,,the ,,mystic ,,poisoner ,v4 ,,the ,,phantom ,,destroyer ,,vi4 ,,the ,,beauty ,,mask ,,vii4 ,,the ,,love ,,meter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,vital ,,principle ,,ix4 ,,the ,,rubber ,,dagger ,x4 ,,the ,,submarine ,,mine ,,xi4 ,,the ,,gun-,,runner ,,xii4 ,,the ,,sunken ,,treasure ,i ,,the ,,treasure-,,train ,i am not by nature a spy1 ,professor ,kennedy1 but--well1 sometimes one is forced into something like that4 ,maude ,euston1 who had sought out ,craig in his laboratory1 was a striking girl1 not merely because she was pretty or because her gown was modish4 ,perhaps it was her sincerity and artlessness that made her attractive4 ,she was the daughter of ,barry ,euston1 president of the ,continental ,express ,company1 and one could readily see why1 aside from the position her father held1 she should be among the most-sought-after young women in the city4 ,miss ,euston looked straight into ,kennedy's eyes as she added1 without waiting for him to ask a question3 ,yesterday ,i heard something that has made me think a great deal4 ,you know1 we live at the ,st4 ,germaine when we are in town4 ,i've noticed for several months past that the lobbies are full of strange1 foreign-looking people4 ,well1 yesterday afternoon ,i was sitting alone in the tea-room of the hotel1 waiting for some friends4 ,on the other side of a huge palm ,i heard a couple whispering4 ,i have seen the woman about the hotel often1 though ,i know that she doesn't live there4 ,the man ,i don't remember ever having seen before4 ,they mentioned the name of ,granville ,barnes1 treasurer of father's company-- ,is that so8 cut in ,kennedy1 quickly4 ,i read the story about him in the papers this morning4 ,as for myself1 ,i was instantly alive with interest1 too4 ,granville ,barnes had been suddenly stricken while riding in his car in the country1 and the report had it that he was hovering between life and death in the ,general ,hospital4 ,the chauffeur had been stricken1 too1 by the same incomprehensible malady1 though apparently not so badly4 ,how the chauffeur managed to save the car was a miracle1 but he brought it to a stop beside the road1 where the two were found gasping1 a quarter of an hour later1 by a passing motorist1 who rushed them to a doctor1 who had them transferred to the hospital in the city4 ,neither of them seemed able or willing to throw any light on what had happened4 ,just what was it you overheard8 encouraged ,kennedy4 ,i heard the man tell the woman1 ,miss ,euston replied1 slowly1 that now was the chance--when any of the great warring powers would welcome and wink at any blow that might cripple the other to the slightest degree4 ,i heard him say something about the ,continental ,express ,company1 and that was enough to make me listen1 for1 you know1 father's company is handling the big shipments of gold and securities that are coming here from abroad by way of ,halifax4 ,then ,i heard her mention the names of ,mr4 ,barnes and of ,mr4 ,lane1 too1 the general manager4 ,she paused1 as though not relishing the idea of having the names bandied about4 ,last night the--the attack on him--for that is all that ,i can think it was--occurred4 ,as she stopped again1 ,i could not help thinking what a tale of strange plotting the casual conversation suggested4 ,new ,york1 ,i knew1 was full of high-class international crooks and flimflammers who had flocked there because the great field of their operations in ,europe was closed4 ,the war had literally dumped them on us4 ,was some one using a band of these crooks for ulterior purposes8 ,the idea opened up wide possibilities4 ,of course1 ,miss ,euston continued1 that is all ,i know2 but ,i think ,i am justified in thinking that the two things--the shipment of gold here and the attack--have some connection4 ,oh1 can't you take up the case and look into it8 ,she made her appeal so winsomely that it would have been difficult to resist even if it had not promised to prove important4 ,i should be glad to take up the matter1 replied ,craig1 quickly1 adding1 if ,mr4 ,barnes will let me4 ,oh1 he must6 she cried4 ,i haven't spoken to father1 but ,i know that he would approve of it4 ,i know he thinks ,i haven't any head for business1 just because ,i wasn't born a boy4 ,i want to prove to him that ,i can protect the companies interests4 ,and ,mr4 ,barnes--why1 of course he will approve4 ,she said it with an assurance that made me wonder4 ,it was only then that ,i recollected that it had been one of the excuses for printing her picture in the society columns of the ,star so often that the pretty daughter of the president of the ,continental was being ardently wooed by two of the company's younger officials4 ,granville ,barnes himself was one4 ,the other was ,rodman ,lane1 the young general manager4 ,i wished now that ,i had paid more attention to the society news4 ,perhaps ,i should have been in a better position to judge which of them it was whom she really had chosen4 ,as it was1 two questions presented themselves to me4 ,was it ,barnes8 ,and had ,barnes really been the victim of an attack--or of an accident8 ,kennedy may have been thinking the problems over1 but he gave no evidence of it4 ,he threw on his hat and coat1 and was ready in a moment to be driven in ,miss ,euston's car to the hospital4 ,there1 after the usual cutting of red tape which only ,miss ,euston could have accomplished1 we were led by a white-uniformed nurse through the silent halls to the private room occupied by ,barnes4 ,it's a most peculiar case1 whispered the young doctor in charge1 as we paused at the door4 ,i want you to notice his face and his cough4 ,his pulse seems very weak1 almost imperceptible at times4 ,the stethoscope reveals subcrepitant sounds all over his lungs4 ,it's like bronchitis or pneumonia--but it isn't either4 ,we entered4 ,barnes was lying there almost in a state of unconsciousness4 ,as we stood watching him he opened his eyes4 ,but he did not see us4 ,his vision seemed to be riveted on ,miss ,euston4 ,he murmured something that we could not catch1 and1 as his eyes closed again1 his face seemed to relax into a peaceful expression1 as though he were dreaming of something happy4 ,suddenly1 however1 the old tense lines reappeared4 ,another idea seemed to have been suggested4 ,is--,lane--hiring the men--himself8 he murmured4 ,the sight of ,maude ,euston had prompted the thought of his rival1 now with a clear field4 ,what did it mean8 ,was he jealous of ,lane1 or did his words have a deeper meaning8 ,what difference could it have made if ,lane had a free hand in managing the shipment of treasure for the company8 ,kennedy looked long and carefully at the face of the sick man4 ,it was blue and cyanosed still1 and his lips had a violet tinge4 ,barnes had been coughing a great deal4 ,now and then his mouth was flecked with foamy blood1 which the nurse wiped gently away4 ,kennedy picked up a piece of the blood-soaked gauze4 ,a moment later we withdrew from the room as quietly as we had entered and tiptoed down the hall1 ,miss ,euston and the young doctor following us more slowly4 ,as we reached the door1 ,i turned to see where she was4 ,a distinguished-looking elderly gentleman1 sitting in the waiting-room1 had happened to glance up as she passed and had moved quickly to the hall4 ,what--you here1 ,maude8 we heard him say4 ,yes1 father4 ,i thought ,i might be able to do something for ,granville4 ,she accompanied the remark with a sidelong glance and nod at us1 which ,kennedy interpreted to mean that we might as well keep in the background4 ,euston himself1 far from chiding her1 seemed rather to be pleased than otherwise4 ,we could not hear all they said1 but one sentence was wafted over4 ,it's most unfortunate1 ,maude1 at just this time4 ,it leaves the whole matter in the hands of ,lane4 ,at the mention of ,lane1 which her father accompanied by a keen glance1 she flushed a little and bit her lip4 ,i wondered whether it meant more than that1 of the two suitors1 her father obviously preferred ,barnes4 ,euston had called to see ,barnes1 and1 as the doctor led him up the hall again1 ,miss ,euston rejoined us4 ,you need not drive us back1 thanked ,kennedy4 ,just drop us at the ,subway4 ,i'll let you know the moment ,i have arrived at any conclusion4 ,on the train we happened to run across a former classmate1 ,morehead1 who had gone into the brokerage business4 ,queer about that ,barnes case1 isn't it8 suggested ,kennedy1 after the usual greetings were over4 ,then1 without suggesting that we were more than casually interested1 ,what does the ,street think of it8 ,it is queer1 rejoined ,morehead4 ,all the boys down-town are talking about it--wondering how it will affect the transit of the gold shipments4 ,i don't know what would happen if there should be a hitch4 ,but they ought to be able to run the thing through all right4 ,it's a pretty ticklish piece of business1 then8 ,i suggested4 ,well1 you know the state of the market just now--a little push one way or the other means a lot4 ,and ,i suppose you know that the insiders on the ,street have boosted ,continental ,express up until it is practically one of the 'war stocks1' too4 ,well1 good-by--here's my station4 ,we had scarcely returned to the laboratory1 however1 when a car drove up furiously and a young man bustled in to see us4 ,you do not know me1 he introduced1 but ,i am ,rodman ,lane1 general manager of the ,continental ,express4 ,you know our company has had charge of the big shipments of gold and securities to ,new ,york4 ,i suppose you've read about what happened to ,barnes1 our treasurer4 ,i don't know anything about it--haven't even time to find out4 ,all ,i know is that it puts more work on me1 and ,i'm nearly crazy already4 ,i watched him narrowly4 ,we've had little trouble of any kind so far1 he hurried on1 until just now ,i learned that all the roads over which we are likely to send the shipments have been finding many more broken rails than usual4 ,kennedy had been following him keenly4 ,i should like to see some samples of them1 he observed4 ,you would8 said ,lane1 eagerly4 ,i've a couple of sections sawed from rails down at my office1 where ,i asked the officials to send them4 ,we made a hurried trip down to the express company's office4 ,kennedy examined the sections of rails minutely with a strong pocket-lens4 ,no ordinary break1 he commented4 ,you can see that it was an explosive that was used--an explosive well and properly tamped down with wet clay4 ,without tamping1 the rails would have been bent1 not broken4 ,done by wreckers1 then8 ,lane asked4 ,certainly not defective rails1 replied ,kennedy4 ,still1 ,i don't think you need worry so much about them for the next train4 ,you know what to guard against4 ,having been discovered1 whoever they are1 they'll probably not try it again4 ,it's some new wrinkle that must be guarded against4 ,it was small comfort1 but ,craig was accustomed to being brutally frank4 ,have you taken any other precautions now that you didn't take before8 ,yes1 replied ,lane1 slowly2 the railroad has been experimenting with wireless on its trains4 ,we have placed wireless on ours1 too4 ,they can't cut us off by cutting wires4 ,then1 of course1 as before1 we shall use a pilot-train to run ahead and a strong guard on the train itself4 ,but now ,i feel that there may be something else that we can do4 ,so ,i have come to you4 ,when does the next shipment start8 asked ,kennedy4 ,to-morrow1 from ,halifax4 ,kennedy appeared to be considering something4 ,the trouble1 he said1 at length1 is likely to be at this end4 ,perhaps before the train starts something may happen that will tell us just what additional measures to take as it approaches ,new ,york4 ,while ,kennedy was at work with the blood-soaked gauze that he had taken from ,barnes1 ,i could do nothing but try to place the relative positions of the various actors in the little drama that was unfolding4 ,lane himself puzzled me4 ,sometimes ,i felt almost sure that he knew that ,miss ,euston had come to ,kennedy1 and that he was trying1 in this way1 to keep in touch with what was being done for ,barnes4 ,some things ,i knew already4 ,barnes was comparatively wealthy1 and had evidently the stamp of approval of ,maude ,euston's father4 ,as for ,lane1 he was far from wealthy1 although ambitious4 ,the company was in a delicate situation where an act of omission would count for as much as an act of commission4 ,whoever could foresee what was going to happen might capitalize that information for much money4 ,if there was a plot and ,barnes had been a victim1 what was its nature8 ,i recalled ,miss ,euston's overheard conversation in the tea-room4 ,both names had been mentioned4 ,in short1 ,i soon found myself wondering whether some one might not have tempted ,lane either to do or not to do something4 ,i wish you'd go over to the ,st4 ,germaine1 ,walter1 remarked ,kennedy1 at length1 looking up from his work4 ,don't tell ,miss ,euston of ,lane's visit4 ,but ask her if she will keep an eye out for that woman she heard talking--and the man1 too4 ,they may drop in again4 ,and tell her that if she hears anything else1 no matter how trivial1 about ,barnes1 she must let me know4 ,i was glad of the commission4 ,not only had ,i been unable to arrive anywhere in my conjectures1 but it was something even to have a chance to talk with a girl like ,maude ,euston4 ,fortunately ,i found her at home and1 though she was rather disappointed that ,i had nothing to report1 she received me graciously1 and we spent the rest of the evening watching the varied life of the fashionable hostelry in the hope of chancing on the holders of the strange conversation in the tea-room4 ,once in a while an idea would occur to her of some one who was in a position to keep her informed if anything further happened to ,barnes1 and she would despatch a messenger with a little note4 ,finally1 as it grew late and the adventuress of the tea-room episode seemed unlikely to favor the ,st4 ,germaine with her presence again that night1 ,i made my excuses1 having had the satisfaction only of having delivered ,kennedy's message1 without accomplishing anything more4 ,in fact1 ,i was still unable to determine whether there was any sentiment stronger than sympathy that prompted her to come to ,kennedy about ,barnes4 ,as for ,lane1 his name was scarcely mentioned except when it was necessary4 ,it was early the next morning that ,i rejoined ,craig at the laboratory4 ,i found him studying the solution which he had extracted from the blood-soaked gauze after first removing the blood in a little distilled water4 ,before him was his new spectroscope1 and ,i could see that now he was satisfied with what the uncannily delicate light-detective had told him4 ,he pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall into a little fresh distilled water1 some of which he placed in the spectroscope4 ,look through it1 he said4 ,blood diluted with water shows the well-known dark bands between ,d and ,e1 known as the oxyhemoglobin absorption4 ,i looked as he indicated and saw the dark bands4 ,now1 he went on1 ,i add some of this other liquid4 ,he picked up a bottle of something with a faint greenish tinge4 ,see the bands gradually fade8 ,i watched1 and indeed they did diminish in intensity and finally disappear1 leaving an uninterrupted and brilliant spectrum4 ,my spectroscope1 he said1 simply1 shows that the blood-crystals of ,barnes are colorless4 ,barnes was poisoned--by some gas1 ,i think4 ,i wish ,i had time to hunt along the road where the accident took place4 ,as he said it1 he walked over and drew from a cabinet several peculiar arrangements made of gauze4 ,he was about to say something more when there came a knock at the door4 ,kennedy shoved the gauze arrangements into his pocket and opened it4 ,it was ,maude ,euston1 breathless and agitated4 ,oh1 ,mr4 ,kennedy1 have you heard8 she cried4 ,you asked me to keep a watch whether anything more happened to ,mr4 ,barnes4 ,so ,i asked some friends of his to let me know of anything4 ,he has a yacht1 the ,sea ,gull1 which has been lying off ,city ,island4 ,well1 last night the captain received a message to go to the hospital1 that ,mr4 ,barnes wanted to see him4 ,of course it was a fake4 ,mr4 ,barnes was too sick to see anybody on business4 ,but when the captain got back1 he found that1 on one pretext or another1 the crew had been got ashore--and the ,sea ,gull is gone--stolen6 ,some men in a small boat must have overpowered the engineer4 ,anyhow1 she has disappeared4 ,i know that no one could expect to steal a yacht--at least for very long4 ,she'd be recognized soon4 ,but they must know that1 too4 ,kennedy looked at his watch4 ,it is only a few hours since the train started from ,halifax1 he considered4 ,it will be due in ,new ,york early to-morrow morning--twenty million dollars in gold and thirty millions in securities--a seven-car steel train1 with forty armed guards6 ,i know it1 she said1 anxiously1 and ,i am so afraid something is going to happen--ever since ,i had to play the spy4 ,but what could any one want with a yacht8 ,kennedy shrugged his shoulders non-committally4 ,it is one of the things that ,mr4 ,lane must guard against1 he remarked1 simply4 ,she looked up quickly4 ,mr4 ,lane8 she repeated4 ,yes1 replied ,kennedy2 the protection of the train has fallen on him4 ,i shall meet the train myself when it gets to ,worcester and come in on it4 ,i don't think there can be any danger before it reaches that point4 ,will ,mr4 ,lane go with you8 ,he must1 decided ,kennedy4 ,that train must be delivered safely here in this city4 ,maude ,euston gave ,craig one of her penetrating1 direct looks4 ,you think there is danger1 then8 ,i cannot say1 he replied4 ,then ,i am going with you6 she exclaimed4 ,kennedy paused and met her eyes4 ,i do not know whether he read what was back of her sudden decision4 ,at least ,i could not1 unless there was something about ,rodman ,lane which she wished to have cleared up4 ,kennedy seemed to read her character and know that a girl like ,maude ,euston would be a help in any emergency4 ,very well1 he agreed2 meet us at ,mr4 ,lane's office in half an hour4 ,walter1 see whether you can find ,whiting4 ,whiting was one of ,kennedy's students with whom he had been lately conducting some experiments4 ,i hurried out and managed to locate him4 ,what is it you suspect8 ,i asked1 when we returned4 ,a wreck--some spectacular stroke at the nations that are shipping the gold8 ,perhaps1 he replied1 absently1 as he and ,whiting hurriedly assembled some parts of instruments that were on a table in an adjoining room4 ,perhaps8 ,i repeated4 ,what else might there be8 ,robbery4 ,robbery6 ,i exclaimed4 ,of twenty million dollars8 ,why1 man1 just consider the mere weight of the metal6 ,that's all very well1 he replied1 warming up a bit as he saw that ,whiting was getting things together quickly4 ,but it needs only a bit of twenty millions to make a snug fortune-- ,he paused and straightened up as the gathering of the peculiar electrical apparatus1 whatever it was1 was completed4 ,and1 he went on quickly1 consider the effect on the stock-market of the news4 ,that's the big thing4 ,i could only gasp4 ,a modern train-robbery1 planned in the heart of dense traffic6 ,why not8 he queried4 ,nothing is impossible if you can only take the other fellow unawares4 ,our job is not to be taken unawares4 ,are you ready1 ,whiting8 ,yes1 sir1 replied the student1 shouldering the apparatus1 for which ,i was very thankful1 for my arms had frequently ached carrying about some of ,kennedy's weird but often weighty apparatus4 ,we piled into a taxicab and made a quick journey to the office of the ,continental ,express4 ,maude ,euston had already preceded us1 and we found her standing by ,lane's desk as he paced the floor4 ,please1 ,miss ,euston1 don't go1 he was saying as we entered4 ,but ,i want to go1 she persisted1 more than ever determined1 apparently4 ,i have engaged ,professor ,kennedy just for the purpose of foreseeing what new attack can be made on us1 he said4 ,you have engaged ,professor ,kennedy8 she asked4 ,i think ,i have a prior claim there1 haven't ,i8 she appealed4 ,kennedy stood for a moment looking from one to the other4 ,what was there in the motives that actuated them8 ,was it fear1 hate1 love1 jealousy8 ,i can serve my two clients only if they yield to me1 ,craig remarked1 quietly4 ,don't set that down1 ,whiting4 ,which is it--yes or no8 ,neither ,lane nor ,miss ,euston looked at each other for a moment4 ,is it in my hands8 repeated ,craig4 ,yes1 bit off ,lane1 sourly4 ,and you1 ,miss ,euston8 ,of course1 she answered4 ,then we all go1 decided ,craig4 ,lane1 may ,i install this thing in your telegraph-room outside8 ,anything you say1 ,lane returned1 unmollified4 ,whiting set to work immediately1 while ,kennedy gave him the final instructions4 ,neither ,lane nor ,miss ,euston spoke a word1 even when ,i left the room for a moment1 fearing that three was a crowd4 ,i could not help wondering whether she might not have heard something more from the woman in the tea-room conversation than she had told us4 ,if she had1 she had been more frank with ,lane than with us4 ,she must have told him4 ,certainly she had not told us4 ,it was the only way ,i could account for the armed truce that seemed to exist as1 hour after hour1 our train carried us nearer the point where we were to meet the treasure-train4 ,at ,worcester we had still a long wait for the argosy that was causing so much anxiety and danger4 ,it was long after the time scheduled that we left finally1 on our return journey1 late at night4 ,ahead of us went a dummy pilot-train to be sacrificed if any bridges or trestles were blown up or if any new attempts were made at producing artificially broken rails4 ,we four established ourselves as best we could in a car in the center of the treasure-train1 with one of the armed guards as company4 ,mile after mile we reeled off1 ever southward and westward4 ,we must have crossed the ,state of ,connecticut and have been approaching ,long ,island ,sound1 when suddenly the train stopped with a jerk4 ,ordinarily there is nothing to grow alarmed about at the mere stopping of a train4 ,but this was an unusual train under unusual circumstances4 ,no one said a word as we peered out4 ,down the track the signals seemed to show a clear road4 ,what was the matter8 ,look6 exclaimed ,kennedy1 suddenly4 ,off a distance ahead ,i could see what looked like a long row of white fuses sticking up in the faint starlight4 ,from them the fresh west wind seemed to blow a thick curtain of greenish-yellow smoke which swept across the track1 enveloping the engine and the forward cars and now advancing toward us like the yellow wind of northern ,china4 ,it seemed to spread thickly on the ground1 rising scarcely more than sixteen or eighteen feet4 ,a moment and the cloud began to fill the air about us4 ,there was a paralyzing odor4 ,i looked about at the others1 gasping and coughing4 ,as the cloud rolled on1 inexorably increasing in density1 it seemed literally to grip the lungs4 ,it flashed over me that already the engineer and fireman had been overcome1 though not before the engineer had been able to stop the train4 ,as the cloud advanced1 the armed guards ran from it1 shouting1 one now and then falling1 overcome4 ,for the moment none of us knew what to do4 ,should we run and desert the train for which we had dared so much8 ,to stay was death4 ,quickly ,kennedy pulled from his pocket the gauze arrangements he had had in his hand that morning just as ,miss ,euston's knock had interrupted his conversation with me4 ,hurriedly he shoved one into ,miss ,euston's hands1 then to ,lane1 then to me1 and to the guard who was with us4 ,wet them6 he cried1 as he fitted his own over his nose and staggered to a water-cooler4 ,what is it8 ,i gasped1 hoarsely1 as we all imitated his every action4 ,chlorin gas1 he rasped back1 the same gas that overcame ,granville ,barnes4 ,these masks are impregnated with a glycerin solution of sodium phosphate4 ,it was chlorin that destroyed the red coloring matter in ,barnes's blood4 ,no wonder1 when this action of just a whiff of it on us is so rapid4 ,even a short time longer and death would follow4 ,it destroys without the possibility of reconstitution1 and it leaves a dangerous deposit of albumin4 ,how do you feel8 ,all right1 ,i lied4 ,we looked out again4 ,the things that looked like fuses were not bombs1 as ,i had expected1 but big reinforced bottles of gas compressed at high pressure1 with the taps open4 ,the supply was not inexhaustible4 ,in fact1 it was decidedly limited4 ,but it seemed to have been calculated to a nicety to do the work4 ,only the panting of the locomotive now broke the stillness as ,kennedy and ,i moved forward along the track4 ,crack6 rang out a shot4 ,get on the other side of the train--quick6 ordered ,craig4 ,in the shadow1 aside from the direction in which the wind was wafting the gas1 we could now just barely discern a heavy but powerful motor-truck and figures moving about it4 ,as ,i peered out from the shelter of the train1 ,i realized what it all meant4 ,the truck1 which had probably conveyed the gas-tanks from the rendezvous where they had been collected1 was there now to convey to some dark wharf what of the treasure could be seized4 ,there the stolen yacht was waiting to carry it off4 ,don't move--don't fire1 cautioned ,kennedy4 ,perhaps they will think it was only a shadow they saw4 ,let them act first4 ,they must4 ,they haven't any too much time4 ,let them get impatient4 ,for some minutes we waited4 ,sure enough1 separated widely1 but converging toward the treasure-train at last1 we could see several dark figures making their way from the road across a strip of field and over the rails4 ,i made a move with my gun4 ,don't1 whispered ,kennedy4 ,let them get together4 ,his ruse was clever4 ,evidently they thought that it had been indeed a wraith at which they had fired4 ,swiftly now they hurried to the nearest of the gold-laden cars4 ,we could hear them1 breaking in where the guards had either been rendered unconscious or had fled4 ,i looked around at ,maude ,euston4 ,she was the calmest of us all as she whispered3 ,they are in the car4 ,can't we ,,do something8 ,lane1 whispered ,kennedy1 crawl through under the trucks with me4 ,walter1 and you1 ,dugan1 he added1 to the guard1 go down the other side4 ,we must rush them--in the car4 ,as ,kennedy crawled under the train again ,i saw ,maude ,euston follow ,lane closely4 ,how it happened ,i cannot describe1 for the simple reason that ,i don't remember4 ,i know that it was a short1 sharp dash1 that the fight was a fight of fists in which guns were discharged wildly in the air against the will of the gunner4 ,but from the moment when ,kennedy's voice rang out in the door1 ,hands up6 to the time that ,i saw that we had the robbers lined up with their backs against the heavy cases of the precious metal for which they had planned and risked so much1 it is a blank of grim death-struggle4 ,i remember my surprise at seeing one of them a woman1 and ,i thought ,i must be mistaken4 ,i looked about4 ,no2 there was ,maude ,euston standing just beside ,lane4 ,i think it must have been that which recalled me and made me realize that it was a reality and not a dream4 ,the two women stood glaring at each other4 ,the woman in the tea-room6 exclaimed ,miss ,euston4 ,it was about this--robbery--then1 that ,i heard you talking the other afternoon4 ,i looked at the face before me4 ,it was1 had been1 a handsome face4 ,but now it was cold and hard1 with that heartless expression of the adventuress4 ,the men seemed to take their plight hard4 ,but1 as she looked into the clear1 gray eyes of the other woman1 the adventuress seemed to gain rather than lose in defiance4 ,robbery8 she repeated1 bitterly4 ,this is only a beginning4 ,a beginning4 ,what do you mean8 ,it was ,lane who spoke4 ,slowly she turned toward him4 ,you know well enough what ,i mean4 ,the implication that she intended was clear4 ,she had addressed the remark to him1 but it was a stab at ,maude ,euston4 ,i know only what you wanted me to do--and ,i refused4 ,is there more still8 ,i wondered whether ,lane could really have been involved4 ,quick--what ,,do you mean8 demanded ,kennedy1 authoritatively4 ,the woman turned to him3 ,suppose this news of the robbery is out8 ,what will happen8 ,do you want me to tell you1 young lady8 she added1 turning again to ,maude ,euston4 ,i'll tell you4 ,the stock of the ,continental ,express ,company will fall like a house of cards4 ,and then8 ,those who have sold it at the top price will buy it back again at the bottom4 ,the company is sound4 ,the depression will not last--perhaps will be over in a day1 a week1 a month4 ,then the operators can send it up again4 ,don't you see8 ,it is the old method of manipulation in a new form4 ,it is a war-stock gamble4 ,other stocks will be affected the same way4 ,this is our reward--what we can get out of it by playing this game for which the materials are furnished free4 ,we have played it--and lost4 ,the manipulators will get their reward on the stock-market this morning4 ,but they must still reckon with us--even if we have lost4 ,she said it with a sort of grim humor4 ,and you have put ,granville ,barnes out of the way1 first8 ,i asked1 remembering the chlorin4 ,she laughed shrilly4 ,that was an accident--his own carelessness4 ,he was carrying a tank of it for us4 ,only his chauffeur's presence of mind in throwing it into the shrubbery by the road saved his life and reputation4 ,no1 young man2 he was one of the manipulators1 too4 ,but the chief of them was-- ,she paused as if to enjoy one brief moment of triumph at least4 ,the president of the company1 she added4 ,no1 no1 no6 cried ,maude ,euston4 ,yes1 yes1 yes6 ,he does not dare deny it4 ,they were all in it4 ,mrs4 ,labret--you lie6 towered ,lane1 in a surging passion1 as he stepped forward and shook his finger at her4 ,you lie and you know it4 ,there is an old saying about the fury of a woman scorned4 ,she paid no attention to him whatever4 ,maude ,euston1 she hissed1 as though ,lane had been as inarticulate as the boxes of gold about1 you have saved your lover's reputation--perhaps4 ,at least the shipment is safe4 ,but you have ruined your father4 ,the deal will go through4 ,already that has been arranged4 ,you may as well tell ,kennedy to let us go and let the thing go through4 ,it involves more than us4 ,kennedy had been standing back a bit1 carefully keeping them all covered4 ,he glanced a moment out of the corner of his eye at ,maude ,euston1 but said nothing4 ,it was a terrible situation4 ,had ,lane really been in it8 ,that question was overshadowed by the mention of her father4 ,impulsively she turned to ,craig4 ,oh1 save him6 she cried4 ,can't anything be done to save my father in spite of himself8 ,it is too late1 mocked ,mrs4 ,labret4 ,people will read the account of the robbery in the papers1 even if it didn't take place4 ,they will see it before they see a denial4 ,orders will flood in to sell the stock4 ,no2 it can't be stopped4 ,kennedy glanced momentarily at me4 ,is there still time to catch the last morning edition of the ,star1 ,walter8 he asked1 quietly4 ,i glanced at my watch4 ,we may try4 ,it's possible4 ,write a despatch--an accident to the engine--train delayed--now proceeding--anything4 ,here1 ,dugan1 you keep them covered4 ,shoot to kill if there's a move4 ,kennedy had begun feverishly setting up the part of the apparatus which he had brought after ,whiting had set up his4 ,what can you do8 hissed ,mrs4 ,labret4 ,you can't get word through4 ,orders have been issued that the telegraph operators are under no circumstances to give out news about this train4 ,the wireless is out of commission1 too--the operator overcome4 ,the robbery story has been prepared and given out by this time4 ,already reporters are being assigned to follow it up4 ,i looked over at ,kennedy4 ,if orders had been given for such secrecy by ,barry ,euston1 how could my despatch do any good8 ,it would be held back by the operators4 ,craig quickly slung a wire over those by the side of the track and seized what ,i had written1 sending furiously4 ,what are you doing8 ,i asked4 ,you heard what she said4 ,one thing you can be certain of1 he answered1 that despatch can never be stolen or tapped by spies4 ,why--what is this8 ,i asked1 pointing to the instrument4 ,the invention of ,major ,squier1 of the army1 he replied1 by which any number of messages may be sent at the same time over the same wire without the slightest conflict4 ,really it consists in making wireless electric waves travel along1 instead of inside1 the wire4 ,in other words1 he had discovered the means of concentrating the energy of a wireless wave on a given point instead of letting it riot all over the face of the earth4 ,it is the principle of wireless4 ,but in ordinary wireless less than one-millionth part of the original sending force reaches the point for which it is intended4 ,the rest is scattered through space in all directions4 ,if the vibrations of a current are of a certain number per second1 the current will follow a wire to which it is1 as it were1 attached1 instead of passing off into space4 ,all the energy in wireless formerly wasted in radiation in every direction now devotes itself solely to driving the current through the ether about the wire4 ,thus it goes until it reaches the point where ,whiting is--where the vibrations correspond to its own and are in tune4 ,there it reproduces the sending impulse4 ,it is wired wireless4 ,craig had long since finished sending his wired wireless message4 ,we waited impatiently4 ,the seconds seemed to drag like hours4 ,far off1 now1 we could hear a whistle as a train finally approached slowly into our block1 creeping up to see what was wrong4 ,but that made no difference now4 ,it was not any help they could give us that we wanted4 ,a greater problem1 the saving of one man's name and the re-establishment of another1 confronted us4 ,unexpectedly the little wired wireless instrument before us began to buzz4 ,quickly ,kennedy seized a pencil and wrote as the message that no hand of man could interfere with was flashed back to us4 ,it is for you1 ,walter1 from the ,star1 he said1 simply handing me what he had written on the back of an old envelope4 ,i read1 almost afraid to read3 ,robbery story killed4 ,black type across page-head last edition1 ,treasure-train safe6 ,mc,g,r,a,t,h4 ,show it to ,miss ,euston1 ,craig added1 simply1 gathering up his wired wireless set1 just as the crew from the train behind us ran up4 ,she may like to know that she has saved her father from himself through misunderstanding her lover4 ,i thought ,maude ,euston would faint as she clutched the message4 ,lane caught her as she reeled backward4 ,rodman--can you--forgive me8 she murmured1 simply1 yielding to him and looking up into his face4 ,,ii ,,the ,,truth ,,detector ,you haven't heard--no one outside has heard--of the strange illness and the robbery of my employer1 ,mr4 ,mansfield--',diamond ,jack' ,mansfield1 you know4 ,our visitor was a slight1 very pretty1 but extremely nervous girl1 who had given us a card bearing the name ,miss ,helen ,grey4 ,illness--robbery8 repeated ,kennedy1 at once interested and turning a quick glance at me4 ,i shrugged my shoulders in the negative4 ,neither the ,star nor any of the other papers had had a word about it4 ,why1 what's the trouble8 he continued to ,miss ,grey4 ,you see1 she explained1 hurrying on1 ,i'm ,mr4 ,mansfield's private secretary1 and--oh1 ,professor ,kennedy1 ,i don't know1 but ,i'm afraid it is a case for a detective rather than a doctor4 ,she paused a moment and leaned forward nearer to us4 ,i think he has been poisoned6 ,the words themselves were startling enough without the evident perturbation of the girl4 ,whatever one might think1 there was no doubt that she firmly believed what she professed to fear4 ,more than that1 ,i fancied ,i detected a deeper feeling in her tone than merely loyalty to her employer4 ,diamond ,jack ,mansfield was known in ,wall ,street as a successful promoter1 on the ,white ,way as an assiduous first-nighter1 in the sporting fraternity as a keen plunger4 ,but of all his hobbies1 none had gained him more notoriety than his veritable passion for collecting diamonds4 ,he came by his sobriquet honestly4 ,i remembered once having seen him1 and he was1 in fact1 a walking ,de ,beers mine4 ,for his personal adornment1 more than a million dollars' worth of gems did relay duty4 ,he had scores of sets1 every one of them fit for a king of diamonds4 ,it was a curious hobby for a great1 strong man1 yet he was not alone in his love of and sheer affection for things beautiful4 ,not love of display or desire to attract notice to himself had prompted him to collect diamonds1 but the mere pleasure of owning them1 of associating with them4 ,it was a hobby4 ,it was not strange1 therefore1 to suspect that ,mansfield might1 after all1 have been the victim of some kind of attack4 ,he went about with perfect freedom1 in spite of the knowledge that crooks must have possessed about his hoard4 ,what makes you think he has been poisoned8 asked ,kennedy1 betraying no show of doubt that ,miss ,grey might be right4 ,oh1 it's so strange1 so sudden6 she murmured4 ,but how do you think it could have happened8 he persisted4 ,it must have been at the little supper-party he gave at his apartment last night1 she answered1 thoughtfully1 then added1 more slowly1 and yet1 it was not until this morning1 eight or ten hours after the party1 that he became ill4 ,she shuddered4 ,paroxysms of nausea1 followed by stupor and such terrible prostration4 ,his valet discovered him and sent for ,doctor ,murray--and then for me4 ,how about the robbery8 prompted ,kennedy1 as it became evident that it was ,mansfield's physical condition more than anything else that was on ,miss ,grey's mind4 ,oh yes--she recalled herself--,i suppose you know something of his gems8 ,most people do4 ,kennedy nodded4 ,he usually keeps them in a safe-deposit vault downtown1 from which he will get whatever set he feels like wearing4 ,last night it was the one he calls his sporting-set that he wore1 by far the finest4 ,it cost over a hundred thousand dollars1 and is one of the most curious of all the studies in personal adornment that he owns4 ,all the stones are of the purest blue-white and the set is entirely based on platinum4 ,but what makes it most remarkable is that it contains the famous ,m-#abgc1 as he calls it4 ,the ,m stands for ,mansfield1 and the figures represent the number of stones he had purchased up to the time that he acquired this huge one4 ,how could they have been taken1 do you think8 ventured ,kennedy4 ,miss ,grey shook her head doubtfully4 ,i think the wall safe must have been opened somehow1 she returned4 ,kennedy mechanically wrote the number1 ,m-#abgc1 on a piece of paper4 ,it has a weird history1 she went on1 observing what he had written1 and this mammoth blue-white diamond in the ring is as blue as the famous ,hope diamond that has brought misfortune through half the world4 ,this stone1 they say1 was pried from the mouth of a dying negro in ,south ,africa4 ,he had tried to smuggle it from the mine1 and when he was caught cursed the gem and every one who ever should own it4 ,one owner in ,amsterdam failed2 another in ,antwerp committed suicide2 a ,russian nobleman was banished to ,siberia1 and another went bankrupt and lost his home and family4 ,now here it is in ,mr4 ,mansfield's life4 ,i--,i hate it6 ,i could not tell whether it was the superstition or the recent events themselves which weighed most in her mind1 but1 at any rate1 she resumed1 somewhat bitterly1 a moment later3 ,m-#abgc6 ,m is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet1 and #a1 #b1 #g1 #c add up to thirteen4 ,the first and last numbers make thirteen1 and ,john ,mansfield has thirteen letters in his name4 ,i wish he had never worn the thing--never bought it6 ,the more ,i listened to her the more impressed ,i was with the fact that there was something more here than the feeling of a private secretary4 ,who were in the supper-party8 asked ,kennedy4 ,he gave it for ,madeline ,hargrave--the pretty little actress1 you know1 who took ,new ,york by storm last season in ',the ,sport' and is booked1 next week1 to appear in the new show1 ',the ,astor ,cup4' ,miss ,grey said it1 ,i thought1 with a sort of wistful envy4 ,mansfield's gay little bohemian gatherings were well known4 ,though he was not young1 he was still somewhat of a ,lothario4 ,who else was there8 asked ,kennedy4 ,then there was ,mina ,leitch1 a member of ,miss ,hargrave's new company1 she went on4 ,another was ,fleming ,lewis1 the ,wall ,street broker4 ,doctor ,murray and myself completed the party4 ,doctor ,murray is his personal physician8 ventured ,craig4 ,yes4 ,you know when ,mr4 ,mansfield's stomach went back on him last year it was ,doctor ,murray who really cured him4 ,kennedy nodded4 ,might this present trouble be a recurrence of the old trouble8 ,she shook her head4 ,no2 this is entirely different4 ,oh1 ,i wish that you could go with me and see him6 she pleaded4 ,i will1 agreed ,kennedy4 ,a moment later we were speeding in a taxicab over to the apartment4 ,really1 she remarked1 nervously1 ,i feel lost with ,mr4 ,mansfield so ill4 ,he has so many interests downtown that require constant attention that just the loss of time means a great deal4 ,of course1 ,i understand many of them--but1 you know1 a private secretary can't conduct a man's business4 ,and just now1 when ,i came up from the office1 ,i couldn't believe that he was too ill to care about things until ,i actually saw him4 ,we entered the apartment4 ,a mere glance about showed that2 even though ,mansfield's hobby was diamonds1 he was no mean collector of other articles of beauty4 ,in the big living-room1 which was almost like a studio1 we met a tall1 spare1 polished-mannered man1 whom ,i quickly recognized as ,doctor ,murray4 ,is he any better8 blurted out ,miss ,grey1 even before our introductions were over4 ,doctor ,murray shook his head gravely4 ,about the same1 he answered1 though one could find little reassurance in his tone4 ,i should like to see him1 hinted ,kennedy1 unless there is some real reason why ,i should not4 ,no1 replied the doctor1 absently2 on the contrary1 it might perhaps rouse him4 ,he led the way down the hall1 and ,kennedy and ,i followed1 while ,miss ,grey attempted to busy herself over some affairs at a huge mahogany table in the library just off the living-room4 ,mansfield had shown the same love of luxury and the bizarre even in the furnishing of his bedroom1 which was a black-and-white room with furniture of ,chinese lacquer and teakwood4 ,kennedy looked at the veteran plunger long and thoughtfully as he lay stretched out1 listless1 on the handsome bed4 ,mansfield seemed completely indifferent to our presence4 ,there was something uncanny about him4 ,already his face was shrunken1 his skin dark1 and his eyes were hollow4 ,what do you suppose it is8 asked ,kennedy1 bending over him1 and then rising and averting his head so that ,mansfield could not hear1 even if his vagrant faculties should be attracted4 ,his pulse is terribly weak and his heart scarcely makes a sound4 ,doctor ,murray's face knit in deep lines4 ,i'm afraid1 he said1 in a low tone1 that ,i will have to admit not having been able to diagnose the trouble1 ,i was just considering whom ,i might call in4 ,what have you done8 asked ,kennedy1 as the two moved a little farther out of ear-shot of the patient4 ,well1 replied the doctor1 slowly1 when his valet called me in1 ,i must admit that my first impression was that ,i had to deal with a case of diphtheria4 ,i was so impressed that ,i even took a blood smear and examined it4 ,it showed the presence of a tox albumin4 ,but it isn't diphtheria4 ,the antitoxin has had no effect4 ,no2 it isn't diphtheria4 ,but the poison is there4 ,i might have thought it was cholera1 only that seems so impossible here in ,new ,york4 ,doctor ,murray looked at ,kennedy with no effort to conceal his perplexity4 ,over and over ,i have asked myself what it could be1 he went on4 ,it seems to me that ,i have thought over about everything that is possible4 ,always ,i get back to the fact that there is that tox albumin present4 ,in some respects1 it seems like the bite of a poisonous animal4 ,there are no marks1 of course1 and it seems altogether impossible1 yet it acts precisely as ,i have seen snake bites affect people4 ,i am that desperate that ,i would try the ,noguchi antivenene1 but it would have no more effect than the antitoxin4 ,no2 ,i can only conclude that there is some narcotic irritant which especially affects the lungs and heart4 ,will you let me have one of the blood smears8 asked ,kennedy4 ,certainly1 replied the doctor1 reaching over and taking a glass slide from several lying on a table4 ,for some time after we left the sick-room ,craig appeared to be considering what ,doctor ,murray had said4 ,seeking to find ,miss ,grey in the library1 we found ourselves in the handsome1 all-wood-paneled dining-room4 ,it still showed evidences of the late banquet of the night before4 ,craig paused a moment in doubt which way to go1 then picked up from the table a beautifully decorated menu-card4 ,as he ran his eye down it mechanically1 he paused4 ,champignons1 he remarked1 thoughtfully4 ,h-m6--mushrooms4 ,instead of going on toward the library1 he turned and passed through a swinging door into the kitchen4 ,there was no one there1 but it was in a much more upset condition than the dining-room4 ,pardon1 monsieur1 sounded a voice behind us4 ,it was the ,french chef who had entered from the direction of the servants' quarters1 and was now all apologies for the untidy appearance of the realm over which he presided4 ,the strain of the dinner had been too much for his assistants1 he hastened to explain4 ,i see that you had mushrooms--creamed1 remarked ,kennedy4 ,oui1 monsieur1 he replied2 some that ,miss ,hargrave herself sent in from her mushroom-cellar out in the country4 ,as he said it his eye traveled involuntarily toward a pile of ramekins on a table4 ,kennedy noticed it and deliberately walked over to the table4 ,before ,i knew what he was about he had scooped from them each a bit of the contents and placed it in some waxed paper that was lying near by4 ,the chef watched him curiously4 ,you would not find my kitchen like this ordinarily1 he remarked4 ,i would not like to have ,doctor ,murray see it1 for since last year1 when monsieur had the bad stomach1 ,i have been very careful4 ,the chef seemed to be nervous4 ,you prepared the mushrooms yourself8 asked ,kennedy1 suddenly4 ,i directed my assistant1 came back the wary reply4 ,but you know good mushrooms when you see them8 ,certainly1 he replied1 quickly4 ,there was no one else in the kitchen while you prepared them8 ,yes1 he answered1 hurriedly2 ,mr4 ,mansfield came in1 and ,miss ,hargrave4 ,oh1 they are very particular6 ,and ,doctor ,murray1 he has given me special orders ever since last year1 when monsieur had the bad stomach1 he repeated4 ,was any one else here8 ,yes--,i think so4 ,you see1 ,i am so excited--a big dinner--such epicures--everything must be just so--,i cannot say4 ,there seemed to be little satisfaction in quizzing the chef1 and ,kennedy turned again into the dining-room1 making his way back to the library1 where ,miss ,grey was waiting anxiously for us4 ,what do you think8 she asked1 eagerly4 ,i don't know what to think1 replied ,kennedy4 ,no one else has felt any ill effects from the supper1 ,i suppose8 ,no1 she replied2 at least1 ,i'm sure ,i would have heard by this time if they had4 ,do you recall anything peculiar about the mushrooms8 shot out ,kennedy4 ,we talked about them some time1 ,i remember1 she said1 slowly4 ,growing mushrooms is one of ,miss ,hargrave's hobbies out at her place on ,long ,island4 ,yes1 persisted ,kennedy2 but ,i mean anything peculiar about the preparation of them4 ,why1 yes1 she said1 suddenly2 ,i believe that ,miss ,hargrave was to have superintended them herself4 ,we all went out into the kitchen4 ,but it was too late4 ,they had been prepared already4 ,you were all in the kitchen8 ,yes2 ,i remember4 ,it was before the supper and just after we came in from the theater-party which ,mr4 ,mansfield gave4 ,you know ,mr4 ,mansfield is always doing unconventional things like that4 ,if he took a notion1 he would go into the kitchen of the ,ritz4 ,that is what ,i was trying to get out of the chef--,francois1 remarked ,kennedy4 ,he didn't seem to have a very clear idea of what happened4 ,i think ,i'll see him again--right away4 ,we found the chef busily at work1 now1 cleaning up4 ,as ,kennedy asked him a few inconsequential questions1 his eye caught a row of books on a shelf4 ,it was a most complete library of the culinary arts4 ,craig selected one and turned the pages over rapidly4 ,then he came back to the frontispiece1 which showed a model dinner-table set for a number of guests4 ,he placed the picture before ,francois1 then withdrew it in1 ,i should say1 about ten seconds4 ,it was a strange and incomprehensible action1 but ,i was more surprised when ,kennedy added3 ,now tell me what you saw4 ,francois was quite overwhelming in his desire to please4 ,just what was going on in his mind ,i could not guess1 nor did he betray it1 but quickly he enumerated the objects on the table1 gradually slowing up as the number which he recollected became exhausted4 ,were there candles8 prompted ,craig1 as the flow of ,francois's description ceased4 ,oh yes1 candles1 he agreed1 eagerly4 ,favors at each place8 ,yes1 sir4 ,i could see no sense in the proceeding1 yet knew ,kennedy too well to suppose1 for an instant1 that he had not some purpose4 ,the questioning over1 ,kennedy withdrew1 leaving poor ,francois more mystified than ever4 ,well1 ,i exclaimed1 as we passed through the dining-room1 what was all that8 ,that1 he explained1 is what is known to criminologists as the ',aussage test4' ,just try it some time when you get a chance4 ,if there are1 say1 fifty objects in a picture1 normally a person may recall perhaps twenty of them4 ,i see1 ,i interrupted2 a test of memory4 ,more than that1 he replied4 ,you remember that1 at the end1 ,i suggested several things likely to be on the table4 ,they were not there1 as you might have seen if you had had the picture before you4 ,that was a test of the susceptibility to suggestion of the chef4 ,francois may not mean to lie1 but ,i'm afraid we'll have to get along without him in getting to the bottom of the case4 ,you see1 before we go any further we know that he is unreliable--to say the least4 ,it may be that nothing at all happened in the kitchen to the mushrooms4 ,we'll never discover it from him4 ,we must get it elsewhere4 ,miss ,grey had been trying to straighten out some of the snarls which ,mansfield's business affairs had got into as a result of his illness2 but it was evident that she had difficulty in keeping her mind on her work4 ,the next thing ,i'd like to see1 asked ,kennedy1 when we rejoined her1 is that wall safe4 ,she led the way down the hall and into an ante-room to ,mansfield's part of the suite4 ,the safe itself was a comparatively simple affair inside a closet4 ,indeed1 ,i doubt whether it had been seriously designed to be burglar-proof4 ,rather it was merely a protection against fire4 ,have you any suspicion about when the robbery took place8 asked ,kennedy1 as we peered into the empty compartment4 ,i wish ,i had been called in the first thing when it was discovered4 ,there might have been some chance to discover fingerprints4 ,but now1 ,i suppose1 every clue of that sort has been obliterated4 ,no1 she replied2 ,i don't know whether it happened before or after ,mr4 ,mansfield was discovered so ill by his valet4 ,but at least you can give me some idea of when the jewels were placed in the safe4 ,it must have been before the supper1 right after our return from the theater4 ,so8 considered ,kennedy4 ,then that would mean that they might have been taken by any one1 don't you see8 ,why did he place them in the safe so soon1 instead of wearing them the rest of the evening8 ,i hadn't thought of that way of looking at it1 she admitted4 ,why1 when we came home from the theater ,i remember it had been so warm that ,mr4 ,mansfield's collar was wilted and his dress shirt rumpled4 ,he excused himself1 and when he returned he was not wearing the diamonds4 ,we noticed it1 and ,miss ,hargrave expressed a wish that she might wear the big diamond at the opening night of ',the ,astor ,cup4' ,mr4 ,mansfield promised that she might and nothing more was said about it4 ,did you notice anything else at the dinner--no matter how trivial8 asked ,kennedy4 ,helen ,grey seemed to hesitate1 then said1 in a low voice1 as though the words were wrung from her3 ,of course1 the party and the supper were given ostensibly to ,miss ,hargrave4 ,but--lately--,i have thought he was paying quite as much attention to ,mina ,leitch4 ,it was quite in keeping with what we knew of ,diamond ,jack4 ,perhaps it was this seeming fickleness which had saved him from many entangling alliances4 ,miss ,grey said it in such a way that it seemed like an apology for a fault in his character which she would rather have hidden4 ,i could not but fancy that it mitigated somewhat the wistful envy ,i had noticed before when she spoke of ,madeline ,hargrave4 ,while he had been questioning her ,kennedy had been examining the wall safe1 particularly with reference to its accessibility from the rest of the apartment4 ,there appeared to be no reason why one could not have got at it from the hallway as well as from ,mansfield's room4 ,the safe itself seemed to yield no clue1 and ,kennedy was about to turn away when he happened to glance down at the dark interior of the closet floor4 ,he stooped down4 ,when he rose he had something in his hand4 ,it was just a little thin piece of something that glittered iridescently4 ,a spangle from a sequin dress1 he muttered to himself2 then1 turning to ,miss ,grey1 ,did any one wear such a dress last night8 ,helen ,grey looked positively frightened4 ,miss ,hargrave6 she murmured1 simply4 ,oh1 it cannot be--there must be some mistake6 ,just then we heard voices in the hall4 ,but1 ,murray1 ,i don't see why ,i can't see him1 said one4 ,what good will it do1 ,lewis8 returned the other1 which ,i recognized as that of ,doctor ,murray4 ,fleming ,lewis1 whispered ,miss ,grey1 taking a step out into the hallway4 ,a moment later ,doctor ,murray and ,lewis had joined us4 ,i could see that there was some feeling between the two men1 though what it was about ,i could not say4 ,as ,miss ,grey introduced us1 ,i glanced hastily out of the corner of my eye at ,kennedy4 ,involuntarily his hand which held the telltale sequin had sought his waistcoat pocket1 as though to hide it4 ,then ,i saw him check the action and deliberately examine the piece of tinsel between his thumb and forefinger4 ,doctor ,murray saw it1 too1 and his eyes were riveted on it1 as though instantly he saw its significance4 ,what do you think--,jack as sick as a dog1 and robbed1 too1 and yet ,murray says ,i oughtn't to see him6 complained ,lewis1 for the moment oblivious to the fact that all our eyes were riveted on the spangle between ,kennedy's fingers4 ,and then1 slowly it seemed to dawn on him what it was4 ,madeline's6 he exclaimed1 quickly4 ,so ,mina did tear it1 after all1 when she stepped on the train4 ,kennedy watched the faces before us keenly4 ,no one said anything4 ,it was evident that some such incident had happened4 ,but had ,lewis1 with a quick flash of genius1 sought to cover up something1 protect somebody8 ,miss ,grey was evidently anxious to transfer the scene at least to the living-room1 away from the sick-room1 and ,kennedy1 seeing it1 fell in with the idea4 ,looks to me as though this robbery was an inside affair1 remarked ,lewis1 as we all stood for a moment in the living-room4 ,do you suppose one of the servants could have been 'planted' for the purpose of pulling it off8 ,the idea was plausible enough4 ,yet1 plausible as the suggestion might seem1 it took no account of the other circumstances of the case4 ,i could not believe that the illness of ,mansfield was merely an unfortunate coincidence4 ,fleming ,lewis's unguarded and blunt tendency to blurt out whatever seemed uppermost in his mind soon became a study to me as we talked together in the living-room4 ,i could not quite make out whether it was studied and astute or whether it was merely the natural exuberance of youth4 ,there was certainly some sort of enmity between him and the doctor1 which the remark about the spangle seemed to fan into a flame4 ,miss ,grey manoeuvered tactfully1 however1 to prevent a scene4 ,and1 after an interchange of remarks that threw more heat than light on the matter1 ,kennedy and ,i followed ,lewis out to the elevator1 with a parting promise to keep in touch with ,miss ,grey4 ,what do you think of the spangle8 ,i queried of ,craig as ,lewis bade us a hasty good-by and climbed into his car at the street-entrance4 ,is it a clue or a stall8 ,that remains to be seen1 he replied1 noncommittally4 ,just now the thing that interests me most is what ,i can accomplish at the laboratory in the way of finding out what is the matter with ,mansfield4 ,while ,kennedy was busy with the various solutions which he made of the contents of the ramekins that had held the mushrooms1 ,i wandered over to the university library and waded through several volumes on fungi without learning anything of value4 ,finally1 knowing that ,kennedy would probably be busy for some time1 and that all ,i should get for my pains by questioning him would be monosyllabic grunts until he was quite convinced that he was on the trail of something1 ,i determined to run into the up-town office of the ,star and talk over the affair as well as ,i could without violating what ,i felt had been given us in confidence4 ,i could not1 it turned out1 have done anything better1 for it seemed to be the gossip of the ,broadway cafes and cabarets that ,mansfield had been plunging rather deeply lately and had talked many of his acquaintances into joining him in a pool1 either outright or on margins4 ,it seemed to be a safe bet that not only ,lewis and ,doctor ,murray had joined him1 but that ,madeline ,hargrave and ,mina ,leitch1 who had had a successful season and some spare thousands to invest1 might have gone in1 too4 ,so far the fortunes of the stock-market had not smiled on ,mansfield's schemes1 and1 ,i reflected1 it was not impossible that what might be merely an incident to a man like ,mansfield could be very serious to the rest of them4 ,it was the middle of the afternoon when ,i returned to the laboratory with my slender budget of news4 ,craig was quite interested in what ,i had to say1 even pausing for a few moments in his work to listen4 ,in several cages ,i saw that he had a number of little guinea-pigs4 ,one of them was plainly in distress1 and ,kennedy had been watching him intently4 ,it's strange1 he remarked4 ,i had samples of material from six ramekins4 ,five of them seem to have had no effect whatever4 ,but if the bit that ,i gave this fellow causes such distress1 what would a larger quantity do8 ,then one of the ramekins was poisoned8 ,i questioned4 ,i have discovered in it1 as well as in the blood smear1 the tox albumin that ,doctor ,murray mentioned1 he said1 simply1 pulling out his watch4 ,it isn't late4 ,i think ,i shall have to take a trip out to ,miss ,hargrave's4 ,we ought to do it in an hour and a half in a car4 ,kennedy said very little as we sped out over the ,long ,island roads that led to the little colony of actors and actresses at ,cedar ,grove4 ,he seemed rather to be enjoying the chance to get away from the city and turn over in his mind the various problems which the case presented4 ,as for myself1 ,i had by this time convinced myself that1 somehow1 the mushrooms were involved4 ,what ,kennedy expected to find ,i could not guess4 ,but from what ,i had read ,i surmised that it must be that one of the poisonous varieties had somehow got mixed with the others1 one of the ,amanitas1 just as deadly as the venom of the rattler or the copperhead4 ,i knew that1 in some cases1 ,amanitas had been used to commit crimes4 ,was this such a case8 ,we had no trouble in finding the estate of ,miss ,hargrave1 and she was at home4 ,kennedy lost no time introducing himself and coming to the point of his visit4 ,madeline ,hargrave was a slender1 willowy type of girl1 pronouncedly blond1 striking1 precisely the type ,i should have imagined that ,mansfield would have been proud to be seen with4 ,i've just heard of ,mr4 ,mansfield's illness1 she said1 anxiously4 ,mr4 ,lewis called me up and told me4 ,i don't see why ,miss ,grey or ,doctor ,murray didn't let me know sooner4 ,she said it with an air of vexation1 as though she felt slighted4 ,in spite of her evident anxiety to know about the tragedy1 however1 ,i did not detect the depth of feeling that ,helen ,grey had shown4 ,in fact1 the thoughtfulness of ,fleming ,lewis almost led me to believe that it was he1 rather than ,mansfield1 for whom she really cared4 ,we chatted a few minutes1 as ,kennedy told what little we had discovered4 ,he said nothing about the spangle4 ,by the way1 remarked ,craig1 at length1 ,i would very much like to have a look at that famous mushroom-cellar of yours4 ,for the first time she seemed momentarily to lose her poise4 ,i've always had a great interest in mushrooms1 she explained1 hastily4 ,you--you do not think it could be the mushrooms--that have caused ,mr4 ,mansfield's illness1 do you8 ,kennedy passed off the remark as best he could under the circumstances4 ,though she was not satisfied with his answer1 she could not very well refuse his request1 and a few minutes later we were down in the dark dampness of the cellar back of the house1 where ,kennedy set to work on a most exhaustive search4 ,i could see by the expression on his face1 as his search progressed1 that he was not finding what he had expected4 ,clearly1 the fungi before us were the common edible mushrooms4 ,the upper side of each1 as he examined it1 was white1 with brownish fibrils1 or scales4 ,underneath1 some were a beautiful salmon-pink1 changing gradually to almost black in the older specimens4 ,the stem was colored like the top4 ,but search as he might for what ,i knew he was after1 in none did he find anything but a small or more often no swelling at the base1 and no cup1 as it is called4 ,as he rose after his thorough search1 ,i saw that he was completely baffled4 ,i hardly thought you'd find anything1 ,miss ,hargrave remarked1 noticing the look on his face4 ,i've always been very careful of my mushrooms4 ,you have certainly succeeded admirably1 he complimented4 ,i hope you will let me know how ,mr4 ,mansfield is1 she said1 as we started back toward our car on the road4 ,i can't tell you how ,i feel4 ,to think that1 after a party which he gave for me1 he should be taken ill1 and not only that but be robbed at the same time6 ,really1 you must let me know--or ,i shall have to come up to the city4 ,it seemed gratuitous for ,kennedy to promise1 for ,i knew that he was by no means through with her yet2 but she thanked him1 and we turned back toward town4 ,well1 ,i remarked1 as we reeled off the miles quickly1 ,i must say that that puts me all at sea again4 ,i had convinced myself that it was a case of mushroom poisoning4 ,what can you do now8 ,do8 he echoed4 ,why1 go on4 ,this puts us a step nearer the truth1 that's all4 ,far from being discouraged at what had seemed to me to be a fatal blow to the theory1 he now seemed to be actually encouraged4 ,back in the city1 he lost no time in getting to the laboratory again4 ,a package from the botanical department of the university was waiting there for ,kennedy1 but before he could open it the telephone buzzed furiously4 ,i could gather from ,kennedy's words that it was ,helen ,grey4 ,i shall be over immediately1 he promised1 as he hung up the receiver and turned to me4 ,mansfield is much worse4 ,while ,i get together some material ,i must take over there1 ,walter1 ,i want you to call up ,miss ,hargrave and tell her to start for the city right away--meet us at ,mansfield's4 ,then get ,mina ,leitch and ,lewis4 ,you'll find their numbers in the book--or else you'll have to get them from ,miss ,grey4 ,while ,i was delivering the messages as diplomatically as possible ,kennedy had taken a vial from a medicine-chest1 and then from a cabinet a machine which seemed to consist of a number of collars and belts fastened to black cylinders from which ran tubes4 ,an upright roll of ruled paper supported by a clockwork arrangement for revolving it1 and a standard bearing a recording pen1 completed the outfit4 ,i should much have preferred not being hurried1 he confessed1 as we dashed over in the car to ,mansfield's again1 bearing the several packages4 ,i wanted to have a chance to interview ,mina ,leitch alone4 ,however1 it has now become a matter of life or death4 ,miss ,grey was pale and worn as she met us in the living-room4 ,he's had a sinking-spell1 she said1 tremulously4 ,doctor ,murray managed to bring him around1 but he seems so much weaker after it4 ,another might-- ,she broke off1 unable to finish4 ,a glance at ,mansfield was enough to convince any one that unless something was done soon the end was not far4 ,another convulsion and sinking-spell is about all he can stand1 remarked ,doctor ,murray4 ,may ,i try something8 asked ,kennedy1 hardly waiting for the doctor to agree before he had pulled out the little vial which ,i had seen him place in his pocket4 ,deftly ,kennedy injected some of the contents into ,mansfield's side1 then stood anxiously watching the effect4 ,the minutes lengthened4 ,at least he seemed to be growing no worse4 ,in the next room1 on a table1 ,kennedy was now busy setting out the scroll of ruled paper and its clockwork arrangement1 and connecting the various tubes from the black cylinders in such a way that the recording pen just barely touched on the scroll4 ,he had come back to note the still unchanged condition of the patient when the door opened and a handsome woman in the early thirties entered1 followed by ,helen ,grey4 ,it was ,mina ,leitch4 ,oh1 isn't it terrible6 ,i can hardly believe it6 she cried1 paying no attention to us as she moved over to ,doctor ,murray4 ,i recalled what ,miss ,grey had said about ,mansfield's attentions4 ,it was evident that1 as far as ,mina was concerned1 her own attentions were monopolized by the polished physician4 ,his manner in greeting her told me that ,doctor ,murray appreciated it4 ,just then ,fleming ,lewis bustled in4 ,i thought ,miss ,hargrave was here1 he said1 abruptly1 looking about4 ,they told me over the wire she would be4 ,she should be here any moment1 returned ,kennedy1 looking at his watch and finding that considerably over an hour had elapsed since ,i had telephoned4 ,what it was ,i could not say1 but there was a coldness toward ,lewis that amounted to more than latent hostility4 ,he tried to appear at ease1 but it was a decided effort4 ,there was no mistaking his relief when the tension was broken by the arrival of ,madeline ,hargrave4 ,the circumstances were so strange that none of them seemed to object while ,kennedy began to explain1 briefly1 that1 as nearly as he could determine1 the illness of ,mansfield might be due to something eaten at the supper4 ,as he attached the bands about the necks and waists of one after another of the guests1 bringing the little black cylinders thus close to the middle of their chests1 he contrived to convey the impression that he would like to determine whether any one else had been affected in a lesser degree4 ,i watched most intently the two women who had just come in4 ,one would certainly not have detected from their greeting and outward manner anything more than that they were well acquainted4 ,but they were an interesting study1 two quite opposite types4 ,madeline1 with her baby-blue eyes1 was of the type that craved admiration4 ,mina's black eyes flashed now and then imperiously1 as though she sought to compel what the other sought to win4 ,as for ,fleming ,lewis1 ,i could not fail to notice that he was most attentive to ,madeline1 though he watched1 furtively1 but none the less keenly1 every movement and word of ,mina4 ,his preparations completed1 ,kennedy opened the package which had been left at the laboratory just before the hasty call from ,miss ,grey4 ,as he did so he disclosed several specimens of a mushroom of pale-lemon color1 with a center of deep orange1 the top flecked with white bits4 ,underneath1 the gills were white and the stem had a sort of veil about it4 ,but what interested me most1 and what ,i was looking for1 was the remains of a sort of dirty1 chocolate-colored cup at the base of the stem4 ,i suppose there is scarcely any need of saying1 began ,kennedy1 that the food which ,i suspect in this case is the mushrooms4 ,here ,i have some which ,i have fortunately been able to obtain merely to illustrate what ,i am going to say4 ,this is the deadly ,amanita muscaria1 the fly-agaric4 ,madeline ,hargrave seemed to be following him with a peculiar fascination4 ,this ,amanita1 resumed ,kennedy1 has a long history1 and ,i may say that few species are quite so interesting4 ,macerated in milk1 it has been employed for centuries as a fly-poison1 hence its name4 ,its deadly properties were known to the ancients1 and it is justly celebrated because of its long and distinguished list of victims4 ,agrippina used it to poison the ,emperor ,claudius4 ,among others1 the ,czar ,alexis of ,russia died of eating it4 ,i have heard that some people find it only a narcotic1 and it is said that in ,siberia there are actually ,amanita debauchees who go on prolonged tears by eating the thing4 ,it may be that it does not affect some people as it does others1 but in most cases that beautiful gossamer veil which you see about the stem is really a shroud4 ,the worst of it is1 he continued1 that this ,amanita somewhat resembles the royal agaric1 the ,amanita caesarea4 ,it is1 as you see1 strikingly beautiful1 and therefore all the more dangerous4 ,he ceased a moment1 while we looked in a sort of awe at the fatally beautiful thing4 ,it is not with the fungus that ,i am so much interested just now1 however1 ,kennedy began again1 but with the poison4 ,many years ago scientists analyzed its poisonous alkaloids and found what they called bulbosine4 ,later it was named muscarin1 and now is sometimes known as amanitin1 since it is confined to the mushrooms of the ,amanita genus4 ,amanitin is a wonderful and dangerous alkaloid1 which is absorbed in the intestinal canal4 ,it is extremely violent4 ,three to five one-thousandths of a gram1 or six one-hundredths of a grain1 are very dangerous4 ,more than that1 the poisoning differs from most poisons in the long time that elapses between the taking of it and the first evidences of its effects4 ,muscarin1 ,kennedy concluded1 has been chemically investigated more often than any other mushroom poison and a perfect antidote has been discovered4 ,atropin1 or belladonna1 is such a drug4 ,for a moment ,i looked about at the others in the room4 ,had it been an accident1 after all8 ,perhaps1 if any of the others had been attacked1 one might have suspected that it was4 ,but they had not been affected at all1 at least apparently4 ,yet there could be no doubt that it was the poisonous muscarin that had affected ,mansfield4 ,did you ever see anything like that8 asked ,kennedy1 suddenly1 holding up the gilt spangle which he had found on the closet floor near the wall safe4 ,though no one said a word1 it was evident that they all recognized it4 ,lewis was watching ,madeline closely4 ,but she betrayed nothing except mild surprise at seeing the spangle from her dress4 ,had it been deliberately placed there1 it flashed over me1 in order to compromise ,madeline ,hargrave and divert suspicion from some one else8 ,i turned to ,mina4 ,behind the defiance of her dark eyes ,i felt that there was something working4 ,kennedy must have sensed it even before ,i did1 for he suddenly bent down over the recording needle and the ruled paper on the table4 ,this1 he shot out1 is a pneumograph which shows the actual intensity of the emotions by recording their effects on the heart and lungs together4 ,the truth can literally be tapped1 even where no confession can be extracted4 ,a moment's glance at this line1 traced here by each of you1 can tell the expert more than words4 ,then it was a mushroom that poisoned ,jack6 interrupted ,lewis1 suddenly4 ,some poisonous ,amanita got mixed with the edible mushrooms8 ,kennedy answered1 quickly1 without taking his eyes off the line the needle was tracing3 ,no2 this was a case of the deliberate use of the active principle itself1 muscarin--with the expectation that the death1 if the cause was ever discovered1 could easily be blamed on such a mushroom4 ,somehow--there were many chances--the poison was slipped into the ramekin ,francois was carefully preparing for ,mansfield4 ,the method does not interest me so much as the fact-- ,there was a slight noise from the other room where ,mansfield lay4 ,instantly we were all on our feet4 ,before any of us could reach the door ,helen ,grey had slipped through it4 ,just a second1 commanded ,kennedy1 extending the sequin toward us to emphasize what he was about to say4 ,the poisoning and the robbery were the work of one hand4 ,that sequin is the key that has unlocked the secret which my pneumograph has recorded4 ,some one saw that robbery committed--knew nothing of the contemplated poisoning to cover it4 ,to save the reputation of the robber--at any cost--on the spur of the moment the ruse of placing the sequin in the closet occurred4 ,madeline ,hargrave turned to ,mina1 while ,i recalled ,lewis's remark about ,mina's stepping on the train and tearing it4 ,the defiance in her black eyes flashed from ,madeline to ,kennedy4 ,yes1 she cried2 ,i did it6 ,i-- ,as quickly the defiance had faded4 ,mina ,leitch had fainted4 ,some water--quick6 cried ,kennedy4 ,i sprang through the door into ,mansfield's room4 ,as ,i passed ,i caught sight of ,helen ,grey supporting the head of ,mansfield--both oblivious to actresses1 diamonds1 everything that had so nearly caused a tragedy4 ,no1 ,i heard ,kennedy say to ,lewis as ,i returned2 it was not ,mina4 ,the person she shielded was wildly in love with her1 insanely jealous of ,mansfield for even looking at her1 and in debt so hopelessly in ,mansfield's ventures that only the big diamond could save him--,doctor ,murray himself6 ,,iii ,,the ,,soul-,,analysis ,here's the most remarkable appeal1 observed ,kennedy1 one morning1 as he tossed over to me a letter4 ,what do you make of that8 ,it read3 ,,montrose1 ,,conn4 ,,my ,,dear ,,professor ,,kennedy3 ,you do not know me1 but ,i have heard a great deal about you4 ,please1 ,i beg of you1 do not disregard this letter4 ,at least try to verify the appeal ,i am making4 ,i am here at the ,belleclaire ,sanatorium1 run by ,dr4 ,bolton ,burr1 in ,montrose4 ,but it is not a real sanatorium4 ,it is really a private asylum4 ,let me tell my story briefly4 ,after my baby was born ,i devoted myself to it4 ,but1 in spite of everything1 it died4 ,meanwhile my husband neglected me terribly4 ,after the baby's death ,i was a nervous wreck1 and ,i came up here to rest4 ,now ,i find ,i am being held here as an insane patient4 ,i cannot get out4 ,i do not even know whether this letter will reach you4 ,but the chambermaid here has told me she will post it for me4 ,i am ill and nervous--a wreck1 but not insane1 although they will tell you that the twilight-sleep treatment affected my mind4 ,but what is happening here will eventually drive me insane if some one does not come to my rescue4 ,cannot you get in to see me as a doctor or friend8 ,i will leave all to you after that4 ,yours anxiously1 ,,janet 7,,mrs4 ,,roger7 ,,cranston4 ,what do you make of it yourself8 ,i returned1 handing back the letter4 ,are you going to take it up8 ,he slowly looked over the letter again4 ,judging by the handwriting1 he remarked1 thoughtfully1 ,i should say that the writer is laboring under keen excitement--though there is no evidence of insanity on the face of it4 ,yes2 ,i think ,i'll take up the case4 ,but how are you going to get in8 ,i asked4 ,they'll never admit you willingly4 ,kennedy pondered a minute4 ,i'll get in1 all right1 he said1 at length2 come on--,i'm going to call on ,roger ,cranston first4 ,roger ,cranston8 ,i repeated1 dumfounded4 ,why1 he'll never help you6 ,ten to one he's in on it4 ,we'll have to take a chance1 returned ,kennedy1 hurrying me out of the laboratory4 ,roger ,cranston was a well-known lawyer and man about town4 ,we found him in his office on lower ,broadway4 ,he was young and distinguished-looking1 which probably accounted for the fact that his office had become a sort of fashionable court of domestic relations4 ,i'm a friend of ,dr4 ,bolton ,burr1 of ,montrose1 introduced ,kennedy4 ,cranston looked at him keenly1 but ,kennedy was a good actor4 ,i have been studying some of the patients at the sanatorium1 and ,i have seen ,mrs4 ,cranston there4 ,indeed6 responded ,cranston4 ,i'm all broken up by it myself4 ,i could not resist thinking that he took it very calmly1 however4 ,i should like very much to make what we call a psychanalysis of ,mrs4 ,cranston's mental condition1 ,kennedy explained4 ,a psychanalysis8 repeated ,cranston4 ,yes2 you know it is a new system4 ,in the field of abnormal psychology1 the soul-analysis is of first importance4 ,to-day1 this study is of the greatest help in neurology and psychiatry4 ,only1 ,i can't make it without the consent of the natural guardian of the patient4 ,doctor ,burr tells me that you will have no objection4 ,cranston thoughtfully studied the wall opposite4 ,well1 he returned1 slowly1 they tell me that without treatment she will soon be hopelessly insane--perhaps dangerously so4 ,that is all ,i know4 ,i am not a specialist4 ,if ,doctor ,burr-- ,he paused4 ,if you can give me just a card1 urged ,kennedy1 that is all ,doctor ,burr wishes4 ,cranston wrote hastily on the back of one of his cards what ,kennedy dictated4 ,please allow ,doctor ,kennedy to make a psychanalysis of my wife's mental condition4 ,you will let me know--if there is--any hope8 he asked4 ,as soon as ,i can1 replied ,kennedy1 ,i'll let you have a copy of my report4 ,cranston thanked us and bowed us to the door suavely4 ,well1 ,i remarked1 as we rode down in the elevator1 that was clever4 ,he fell for it1 too4 ,you're an artist4 ,do you think he was posing8 ,kennedy shrugged his shoulders4 ,we lost no time in getting the first train for ,montrose1 before ,cranston had time to reconsider and call up ,doctor ,burr4 ,the ,belleclaire ,sanatorium was on the outskirts of the town4 ,it was an old stone house1 rather dingy1 and surrounded by a high stone wall surmounted by sharp pickets4 ,dr4 ,bolton ,burr1 who was at the head of the institution1 met us in the plainly furnished reception-room which also served as his office4 ,through a window we could see some of the patients walking or sitting about on a small stretch of scraggly grass between the house and the wall4 ,doctor ,burr was a tall and commanding-looking man with a ,vandyke beard1 and one would instinctively have picked him out anywhere as a physician4 ,i believe you have a patient here--,mrs4 ,roger ,cranston1 began ,kennedy1 after the usual formalities4 ,doctor ,burr eyed us askance4 ,i've been asked by ,mr4 ,cranston to make an examination of his wife1 pursued ,craig1 presenting the card which he had obtained from ,roger ,cranston4 ,h'm6 mused ,doctor ,burr1 looking quickly from the card to ,kennedy with a searching glance4 ,i wish you would tell me something of the case before ,i see her1 went on ,kennedy1 with absolute assurance4 ,well1 temporized ,doctor ,burr1 twirling the card1 ,mrs4 ,cranston came to me after the death of her child4 ,she was in a terrible state4 ,but we are slowly building up her shattered nerves by plain1 simple living and a tonic4 ,was she committed by her husband8 queried ,kennedy1 unexpectedly4 ,whether or not ,doctor ,burr felt suspicious of us ,i could not tell4 ,but he seemed eager to justify himself4 ,i have the papers committing her to my care1 he said1 rising and opening a safe in the corner4 ,he laid before us a document in which appeared the names of ,roger ,cranston and ,julia ,giles4 ,who is this ,julia ,giles8 asked ,kennedy1 after he had read the document4 ,one of our nurses1 returned the doctor4 ,she has had ,mrs4 ,cranston under observation ever since she arrived4 ,i should like to see both ,miss ,giles and ,mrs4 ,cranston1 insisted ,kennedy4 ,it is not that ,mr4 ,cranston is in any way dissatisfied with your treatment1 but he thought that perhaps ,i might be of some assistance to you4 ,kennedy's manner was ingratiating but firm1 and he hurried on1 lest it should occur to ,doctor ,burr to call up ,cranston4 ,the doctor1 still twirling the card1 finally led us through the wide central hall and up an old-fashioned winding staircase to a large room on the second floor4 ,he tapped at the door1 which was opened1 disclosing an interior tastefully furnished4 ,doctor ,burr introduced us to ,miss ,giles1 conveying the impression1 which ,kennedy had already given1 that he was a specialist1 and ,i his assistant4 ,janet ,cranston was a young and also remarkably beautiful girl4 ,one could see traces of sorrow in her face1 which was exceedingly1 though not unpleasingly1 pale4 ,the restless brilliancy of her eyes spoke of some physical1 if not psychical1 disorder4 ,she was dressed in deep mourning1 which heightened her pallor and excited a feeling of mingled respect and interest4 ,thick brown coils of chestnut hair were arranged in such a manner as to give an extremely youthful appearance to her delicate face4 ,her emotions were expressed by the constant motion of her slender fingers4 ,miss ,giles was a striking woman of an entirely different type4 ,she seemed to be exuberant with health1 as though nursing had taught her not merely how to take care of others1 but had given her the secret of caring1 first of all1 for herself4 ,i could see1 as ,doctor ,burr introduced us to his patient1 that ,mrs4 ,cranston instantly recognized ,kennedy's interest in her case4 ,she received us with a graceful courtesy1 but she betrayed no undue interest that might excite suspicion1 nor was there any hint given of the note of appeal4 ,i wondered whether that might not be an instance of the cunning for which ,i had heard that the insane are noted4 ,she showed no sign of insanity1 however4 ,i looked about curiously to see if there were evidences of the treatment which she was receiving4 ,on a table stood a bottle and a glass1 as well as a teaspoon1 and ,i recalled the doctor's remark about the tonic4 ,you look tired1 ,mrs4 ,cranston1 remarked ,kennedy1 thoughtfully4 ,why not rest while we are here1 and then ,i will be sure my visit has had no ill effects4 ,thank you1 she murmured1 and ,i was much impressed by the sweetness of her voice4 ,as he spoke1 ,kennedy arranged the pillows on a chaise lounge and placed her on it with her head slightly elevated4 ,having discussed the subject of psychanalysis with ,kennedy before1 ,i knew that this was so that nothing might distract her from the free association of ideas4 ,he placed himself near her head1 and motioned to us to stand farther back of him1 where she could not see us4 ,avoid all muscular exertion and distraction1 he continued4 ,i want you to concentrate your attention thoroughly4 ,tell me anything that comes into your mind4 ,tell all you know of your symptoms4 ,concentrate1 and repeat all you think of4 ,frankly express all the thoughts that you have1 even though they may be painful and embarrassing4 ,he said this soothingly1 and she seemed to understand that much depended upon her answers and the fact of not forcing her ideas4 ,i am thinking of my husband1 ,mrs4 ,cranston began1 finally1 in a dreamy tone4 ,what of him8 suggested ,kennedy4 ,of how the baby--separated us--and-- ,she paused1 almost in tears4 ,from what ,i knew of the method of psychanalysis1 ,i recalled it was the gaps and hesitations which were most important in arriving at the truth regarding the cause of her trouble4 ,perhaps it was my fault2 perhaps ,i was a better mother than wife4 ,i thought ,i was doing what he would want me to do4 ,too late ,i see my mistake4 ,it was easy to read into her story that there had been other women in his life4 ,it had wounded her deeply4 ,yet it was equally plain that she still loved him4 ,go on1 urged ,kennedy1 gently4 ,oh yes1 she resumed1 dreamily2 ,i am thinking about once1 when ,i left him1 ,i wandered through the country4 ,i remember little except that it was the country through which we had passed on an automobile trip on our honeymoon4 ,once ,i thought ,i saw him1 and ,i tried to get to him4 ,i longed for him1 but each time1 when ,i almost reached him1 he would disappear4 ,i seemed to be so deserted and alone4 ,i tried to call him1 but my tongue refused to say his name4 ,it must have been hours that ,i wandered about1 for ,i recall nothing after that until ,i was found1 disheveled and exhausted4 ,she paused and closed her eyes1 while ,i could see that ,kennedy considered this gap very important4 ,don't stop1 persisted ,kennedy4 ,once we quarreled over one of his clients who was suing for a divorce4 ,i thought he was devoting too much time and attention to her4 ,while there might not have been anything wrong1 still ,i was afraid4 ,in my anger and anxiety ,i accused him4 ,he retorted by slamming the door1 and ,i did not see him for two or three days4 ,i realized my nervous condition1 and one day a mutual friend of ours introduced me to ,doctor ,burr and advised me to take a rest-cure at his sanatorium4 ,by this time ,roger and ,i were on speaking-terms again4 ,but the death of the baby and the quarrel left me still as nervous as before4 ,he seemed anxious to have me do something1 and so ,i came here4 ,do you remember anything that happened after that8 asked ,craig1 for the first time asking a mildly leading question4 ,yes2 ,i recall everything that happened when ,i came here1 she went on4 ,roger came up with me to complete the necessary arrangements4 ,we were met at the station by ,doctor ,burr and this woman who has since been my nurse and companion4 ,on the way up from the station to the sanatorium ,doctor ,burr was very considerate of me1 and ,i noticed that my husband seemed interested in ,miss ,giles and the care she was to take of me4 ,kennedy flashed a glance at me from a note-book in which he was apparently busily engaged in jotting down her answers4 ,i did not know just what interpretation to put on it1 but surmised that it meant that he had struck what the new psychologists call a complex1 in the entrance of ,miss ,giles into the case4 ,before we realized it there came a sudden outburst of feeling4 ,and now--they are keeping me here by force6 she cried4 ,doctor ,burr looked at us significantly1 as much as to say1 ,just what might be expected1 you see4 ,kennedy nodded1 but made no effort to stop ,mrs4 ,cranston4 ,they have told ,roger that ,i am insane1 and ,i know he must believe it or he would not leave me here4 ,but their real motive1 ,i can guess1 is mercenary4 ,i can't complain about my treatment here--it costs enough4 ,by this time she was sitting bolt upright1 staring straight ahead as though amazed at her own boldness in speaking so frankly before them4 ,i feel all right at times--then--it is as though ,i had a paralysis of the body1 but not of the mind--not of the mind1 she repeated1 tensely4 ,there was a frightened look on her face1 and her voice was now wildly appealing4 ,what would have followed ,i cannot guess1 for at that instant there came a noise outside from another of the rooms as though pandemonium had broken loose4 ,by the shouting and confusion1 one might easily have wondered whether keepers and lunatics might not have exchanged places4 ,it is just one of the patients who has escaped from his room1 explained ,doctor ,burr2 nothing to be alarmed about4 ,we'll soon have him quieted4 ,doctor ,burr hurried out into the corridor while ,miss ,giles was looking out of the door4 ,quickly ,kennedy reached over and abstracted several drops from a bottle of tonic on the table1 pouring it into his handkerchief1 which he rolled up tightly and stuffed into his pocket4 ,mrs4 ,cranston watched him pleadingly1 and clasped her hands in mute appeal1 with a hasty glance at ,miss ,giles4 ,kennedy said nothing1 either1 but rapidly folded up a page of the note-book on which he had been writing and shoved it into ,mrs4 ,cranston's hand1 together with something he had taken from his pocket4 ,she understood1 and quickly placed it in her corsage4 ,read it--when you are absolutely alone1 he whispered1 just as ,miss ,giles shut the door and turned to us4 ,the excitement subsided almost as quickly as it had arisen1 but it had been sufficient to put a stop to any further study of the case along those lines4 ,miss ,giles's keen eyes missed no action or movement of her patient4 ,doctor ,burr returned shortly4 ,it was evident from his manner that he wished to have the visit terminated1 and ,kennedy seemed quite willing to take the hint4 ,he thanked ,mrs4 ,cranston1 and we withdrew quietly1 after bidding her good-by in a manner as reassuring as we could make it under the circumstances4 ,you see1 remarked ,doctor ,burr1 as we walked down the hall1 she is quite unstrung still4 ,mr4 ,cranston comes up here once in a while1 and we notice that after these visits she is1 if anything1 worse4 ,down the hall a door had been left open1 and we could catch a glimpse of a patient rolled in a blanket1 while two nurses forced something down his throat4 ,doctor ,burr hastily closed the door as we passed4 ,that is the condition ,mrs4 ,cranston might have got into if she had not come to us when she did1 he said4 ,as it is1 she is never violent and is one of the most tractable patients we have4 ,we left shortly1 without finding out whether ,doctor ,burr suspected us of anything or not4 ,as we made our way back to the city1 ,i could not help the feeling of depression such as ,poe mentioned at seeing the private madhouse in ,france4 ,that glimpse we had into the other room almost makes one recall the soothing system of ,doctor ,maillard4 ,is ,doctor ,burr's system better8 ,i asked4 ,a good deal of what we used to think and practise is out of date now1 returned ,kennedy4 ,i think you are already familiar with the theory of dreams that has been developed by ,dr4 ,sigmund ,freud1 of ,vienna4 ,but perhaps you are not aware of the fact that ,freud's contribution to the study of insanity is of even greater scientific value than his dream theories taken by themselves4 ,hers1 ,i feel sure now1 is what is known as one of the so-called 'border-line cases1' he continued4 ,it is clearly a case of hysteria--not the hysteria one hears spoken of commonly1 but the condition which scientists know as such4 ,we trace the impulses from which hysterical conditions arise1 penetrate the disguises which these repressed impulses or wishes must assume in order to appear in the consciousness4 ,such transformed impulses are found in normal people1 too1 sometimes4 ,the hysteric suffers mostly from reminiscences which1 paradoxically1 may be completely forgotten4 ,obsessions and phobias have their origin1 according to ,freud1 in sexual life4 ,the obsession represents a compensation or substitute for an unbearable sexual idea and takes its place in consciousness4 ,in normal sexual life1 no neurosis is possible1 say the ,freudists4 ,sex is the strongest impulse1 yet subject to the greatest repression1 and hence the weakest point of our cultural development4 ,hysteria arises through the conflict between libido and sex-repression4 ,often sex-wishes may be consciously rejected but unconsciously accepted4 ,so when they are understood every insane utterance has a reason4 ,there is really method in madness4 ,when hysteria in a wife gains her the attention of an otherwise inattentive husband it fills1 from the standpoint of her deeper longing1 an important place1 and1 in a sense1 may be said to be desirable4 ,the great point about the psychanalytic method1 as discovered by ,breuer and ,freud1 is that certain symptoms of hysteria disappear when the hidden causes are brought to light and the repressed desires are gratified4 ,how does that apply to ,mrs4 ,cranston8 ,i queried4 ,mrs4 ,cranston1 he replied1 is suffering from what the psychanalysts call a psychic trauma--a soul-wound1 as it were4 ,it is the neglect1 in this case1 of her husband1 whom she deeply loves4 ,that1 in itself1 is sufficient to explain her experience wandering through the country4 ,it was the region which she associated with her first love-affair1 as she told us4 ,the wave of recollection that swept over her engulfed her mind4 ,in other words1 reason could no longer dominate the cravings for a love so long suppressed4 ,then1 when she saw1 or imagined she saw1 one who looked like her lover the strain was too great4 ,it was the middle of the afternoon when we reached the laboratory4 ,kennedy at once set to work studying the drops of tonic which had been absorbed in the handkerchief4 ,as ,kennedy worked1 ,i began thinking over again of what we had seen at the ,belleclaire ,sanatorium4 ,somehow or other1 ,i could not get out of my mind the recollection of the man rolled in the blanket and trussed up as helpless as a mummy4 ,i wondered whether that alone was sufficient to account for the quickness with which he had been pacified4 ,then ,i recalled ,mrs4 ,cranston's remark about her mental alertness and physical weakness4 ,had it anything to do with the tonic8 ,suppose1 while ,i am waiting1 ,i finally suggested to ,craig1 ,i try to find out what ,cranston does with his time since his wife has been shut off from the world4 ,that's a very good idea1 acquiesced ,kennedy4 ,don't take too long1 however1 for ,i may strike something important here any minute4 ,after several inquiries over the telephone1 ,i found that since his wife had been in ,montrose ,cranston had closed his apartment and was living at one of his clubs4 ,having two or three friends who were members1 ,i did not hesitate to drop around4 ,unfortunately1 none of my friends happened to be there1 and ,i was forced1 finally1 to ask for ,cranston himself1 although all that ,i really wanted to know was whether he was there or not4 ,one of the clerks told me that he had been in1 but had left in a taxicab only a short time before4 ,as there was a cab-stand outside the club1 ,i determined to make an inquiry and perhaps discover the driver who had had him4 ,the starter knew him1 and when ,i said that it was very important business on which ,i wanted to see him he motioned to a driver who had just pulled up4 ,a chance for another fare and a generous tip were all that was necessary to induce him to drive me to the ,trocadero1 a fashionable restaurant and cabaret1 where he had taken ,cranston a short time before4 ,it was crowded when ,i entered1 and1 avoiding the headwaiter1 ,i stood by the door a few minutes and looked over the brilliant and gay throng4 ,finally1 ,i managed to catch a glimpse of ,cranston's head at a table in a far corner4 ,as ,i made my way down the line of tables1 ,i was genuinely amazed to see that he was with a woman4 ,it was ,julia ,giles6 ,she must have come down on the next train after we did1 but1 at any rate1 it looked as though she had lost no time in seeking out ,cranston after our visit4 ,i took a seat at a table next them4 ,they were talking about ,kennedy1 and1 during a lull in the music1 ,i overheard him asking her just what ,craig had done4 ,it was certainly very clever in him to play both you and ,doctor ,burr the way he did4 ,he told ,doctor ,burr that you had sent him1 and told you that ,doctor ,burr had sent him4 ,by whom do you suppose he really was sent8 ,could it have been my wife8 ,it must have been1 but how she did it is more than ,i can imagine4 ,how is she1 anyway8 he asked4 ,sometimes she seems to be getting along finely1 and then1 other days1 ,i feel quite discouraged about her4 ,her case is very obstinate4 ,perhaps ,i had better go out and see ,burr1 he considered4 ,it is early in the evening4 ,i'll drive you out in my car4 ,i'll stay at the sanatorium tonight1 and then1 perhaps1 ,i'll know a little better what we can do4 ,it was his tone rather than his words which gave me the impression that he was more interested in being with ,miss ,giles than with ,mrs4 ,cranston4 ,i wondered whether it was a plot of ,cranston's and ,miss ,giles's4 ,had he been posing before ,kennedy1 and were they really trying to put ,mrs4 ,cranston out of the way8 ,as the music started up again1 ,i heard her say1 ,can't we have just one more dance8 ,a moment later they were lost in the gay whirl on the dancing-floor4 ,they made a handsome couple1 and it was evident that it was not the first time that they had dined and danced together4 ,the music ceased1 and they returned to their places reluctantly1 while ,cranston telephoned for his car to be brought around to the cabaret4 ,i hastened back to the laboratory to inform ,craig what ,i had seen4 ,as ,i told my story he looked up at me with a sudden flash of comprehension4 ,i am glad to know where they will all be tonight1 he said4 ,some one has been giving her henbane--hyoscyamin4 ,i have just discovered it in the tonic4 ,what's henbane8 ,i asked4 ,it is a drug derived from the hyoscyamus plant1 much like belladonna1 though more distinctly sedative4 ,it is a hypnotic used often in mania and mental excitement4 ,the feeling which ,mrs4 ,cranston described is one of its effects4 ,you recall the brightness of her eyes8 ,that is one of the effects of the mydriatic alkaloids1 of which this is one4 ,the ancients were familiar with several of its peculiar properties1 as they knew of the closely allied poison hemlock4 ,many of the text-books at the present time fail to say anything about the remarkable effect produced by large doses of this terrible alkaloid4 ,this effect can be described technically so as to be intelligible1 but no description can convey1 even approximately1 the terrible sensation produced in many insane patients by large doses4 ,in a general way1 it is the condition of paralysis of the body without the corresponding paralysis of the mind4 ,and it's this stuff that somebody has been putting into her tonic8 ,i asked1 startled4 ,do you suppose that is part of ,burr's system1 or did ,miss ,giles lighten her work by putting it into the tonic8 ,kennedy did not betray his suspicion1 but went on describing the drug which was having such a serious effect on ,mrs4 ,cranston4 ,the victim lies in an absolutely helpless condition sometimes with his muscles so completely paralyzed that he cannot so much as move a finger1 cannot close his lips or move his tongue to moisten them4 ,this feeling of helplessness is usually followed by unconsciousness and then by a period of depression4 ,the combined feeling of helplessness and depression is absolutely unlike any other feeling imaginable1 if ,i may judge from the accounts of those who have experienced it4 ,other sensations1 such as pain1 may be judged1 in a measure1 by comparison with other painful sensations1 but the sensation produced by hyoscyamin in large doses seems to have no basis for comparison4 ,there is no kindred feeling4 ,practically every institution for the insane used it a few years ago for controlling patients1 but now better methods have been devised4 ,the more ,i think of what ,i saw at the ,trocadero1 ,i remarked1 the more ,i wonder if ,miss ,giles has been seeking to win ,cranston herself4 ,in large-enough doses and repeated often enough1 continued ,kennedy1 ,i suppose the toxic effect of the drug might be to produce insanity4 ,at any rate1 if we are going to do anything1 it might better be done at once4 ,they are all out there now4 ,if we act to-night1 surely we shall have the best chance of making the guilty person betray himself4 ,kennedy telephoned for a fast touring-car1 and in half an hour1 while he gathered some apparatus together1 the car was before the door4 ,in it he placed a couple of light silk-rope ladders1 some common wooden wedges1 and an instrument which resembled a surveyor's transit with two conical horns sticking out at the ends4 ,we made the trip out of ,new ,york and up the ,boston post-road1 following the route which ,cranston and ,miss ,giles must have taken some hours before us4 ,in the town of ,montrose1 ,kennedy stopped only long enough to get a bite to eat and to study up in the roads in the vicinity4 ,it was long after midnight when we struck up into the country4 ,the night was very dark1 thick1 and foggy4 ,with the engine running as muffled as possible and the lights dimmed1 ,kennedy quietly jammed on the brakes as we pulled up along the side of the road4 ,a few rods farther ahead ,i could make out the ,belleclaire ,sanatorium surrounded by its picketed stone wall4 ,not a light was visible in any of the windows4 ,now that we're here1 ,i whispered1 what can we do8 ,you remember the paper ,i gave ,mrs4 ,cranston when the excitement in the hall broke loose8 ,yes1 ,i nodded1 as we moved over under the shadow of the wall4 ,i wrote on a sheet from my note-book1 said ,kennedy1 and told her to be ready when she heard a pebble strike the window2 and ,i gave her a piece of string to let down to the ground4 ,kennedy threw the silk ladder up until it caught on one of the pickets2 then1 with the other ladder and the wedges1 he reached the top of the wall1 followed by me4 ,we pulled the first ladder up as we clung to the pickets1 and let it down again inside4 ,noiselessly we crossed the lawn4 ,above was ,mrs4 ,cranston's window4 ,craig picked up some bits of broken stone from a walk about the house and threw them gently against the pane4 ,then we drew back into the shadow of the house1 lest any prying eyes might discover us4 ,in a few minutes the window on the second floor was stealthily opened4 ,the muffled figure of ,mrs4 ,cranston appeared in the dim light2 then a piece of string was lowered4 ,to it ,kennedy attached a light silk ladder and motioned in pantomime for her to draw it up4 ,it took her some time to fasten the ladder to one of the heavy pieces of furniture in the room4 ,swaying from side to side1 but clinging with frantic desperation to the ladder while we did our best to steady it1 she managed to reach the ground4 ,she turned from the building with a shudder1 and whispered3 ,this terrible place6 ,how can ,i ever thank you for getting me out of it8 ,kennedy did not pause long enough to say a word1 but hurried her across to the final barrier1 the wall4 ,suddenly there was a shout of alarm from the front of the house under the columns4 ,it was the night watchman1 who had discovered us4 ,instantly ,kennedy seized a chair from a little summer-house4 ,quick1 ,walter1 he cried1 over the wall with ,mrs4 ,cranston1 while ,i hold him6 ,then throw the ladder back on this side4 ,i'll join you in a moment1 as soon as you get her safely over4 ,a chair is only an indifferent club1 if that is all one can think of using it for4 ,kennedy ran squarely at the watchman1 holding it out straight before him4 ,only once did ,i cast a hasty glance back4 ,there was the man pinned to the wall by the chair1 with ,kennedy at the other end of it and safely out of reach4 ,mrs4 ,cranston and ,i managed to scramble over the wall1 although she tore her dress on the pickets before we reached the other side4 ,i hustled her into the car and made everything ready to start4 ,it was only a couple of minutes after ,i threw the ladder back before ,craig rejoined us4 ,how did you get away from the watchman8 ,i demanded1 breathlessly1 as we shot away4 ,i forced him back with the chair into the hall and slammed the door4 ,then ,i jammed a wedge under it1 he chuckled4 ,that will hold it better than any lock4 ,every push will jam it tighter4 ,above the hubbub1 inside now1 we could hear a loud gong sounding insistently4 ,all about were lights flashing up at the windows and moving through the passageways4 ,shouts came from the back of the house as a door was finally opened there4 ,but we were off now1 with a good start4 ,i could imagine the frantic telephoning that was going on in the sanatorium4 ,and ,i knew that the local police of ,montrose and every other town about us were being informed of the escape4 ,they were required by the law to render all possible assistance1 and1 as the country boasted several institutions quite on a par with ,belleclaire1 an attempt at an escape was not an unusual occurrence4 ,the post-road by which we had come was therefore impossible1 and ,kennedy swung up into the country1 in the hope of throwing off pursuit long enough to give us a better chance4 ,take the wheel1 ,walter1 he muttered4 ,i'll tell you what turns to make4 ,we must get to the ,state line of ,new ,york without being stopped4 ,we can beat almost any car4 ,but that is not enough4 ,a telephone message ahead may stop us1 unless we can keep from being seen4 ,i took the wheel1 and did not stop the car as ,kennedy climbed over the seat4 ,in the back of the car1 where ,mrs4 ,cranston was sitting1 he hastily adjusted the peculiar apparatus4 ,sounds at night are very hard to locate1 he explained4 ,up this side road1 ,walter2 there is some one coming ahead of us4 ,i turned and shot up the detour1 stopping in the shadow of some trees1 where we switched off every light and shut down the engine4 ,kennedy continued to watch the instrument before him4 ,what is it8 ,i whispered4 ,a phonometer1 he replied4 ,it was invented to measure the intensity of sound4 ,but it is much more valuable as an instrument that tells with precision from what direction a sound comes4 ,it needs only a small dry battery and can be carried around easily4 ,the sound enters the two horns of the phonometer1 is focused at the neck1 and strikes on a delicate diaphragm1 behind which is a needle4 ,the diaphragm vibrates and the needle moves4 ,the louder the sound the greater the movement of this needle4 ,at this end1 where it looks as though ,i were sighting like a surveyor1 ,i am gazing into a lens1 with a tiny electric bulb close to my eye4 ,the light of this bulb is reflected in a mirror which is moved by the moving needle4 ,when the sound is loudest the two horns are at right angles to the direction whence it comes4 ,so it is only necessary to twist the phonometer about on its pivot until the sound is received most loudly in the horns and the band of light is greatest4 ,i know then that the horns are at right angles to the direction from which the sound proceeds1 and that1 as ,i lift my head1 ,i am looking straight toward the source of the sound4 ,i can tell its direction to a few degrees4 ,i looked through it myself to see how sound was visualized by light4 ,hush6 cautioned ,kennedy4 ,down on the main road we could see a car pass along slowly in the direction of ,montrose1 from which we had come4 ,without the phonometer to warn us1 it must inevitably have met us and blocked our escape over the road ahead4 ,that danger passed1 on we sped4 ,five minutes1 ,i calculated1 and we should cross the ,state line to ,new ,york and safety4 ,we had been going along nicely when1 ,bang6 came a loud report back of us4 ,confound it6 muttered ,kennedy2 a blowout always when you least expect it4 ,we climbed out of the car and had the shoe off in short order4 ,look6 cried ,janet ,cranston1 in a frightened voice1 from the back of the car4 ,the light of the phonometer had flashed up4 ,a car was following us4 ,there's just one chance6 cried ,kennedy1 springing to the wheel4 ,we might make it on the rim4 ,banging and pounding1 we forged ahead1 straining our eyes to watch the road1 the distance1 the time1 and the phonometer all at once4 ,it was no use4 ,a big gray roadster was overtaking us4 ,the driver crowded us over to the very edge of the road1 then shot ahead1 and1 where the road narrowed down1 deliberately pulled up across the road in such a way that we had to run into him or stop4 ,quickly ,craig's automatic gleamed in the dim beams from the side lights4 ,just a minute1 cautioned a voice4 ,it was a plot against me1 quite as much as it was against her--the nurse to lead me on1 while the doctor got a rich patient4 ,i suspected all was not right4 ,that's why ,i gave you the card4 ,i knew you didn't come from ,burr4 ,then1 when ,i heard nothing from you1 ,i let the ,giles woman think ,i was coming to ,montrose to be with her4 ,but1 really1 ,i wanted to beat that fake asylum-- ,two piercing headlights shone down the road back of us4 ,we waited a moment until they1 too1 came to a stop4 ,here they are6 shouted the voice of a man1 as he jumped out1 followed by a woman4 ,kennedy stepped forward1 waving his automatic menacingly4 ,you are under arrest for conspiracy--both of you6 he cried1 as we recognized ,doctor ,burr and ,miss ,giles4 ,a little cry behind me startled me1 and ,i turned4 ,janet ,cranston had flung herself into the arms of the only person who could heal her wounded soul4 ,,iv ,,the ,,mystic ,,poisoner ,it's almost as though he had been struck down by a spirit hand1 ,kennedy4 ,grady1 the house detective of the ,prince ,edward ,charles ,hotel1 had routed us out of bed in the middle of the night with a hurried call for help1 and now met us in the lobby of the fashionable hostelry4 ,all that he had said over the wire was that there had been a murder--an ,englishman1 a ,captain ,shirley4 ,why1 exclaimed ,grady1 lowering his voice as he led us through the lobby1 it's the most mysterious thing1 ,i think1 that ,i've ever seen6 ,in what way8 prompted ,kennedy4 ,well1 continued ,grady1 it must have been just a bit after midnight that one of the elevator-boys heard what sounded like a muffled report in a room on the tenth floor4 ,there were other employees and some guests about at the time1 and it was only a matter of seconds before they were on the spot4 ,finally1 the sound was located as having come probably from ,captain ,shirley's room4 ,but the door was locked--on the inside4 ,there was no response1 although some one had seen him ride up in the elevator scarcely five minutes before4 ,by that time they had sent for me4 ,we broke in4 ,there was ,shirley1 alone1 fully dressed1 lying on the floor before a writing-table4 ,his face was horribly set1 as though he had perhaps seen something that frightened and haunted him--though ,i suppose it might have been the pain that did it4 ,i think he must have heard something1 jumped from the chair1 perhaps in fear1 then have fallen down on the floor almost immediately4 ,we hurried over to him4 ,he was still alive1 but could not speak4 ,i turned him over1 tried to rouse him and make him comfortable4 ,it was only then that ,i saw that he was really conscious4 ,but it seemed as if his tongue and most of his muscles were paralyzed4 ,somehow he managed to convey to us the idea that it was his heart that troubled him most4 ,really1 at first ,i thought it was a case of suicide4 ,but there was no sign of a weapon about and not a trace of poison--no glass1 no packet4 ,there was no wound on him1 either--except a few slight cuts and scratches on his face and hands4 ,but none of them looked to be serious4 ,and yet1 before we could get the house physician up to him he was dead4 ,and with not a word8 queried ,kennedy4 ,that's the strangest part of it4 ,no2 not a word spoken4 ,but as he lay there1 even in spite of his paralyzed muscles1 he was just able to motion with his hands4 ,i thought he wanted to write1 and gave him a pencil and a piece of paper4 ,he clutched at them1 but here is all he was able to do4 ,grady drew from his pocket a piece of paper and handed it to us4 ,on it were printed in trembling1 irregular characters1 ,g ,a ,d1 the ,d scarcely finished and trailing off into nothing4 ,what did it all mean8 ,how had ,shirley met his death1 and why8 ,tell me something about him1 said ,kennedy1 studying the paper with a frown4 ,grady shrugged his shoulders4 ,an ,englishman--that's about all ,i know4 ,looked like one of the younger sons who so frequently go out to seek their fortunes in the colonies4 ,by his appearance1 ,i should say he had been in the ,far ,east--,india1 no doubt4 ,and ,i imagine he had made good4 ,he seemed to have plenty of money4 ,that's all ,i know about him4 ,is anything missing from his room8 ,i asked4 ,could it have been a robbery8 ,i searched the room hastily1 replied ,grady4 ,apparently not a thing had been touched4 ,i don't think it was robbery4 ,by this time we had made our way through the lobby and were in the elevator4 ,i've kept the room just as it was1 went on ,grady to ,kennedy1 lowering his voice4 ,i've even delayed a bit in notifying the police1 so that you could get here first4 ,a moment later we entered the rooms1 a fairly expensive suite1 consisting of a sitting-room1 bedroom1 and bath4 ,everything was in a condition to indicate that ,shirley had just come in when the shot1 if shot it had been1 was fired4 ,there1 on the floor1 lay his body1 still in the same attitude in which he had died and almost as ,grady had found him gasping4 ,grady's description of the horrible look on his face was1 if anything1 an understatement4 ,as ,i stood with my eyes riveted on the horror-stricken face on the floor1 ,kennedy had been quietly going over the furniture and carpet about the body4 ,look6 he exclaimed at last1 scarcely turning to us4 ,on the chair1 the writing-table1 and even on the walls were little pitted marks and scratches4 ,he bent down over the carpet4 ,there1 reflecting the electric light1 scattered all about1 were little fine pieces of something that glittered4 ,you have a vacuum cleaner1 ,i suppose8 inquired ,craig1 rising quickly4 ,certainly--a plant in the cellar4 ,no2 ,i mean one that is portable4 ,yes2 we have that1 too1 answered ,grady1 hurrying to the room telephone to have the cleaner sent up4 ,kennedy now began to look through ,shirley's baggage4 ,there was1 however1 nothing to indicate that it had been rifled4 ,i noted1 among other things1 a photograph of a woman in ,oriental dress1 dusky1 languorous1 of more than ordinary beauty and intelligence4 ,on it something was written in native characters4 ,just then a boy wheeled the cleaner down the hall1 and ,kennedy quickly shoved the photograph into his pocket4 ,first1 ,kennedy removed the dust that was already in the machine4 ,then he ran the cleaner carefully over the carpet1 the upholstery1 everything about that corner of the room where the body lay4 ,when he had finished he emptied out the dust into a paper and placed it in his pocket4 ,he was just finishing when there came a knock at the door1 and it was opened4 ,mr4 ,grady8 said a young man1 entering hurriedly4 ,oh1 hello1 ,glenn6 ,one of the night clerks in the office1 ,kennedy1 introduced the house detective4 ,i've just heard of the--murder1 ,glenn began4 ,i was in the dining-room1 being relieved for my little midnight luncheon as usual1 when ,i heard of it1 and ,i thought that perhaps you might want to know something that happened just before ,i went off duty4 ,yes2 anything1 broke in ,kennedy4 ,it was early in the evening1 returned the clerk1 slowly1 when a messenger left a little package for ,captain ,shirley--said that ,captain ,shirley had had it sent himself and asked that it be placed in his room4 ,it was a little affair in a plain1 paper-wrapped parcel4 ,i sent one of the boys up with it and a key1 and told him to put the package on the writing-desk tip here4 ,kennedy looked at me4 ,that1 then1 was the way something1 whatever it might be1 was introduced into the room4 ,when the captain came in1 resumed the night clerk1 ,i saw there was a letter for him in the mailbox and handed it to him4 ,he stood before the office desk while he opened it4 ,i thought he looked queer4 ,the contents seemed to alarm him4 ,what was in it8 asked ,kennedy4 ,could you see8 ,i got one glimpse4 ,it seemed to be nothing but a little scarlet bead with a black spot on it4 ,in his surprise1 he dropped a piece of paper from the envelope in which the bead had been wrapped up4 ,i thought it was strange1 and1 as he hurried over to the elevator1 ,i picked it up4 ,here it is4 ,the clerk handed over a crumpled piece of notepaper4 ,on it was scrawled the word ,gadhr1 and underneath1 ,beware6 ,i spelled out the first strange word4 ,it had an ominous sound--,gadhr4 ,suddenly there flashed through my mind the letters ,shirley had tried to print but had not finished1 ,g ,a ,d4 ,kennedy looked at the paper a moment4 ,gadhr6 he exclaimed1 in a low1 tense tone4 ,revolt--the native word for unrest in ,india1 the revolution6 ,we stared at each other blankly4 ,all of us had been reading lately in the despatches about the troubles there1 hidden under the ban of the censorship4 ,i knew that the ,hindu propaganda in ,america was as yet in its infancy1 although several plots and conspiracies had been hatched here4 ,is there any one in the hotel whom you might suspect8 asked ,kennedy4 ,grady cleared his throat and looked at the night clerk significantly4 ,well1 he answered1 thoughtfully1 across the hall there is a new guest who came to-day--or1 rather1 yesterday--a ,mrs4 ,anthony4 ,we don't know anything about her1 except that she looks like a foreigner4 ,she did not come directly from abroad1 but must have been living in ,new ,york for some time4 ,they tell me she asked for a room on this floor1 at this end of the hall4 ,h'm6 considered ,kennedy4 ,i'd like to see her--without being seen4 ,i think ,i can arrange that1 acquiesced ,grady4 ,you and ,jameson stay in the bedroom4 ,i'll ask her to come over here1 and then you can get a good look at her4 ,the plan satisfied ,kennedy1 and together we entered the bedroom1 putting out the light and leaving the door just a trifle ajar4 ,a moment later ,mrs4 ,anthony entered4 ,i heard a suppressed gasp from ,kennedy4 ,the woman in the photograph6 he whispered to me4 ,i studied her face minutely from our coign of vantage4 ,there was1 indeed1 a resemblance1 too striking to be mere coincidence4 ,in the presence of ,grady1 she seemed to be nervous and on guard1 as though she knew1 intuitively1 that she was suspected4 ,did you know ,captain ,shirley8 shot out ,grady4 ,kennedy looked over at me and frowned4 ,i knew that something more subtle than ,new ,york police methods would be necessary in order to get anything from a woman like this4 ,no1 she replied1 quietly4 ,you see1 ,i just came here to-day4 ,her voice had an ,english accent4 ,did you hear a shot8 ,no1 she replied4 ,the voices in the hall wakened me1 though ,i did not know what was the matter until just now4 ,then you made no effort to find out8 inquired ,grady1 suspiciously4 ,i am alone here in the city1 she answered1 simply4 ,i was afraid to intrude4 ,throughout she gave the impression that she was strangely reticent about herself4 ,evidently ,kennedy had not much faith that ,grady would elicit anything of importance4 ,he tiptoed to the door that led from the bedroom to the hall and found that it could be opened from the inside4 ,while ,grady continued his questioning1 ,craig and ,i slipped out into the hall to the room which ,mrs4 ,anthony occupied4 ,it was a suite much plainer than that occupied by ,shirley4 ,craig switched on the light and looked about hastily and keenly4 ,for a moment he stood before a dressing-table on which were several toilet articles4 ,a jewel-case seemed to attract his attention1 and he opened it4 ,inside were some comparatively trifling trinkets4 ,the thing that caused him to exclaim1 however1 was a necklace1 broken and unstrung4 ,i looked1 too4 ,it was composed of little crimson beads1 each with a black spot on it6 ,quickly he drew from his pocket the photograph he had taken from ,shirley's baggage4 ,as ,i looked at it again there could be no doubt now in my mind of the identity of the original4 ,it was the same face4 ,and about the neck1 in the picture1 was a necklace1 plainly the same as that before us4 ,what are the beads8 ,i asked1 fingering them4 ,i've never seen anything like them4 ,not beads at all1 he replied4 ,they are ,hindu prayer-beans1 sometimes called ruttee1 jequirity beans1 seeds of the plant known to science as ,abrus precatorius4 ,they produce a deadly poison--abrin4 ,he slipped four or five of them into his pocket4 ,then he resumed his cursory search of the room4 ,there1 on a writing-pad1 was a note which ,mrs4 ,anthony had evidently been engaged in writing4 ,craig pored over it for some time1 while ,i fidgeted4 ,it was nothing but a queer jumble of letters3 ,,sowc ,,fssjwa ,,eknlffby ,,wovhlx ,,ihwajykh #aja,,mlel ,,epjnvpsl ,,wclurl ,,ghihda ,,elba4 ,come1 ,i cautioned2 she may return any moment4 ,quickly he copied off the letters4 ,it's a cipher1 he said1 simply1 a new and rather difficult one1 too1 ,i imagine4 ,but ,i may be able to decipher it4 ,kennedy withdrew from the room and1 instead of going back to ,shirley's1 rode down in the elevator to find the night clerk4 ,had ,captain ,shirley any friends in the city8 asked ,craig4 ,glenn shrugged his shoulders4 ,he was out most of the time1 he replied4 ,he seemed to be very occupied about something4 ,no1 ,i don't think ,i ever saw him speak to a soul here1 except a word to the waiters and the boys4 ,once1 though1 he recollected1 he was called up by a ,mrs4 ,beekman ,rogers4 ,mrs4 ,beekman ,rogers1 repeated ,kennedy1 jotting the name down and looking it up in the telephone-book4 ,she lived on ,riverside ,drive1 and1 slender though the information was1 ,kennedy seemed glad to get it4 ,grady joined us a moment later1 having been wondering where we had disappeared4 ,you saw her8 he asked4 ,what did you think of her8 ,worth watching1 was all ,kennedy would say4 ,did you get anything out of her8 ,grady shook his head4 ,but ,i am convinced she knows something1 he insisted4 ,kennedy was about to reply when he was interrupted by the arrival of a couple of detectives from the city police1 tardily summoned by ,grady4 ,i shall let you know the moment ,i have discovered anything1 he said1 as he bade ,grady good-by4 ,and thank you for letting me have a chance at the case before all the clues had been spoiled4 ,late though it was1 in the laboratory ,kennedy set to work examining the dust which he had swept up by the vacuum cleaner1 as well as the jequirity beans he had taken from ,mrs4 ,anthony's jewel-case4 ,i do not know how much sleep he had1 but ,i managed to snatch a few hours' rest1 and early in the morning ,i found him at work again1 examining the cipher message which he had copied4 ,by the way1 he said1 scarcely looking up as he saw me again1 there is something quite important which you can do for me4 ,rather pleased to be of some use1 ,i waited eagerly4 ,i wish you'd go out and see what you can find out about that ,mrs4 ,beekman ,rogers1 he continued4 ,i've some work here that will keep me for several hours2 so come back to me here4 ,it was such a commission as he had often given me before1 and1 through my connection with the ,star1 ,i found no difficulty in executing it4 ,i found that ,mrs4 ,rogers was well known in a certain circle of society in the city4 ,she was wealthy and had the reputation of having given quite liberally to many causes that had interested her4 ,just now1 her particular fad was ,oriental religions1 and some of her bizarre beliefs had attracted a great deal of attention4 ,a couple of years before she had made a trip around the world1 and had lived in ,india for several months1 apparently fascinated by the life and attracted to the mysteries of ,oriental faiths4 ,with my budget of information ,i hastened back again to join ,kennedy at the laboratory4 ,i could see that the cipher was still unread4 ,from that1 ,i conjectured that it was1 as he had guessed1 constructed on some new and difficult plan4 ,what do you think of ,mrs4 ,rogers8 ,i asked1 as ,i finished reciting what ,i had learned4 ,is it possible that she can be in this revolutionary propaganda8 ,he shook his head doubtfully4 ,much of the disaffection that exists in ,india to-day1 he replied1 is due to the encouragement and financial assistance which it has received from people here in this country1 although only a fraction of the natives of ,india have ever heard of us4 ,much of the money devoted to the cause of revolution and anarchy in ,india is contributed by worthy people who innocently believe that their subscriptions are destined to promote the cause of native enlightenment4 ,i prefer to believe that there is some such explanation in her case4 ,at any rate1 ,i think that we had better make a call on ,mrs4 ,rogers4 ,early that afternoon1 accordingly1 we found ourselves at the door of the large stone house on ,riverside ,drive in which ,mrs4 ,rogers lived4 ,kennedy inquired for her1 and we were admitted to a large reception-room1 the very decorations of which showed evidence of her leaning toward the ,orient4 ,mrs4 ,rogers proved to be a widow of baffling age1 good-looking1 with a certain indefinable attractiveness4 ,kennedy's cue was obvious4 ,it was to be an eager neophyte in the mysteries of the ,east1 and he played the part perfectly without overdoing it4 ,perhaps you would like to come to some of the meetings of our ,cult of the ,occult1 she suggested4 ,delighted1 ,i am sure1 returned ,kennedy4 ,she handed him a card4 ,we have a meeting this afternoon at four1 she explained4 ,i should be glad to welcome you among us4 ,kennedy thanked her and rose to go1 preferring to say nothing more just then about the problems which vexed us in the ,shirley case1 lest it should make further investigation more difficult4 ,nothing more had happened at the hotel1 as we heard from ,grady a few minutes later1 and1 as there was some time before the cult met1 we returned to the laboratory4 ,things had evidently progressed well1 even in the few hours that he had been studying his meager evidence4 ,not only was he making a series of delicate chemical tests1 but1 in cases1 he had several guinea-pigs which he was using also4 ,he now studied through a microscope some of the particles of dust from the vacuum cleaner4 ,little bits of glass1 he said1 briefly1 taking his eye from the eyepiece4 ,captain ,shirley was not shot4 ,not shot8 ,i repeated4 ,then how was he killed8 ,kennedy eyed me gravely4 ,shirley was murdered by a poisoned bomb6 ,i said nothing1 for the revelation was even more startling than ,i had imagined4 ,in that package which was placed in his room1 he went on1 must have been a little infernal machine of glass1 constructed so as to explode the moment the wrapper was broken4 ,the flying pieces of glass injected the poison as by a myriad of hypodermic needles--the highly poisonous toxin of abrin1 product of the jequirity1 which is ordinarily destroyed in the stomach but acts powerfully if injected into the blood4 ,shirley died of jequirity poisoning1 or rather of the alkaloid in the bean4 ,it has been used in ,india for criminal poisoning for ages4 ,only1 there it is crushed1 worked into a paste1 and rolled into needle-pointed forms which prick the skin4 ,abrin is composed of two albuminous bodies1 one of which resembles snake-venom in all its effects1 attacking the heart1 making the temperature fall rapidly1 and leaving the blood fluid after death4 ,it is a vegetable toxin1 quite comparable with ricin from the castor-oil bean4 ,in spite of my horror at the diabolical plot that had been aimed at ,shirley1 my mind ran along1 keenly endeavoring to piece together the scattered fragments of the case4 ,some one1 of course1 had sent the package while he was out and had it placed in his room4 ,had it been the same person who had sent the single jequirity bean8 ,my mind instantly reverted to the strange woman across the hall1 the photograph in his luggage1 and the broken necklace in the jewel-case4 ,kennedy continued looking at the remainder of the jequirity beans and a liquid he had developed from some of them4 ,finally1 with a glance at his watch1 he placed a tube of the liquid in a leather case in his pocket4 ,this may not be the only murder1 he remarked1 sententiously4 ,it is best to be prepared4 ,come2 we must get up to that meeting4 ,we journeyed up-town and arrived at the little private hall which the ,cult of the ,occult had hired somewhat ahead of the time set for the meeting1 as ,kennedy had aimed to do4 ,mrs4 ,rogers was already there and met us at the door4 ,so glad to see you1 she welcomed1 leading us in4 ,as we entered we could breathe the characteristic pervading odor of sandalwood4 ,rich ,oriental hangings were on the walls1 interspersed with cabalistic signs1 while at one end was a raised dais4 ,mrs4 ,rogers introduced us to a rather stout1 middle-aged1 sallow-faced individual in a turban and flowing robes of rustling purple silk4 ,his eyes were piercing1 small1 and black4 ,the plump1 unhealthy1 milk-white fingers of his hands were heavy with ornate rings4 ,he looked like what ,i should have imagined a swami to be1 and such1 ,i found1 was indeed his title4 ,the ,swami ,rajmanandra1 introduced ,mrs4 ,rogers4 ,he extended his flabby hand in welcome1 while ,kennedy eyed him keenly4 ,we were not permitted many words with the swami1 however1 for ,mrs4 ,rogers next presented us to a younger but no less interesting-looking ,oriental who was in ,occidental dress4 ,this is ,mr4 ,singh ,bandematarain1 said ,mrs4 ,rogers4 ,you know1 he has been sent here by the nizam of his province to be educated at the university4 ,mrs4 ,rogers then hastened to conduct us to seats as1 one by one1 the worshipers entered4 ,they were mostly women of the aristocratic type who evidently found in this cult a new fad to occupy their jaded craving for the sensational4 ,in the dim light1 there was something almost sepulchral about the gathering1 and their complexions seemed as white as wax4 ,again the door opened and another woman entered4 ,i felt the pressure of ,kennedy's hand on my arm and turned my eyes unobtrusively4 ,it was ,mrs4 ,anthony4 ,quietly she seemed to glide over the floor toward the swami and1 for a moment1 stood talking to him4 ,i saw ,singh eye her with a curious look4 ,was it fear or suspicion8 ,i had come expecting to see something weird and wild1 perhaps the exhibition of an ,indian fakir--,i know not what4 ,in that1 at least1 ,i was disappointed4 ,the ,swami ,rajmanandra1 picturesque though he was1 talked most fascinatingly about his religion1 but either the theatricals were reserved for an inner circle or else we were subtly suspected1 for ,i soon found myself longing for the meeting to close so that we could observe those whom we had come to watch4 ,i had almost come to the conclusion that our mission had been a failure when the swami concluded and the visitors swarmed forward to talk with the holy man from the ,east4 ,kennedy managed to make his way about the circle to ,mrs4 ,rogers and soon was in an animated conversation4 ,were you acquainted with a ,captain ,shirley8 he asked1 finally1 as she opened the way for the question by a remark about her life in ,calcutta4 ,y-yes1 she replied1 hesitating2 ,i read in the papers this morning that he was found dead1 most mysteriously4 ,terrible1 wasn't it8 ,yes1 ,i met him in ,calcutta while ,i was there4 ,why1 he was on his way to ,london1 and came to ,new ,york and called on me4 ,my eye followed the direction of ,mrs4 ,rogers's4 ,she was talking to us1 but really her attention was centered on ,mrs4 ,anthony and the swami together4 ,as ,i glanced back at her ,i caught sight of ,singh1 evidently engaged in watching the same two that ,i was4 ,did he have some suspicion of ,mrs4 ,anthony8 ,why was he watching ,mrs4 ,rogers8 ,i determined to study the two women more closely4 ,i saw that ,kennedy had already noticed what ,i had seen4 ,one very peculiar thing1 he said1 deliberately modulating his voice so that it could be heard by those about us1 was that1 just before he was killed1 some one sent a prayer-bean from a necklace to him4 ,at the mention of the necklace ,i saw that ,mrs4 ,rogers was all attention4 ,involuntarily she shot a glance at ,mrs4 ,anthony1 as if she noted that she was not wearing the necklace now4 ,is that ,englishwoman a member of the cult8 queried ,kennedy1 a moment later1 as1 quite naturally1 he looked over at ,mrs4 ,anthony4 ,who is she8 ,oh1 replied ,mrs4 ,rogers1 quickly1 she isn't an ,englishwoman at all4 ,she is a ,hindu--,i believe1 a former nautch-girl1 daughter of a nautch-girl4 ,she passes by the name of ,mrs4 ,anthony1 but really her name is ,kalia ,dass4 ,every one in ,calcutta knew her4 ,kennedy quietly drew his card-case from his pocket and handed a card to ,mrs4 ,rogers4 ,i should like to talk to you about her some time1 he said1 in a careful whisper4 ,if anything happens--don't hesitate to call on me4 ,before ,mrs4 ,rogers could recover from her surprise ,kennedy had said good-by and we were on our way to the laboratory4 ,that's a curious situation1 ,i observed4 ,can you make it out8 ,how does ,shirley fit into this thing8 ,craig hesitated a moment1 as though debating whether to say anything1 even to me1 about his suspicions4 ,suppose1 he said1 slowly1 that ,shirley was a secret agent of the ,british government1 charged with the mission of finding out whether ,mrs4 ,rogers was contributing--unknowingly1 perhaps--to hatching another ,indian mutiny8 ,would that suggest anything to you8 ,and the nautch-girl whom he had known in ,calcutta followed him1 hoping to worm from him the secrets which he-- ,not too fast1 he cautioned4 ,let us merely suppose that ,shirley was a spy4 ,if ,i am not mistaken1 we shall see something happen soon1 as a result of what ,i said to ,mrs4 ,rogers4 ,excited now by the possibilities opened up by his conjecture regarding ,shirley1 which ,i knew must have amounted to a certainty in his mind1 ,i watched him impatiently1 as he calmly set to work cleaning up the remainder of the laboratory investigation in the affair4 ,it was scarcely half an hour later that a car drove up furiously to our door and ,mrs4 ,rogers burst in1 terribly agitated4 ,you remember1 she cried1 breathlessly1 you said that a jequirity bean was sent to ,captain ,shirley8 ,yes1 encouraged ,kennedy4 ,well1 after you left1 ,i was thinking about it4 ,that ,kalia ,dass used to wear a necklace of them1 but she didn't have it on to-day4 ,i began thinking about it4 ,while she was talking to the swami ,i went over4 ,i've noticed how careful she always is of her hand-bag4 ,so ,i managed to catch my hand in the loop about her wrist4 ,it dropped on the floor4 ,we both made a dive for it1 but ,i got it4 ,i managed1 also1 to open the catch and1 when ,i picked it up to hand to her1 with an apology1 what should roll out but a score of prayer-beans6 ,some papers dropped out1 too4 ,she almost tore them from my hands2 in fact1 one of them did tear4 ,after it was over ,i had this scrap1 a corner torn off one of them4 ,kennedy took the scrap which she handed to him and studied it carefully1 while we looked over his shoulder4 ,on it was a queer alphabetical table4 ,across the first line were the letters singly1 each followed by a dash4 ,then1 in squares underneath1 were pairs of letters--,,aa1 ,,ba1 ,,ca1 ,,da1 and so on1 while1 vertically1 the column on the left read3 ,,aa1 ,,ab1 ,,ac1 ,,ad1 and so on4 ,thank you1 ,mrs4 ,rogers1 ,craig said1 rising4 ,this is very important4 ,she seemed reluctant to go1 but1 as there was no excuse for staying longer1 she finally left4 ,kennedy immediately set to work studying the scrap of paper and the cipher message he had copied1 while ,i stifled my impatience as best ,i could4 ,i could do nothing but reflect on the possibility of what a jealous woman might do4 ,mrs4 ,rogers had given us one example4 ,did the same explanation shed any light on the mystery of the nautch-girl and the jequirity bean sent to ,shirley8 ,there was no doubt now that ,shirley had known her in ,calcutta--intimately1 also4 ,perhaps the necklace had some significance4 ,at least1 he must have remembered it1 as his agitation over the single bean and the word ,gadhr seemed to indicate4 ,if she had sent it to him1 was it as a threat8 ,to all appearance1 he had not known that she was in ,new ,york1 much less that she was at the same hotel and on the same floor4 ,why had she followed him8 ,had she misinterpreted his attentions to ,mrs4 ,rogers8 ,longing to ask ,kennedy the myriad questions that flashed through my mind1 ,i turned to him as he scowled at the scrap of paper and the cipher before him4 ,presently he glanced up at me1 still scowling4 ,it's no use1 ,walter1 he said2 ,i can't make it out without the key--at least1 it will take so long to discover the key that it may be useless4 ,just then the telephone-bell rang and he sprang to it eagerly4 ,as ,i listened ,i gathered that it was another hurried call from ,grady4 ,something has happened to ,mrs4 ,anthony6 cried ,craig1 as he hooked up the receiver and seized his hat4 ,a second time we posted to the ,prince ,edward ,charles1 spurred by the mystery that surrounded the case4 ,no one met us in the lobby this time1 and we rode up directly in the elevator to ,mrs4 ,anthony's room4 ,as we came down the hall and ,grady met us at the door1 he did not need to tell us that something was wrong4 ,one experience like that with ,shirley had put the hotel people on guard1 and the house physician was already there1 administering stimulants to ,mrs4 ,anthony1 who was lying on the bed4 ,it's just like the other case1 whispered ,grady4 ,there are the same scratches on her face and hands4 ,the doctor glanced about at us4 ,by the look on his face1 ,i read that it was a losing fight4 ,kennedy bent down4 ,the floor about the door was covered with little glittering slivers of glass4 ,on ,mrs4 ,anthony's face was the same drawn look as on ,shirley's4 ,was it a suicide8 ,had we been getting too close on her trail1 or had ,mrs4 ,anthony been attacked8 ,had some one been using her1 and now was afraid of her and sought to get her out of the way for safety8 ,what was the secret locked in her silent lips8 ,the woman was plainly dying4 ,would she carry the secret with her1 after all8 ,kennedy quickly drew from his pocket the vial which ,i had seen him place there in the laboratory early in the day4 ,from the doctor's case he selected a hypodermic and coolly injected a generous dose of the stuff into her arm4 ,what is it8 asked the doctor1 as we all watched her face anxiously4 ,the antitoxin to abrin1 he replied4 ,i developed some of it at the same time that ,i was studying the poison4 ,if an animal that is immune to a toxin is bled and the serum collected1 the antitoxin in it may be injected into a healthy animal and render it immune4 ,ricin and abrin are vegetable protein toxins of enormous potency and exert a narcotic action4 ,guinea-pigs fed on them in proper doses attain such a degree of immunity that1 in a short time1 they can tolerate four hundred times the fatal dose4 ,the serum also can be used to neutralize the toxin in another animal1 to a certain extent4 ,we crowded about ,kennedy and the doctor1 our eyes riveted on the drawn face before us4 ,would the antitoxin work8 ,meanwhile1 ,kennedy moved over to the writing-table which he had examined on our first visit to the room4 ,covered up in the writing-pad was still the paper which he had copied4 ,only1 ,mrs4 ,anthony had added much more to it4 ,he looked at it desperately4 ,what good would it do if1 after hours1 his cleverness might solve the cipher--too late8 ,mrs4 ,anthony seemed to be struggling bravely4 ,once ,i thought she was almost conscious4 ,glazed though her eyes looked1 she saw ,kennedy vaguely1 with the paper in his hand4 ,her lips moved4 ,kennedy bent down1 though whether he heard or read her lip movements ,i do not know4 ,her pocket-book6 he exclaimed4 ,we found it crushed under her coat which she had taken off when she entered4 ,craig opened it and drew forth a crumpled sheet of paper from which a corner had been torn4 ,it exactly fitted the scrap that ,mrs4 ,rogers had given us4 ,there1 contained within twenty-seven horizontal and twenty-seven vertical lines1 making in all six hundred and seventy-six squares1 was every possible combination of two letters of the alphabet4 ,kennedy looked up1 still in desperation4 ,it did him no good4 ,he could have completed the table himself4 ,in--the--lining4 ,her lips managed to frame the words4 ,kennedy literally tore the bag apart4 ,there was nothing but a plain white blank card4 ,with a superhuman effort she moved her lips again4 ,smelling-salts1 she seemed to say4 ,i looked about4 ,on the dressing-table stood a little dark-green bottle4 ,i pulled the ground-glass stopper from it and a most pungent odor of carbonate of ammonia filled the room4 ,quickly ,i held it under her nose1 but she shook her head weakly4 ,kennedy seemed to understand4 ,he snatched the bottle from me and held the card directly over its mouth4 ,as the fumes of the ammonia poured out1 ,i saw faintly on the card the letters ,,hr4 ,we turned to ,mrs4 ,anthony4 ,the effort had used up her strength4 ,she had lapsed again into unconsciousness as ,craig bent over her4 ,will she live8 lasted4 ,i think so1 he replied1 adding a hasty word to the doctor4 ,what's that8 ,look6 ,i exclaimed1 pointing to the card from which the letters ,,hr had already faded as mysteriously as they had appeared1 leaving the card blank again4 ,it is the key6 he cried1 excitedly4 ,written in sympathetic ink4 ,at last we have it all4 ,on the queer alphabetical table which the two pieces of paper made1 he now wrote quickly the alphabet again1 horizontally across the top1 starting with ,h1 and vertically down the side1 starting with ,r1 thus3 ,h ,i ,j ,k ,l ,m ,n ,o ,p ,q ,r ,s ,t ,u ,v ,w ,x ,y ,z ,a ,b ,c ,d ,e ,f ,g ,r a- b- c- d- e- f- g- h- i- j- k- l- m- n- o- p- q- r- s- t- u- v- w- x- y- z-,s aa ba ca da ea fa ga ha ia ja ka la ma na oa pa qa ra sa ta ua va wa xa ya za ,t ab bb cb db eb fb gb hb ib jb kb lb mb nb ob pb qb rb sb tb ub vb wb xb yb zb ,u ac bc cc dc ec fc gc hc ic jc kc lc mc nc oc pc qc rc sc tc uc vc wc xc yc zc ,v ad bd cd dd ed fd gd hd id jd kd ld md nd od pd qd rd sd td ud vd wd xd yd zd ,w ae be ce de ee fe ge he ie je ke le me ne oe pe qe re se te ue ve we xe ye ze ,x af bf cf df ef ff gf hf if jf kf lf mf nf of pf qf rf sf tf uf vf wf xf yf zf ,y ag bg cg dg eg fg gg hg ig jg kg lg mg ng og pg qg rg sg tg ug vg wg xg yg zg ,z ah bh ch dh eh fh gh hh ih jh kh lh mh nh oh ph qh rh sh th uh vy wh xh yh zh ai bi ci di ei fi gi hi ii ji ki li mi ni oi pi qi ri si ti ui vi wi xi yi zi ,a aj bj cj dj ej fj gj hj ij jj kj lj mj nj oj pj qj rj sj tj uj vj wj xj yj zj ,b ak bk ck dk ek fk gk hk ik jk kk lk mk nk ok pk qk rk sk tk uk vk wk xk yk zk ,c al bl cl dl el fl gl hl il jl kl ll ml nl ol pl ql rl sl tl ul vl wl xl yl zl ,d am bm cm dm em fm gm hm im jm km lm mm nm om pm qm rm sm tm um vm wm xm ym zm ,e an bn cn dn en fn gn hn in jn kn ln mn nn on pn qn rn sn tn un vn wn xn yn zn ,f ao bo co do eo fo go ho io jo ko lo mo no oo po qo ro so to uo vo wo xo yo zo ,g ap bp cp dp ep fp gp hp ip jp kp lp mp np op pp qp rp sp tp up vp wp xp yp zp ,h aq bq cq dq eq fq gq hq iq jq kq lq mq nq oq pq qq rq sq tq uq vq wq xq yq zq ,i ar br cr dr er fr gr hr ir jr kr lr mr nr or pr qr rr sr tr ur vr wr xr yr zr ,j as bs cs ds es fs gs hs is js ks ls ms ns os ps qs rs ss ts us vs ws xs ys zs ,k at bt ct dt et ft gt ht it jt kt lt mt nt ot pt qt rt st tt ut vt wt xt yt zt ,l au bu cu du eu fu gu hu iu ju ku lu mu nu ou pu qu ru su tu uu vu wu xu yu zu ,m av bv cv dv ev fv gv hv iv jv kv lv mv nv ov pv qv rv sv tv uv vv wv xv yv zv ,n aw bw cw dw ew fw gw hw iw jw kw lw mw nw ow pw qw rw sw tw uw vw ww xw yw zw ,o ax bx cx dx ex fx gx hx ix jx kx lx mx nx ox px qx rx sx tx ux vx wx xx yx zx ,p ay by cy dy ey fy gy hy iy jy ky ly my ny oy py qy ry sy ty uy vy wy xy yy zy ,q az bz cz dz ez fz gz hz iz jz kz lz mz nz oz pz qz rz sz tz uz vz wz xz yz zz ,see6 exclaimed ,kennedy1 triumphantly1 working rapidly4 ,take the word 'war' for instance4 ,the square which contains ,,wa is in line ,s1 column ,d4 ,so ,i put down ,,sd4 ,the odd letter ,r1 with a dash1 is in line ,r1 column ,y4 ,so ,i put down ,,ry4 ,,war thus becomes ,,sdry4 ,working it backward from ,,sdry1 ,i take the two letters ,,sd4 ,in line ,s1 column ,d1 ,i find ,,wa in the square1 and in line ,r1 column ,y1 ,i find just ,r--making the translation of the cipher read ',war4' ,now1 he went on1 excitedly1 take the message we have3 ,,sowc ,,fssjwa ,,eknlffby ,,wovhlx ,,ihwajykh #aja,,mlel ,,epjnvpsl ,,wclurl ,,ghihda ,,elba4 ,i translate each pair of letters as ,i come to them4 ,he was writing rapidly4 ,there was the message3 ,have located ,new ,york headquarters at #aja ,eveningside ,avenue1 ,apartment ,k4 ,kennedy did not pause1 but dashed from the room1 followed by ,grady and myself4 ,as our taxi pulled up on the avenue1 we saw that the address was a new but small apartment-house4 ,we entered and located ,apartment ,k4 ,casting about for a way to get in1 ,craig discovered that the fire-escape could be reached from a balcony by the hall window4 ,he swung himself over the gap1 and we followed4 ,it was the work of only a minute to force the window-latch4 ,we entered4 ,no one was there4 ,as we pressed after him1 he stopped short and flashed his electric bull's-eye about with an exclamation of startled surprise4 ,there was a fully equipped chemical and electrical laboratory4 ,there were explosives enough to have blown not only us but a whole block to kingdom come4 ,more than that1 it was a veritable den of poisons4 ,on a table stood beakers and test-tubes in which was crushed a paste that still showed parts of the red ruttee beans4 ,some one planned here to kill ,shirley1 get him out of the way1 reconstructed ,kennedy1 gazing about2 some one working under the cloak of ,oriental religion4 ,mrs4 ,anthony8 queried ,grady4 ,kennedy shook his head4 ,on the contrary1 like ,shirley1 she was an agent of the ,indian ,secret ,service4 ,the rest of the cipher shows it4 ,she was sent to watch some one else1 as he was sent to watch ,mrs4 ,rogers4 ,neither could have known that the other was on the case4 ,she found out1 first1 that the package with the prayer-bean and the word ',gadhr' was an attempt to warn and save ,shirley1 whom she had known in ,calcutta and still loved1 but feared to compromise4 ,she must have tried to see him1 but failed4 ,she hesitated to write1 but finally did4 ,then some one must have seen that she was dangerous4 ,another poisoned bomb was sent to her4 ,no2 the nautch-girl is innocent4 ',sh6 cautioned ,grady4 ,outside we could hear the footsteps of some one coming along the hall4 ,kennedy snapped off his light4 ,the door opened4 ,stand still6 ,one motion and ,i will throw it6 ,as ,kennedy's voice rang out from the direction of the table on which stood the half-finished glass bombs1 ,grady and ,i flung ourselves forward at the intruder1 not knowing what we would encounter4 ,a moment later ,kennedy had found the electric switch and flashed up the lights4 ,it was ,singh1 who had used both ,mrs4 ,rogers's money and ,raimanandra's religion to cover his conspiracy of revolt4 ,v ,,the ,,phantom ,,destroyer ,guy ,fawkes himself would shudder in that mill4 ,think of it--five explosions on five successive days1 and not a clue6 ,our visitor had presented a card bearing the name of ,donald ,mac,leod1 chief of the ,nitropolis ,powder ,company's ,secret ,service4 ,it was plain that he was greatly worried over the case about which he had at last been forced to consult ,kennedy4 ,as he spoke1 ,i remembered having read in the despatches about the explosions1 but the accounts had been so meager that ,i had not realized that there was anything especially unusual about them1 for it was at the time when accidents in and attacks on the munitions-plants were of common occurrence4 ,why1 went on ,mac,leod1 the whole business is as mysterious as if there were some phantom destroyer at work6 ,the men are so frightened that they threaten to quit4 ,several have been killed4 ,there's something strange about that1 too4 ,there are ugly rumors of poisonous gases being responsible1 quite as much as the explosions1 though1 so far1 ,i've been able to find nothing in that notion4 ,what sort of place is it8 asked ,kennedy1 interested at once4 ,well1 you see1 explained ,mac,leod1 since the company's business has increased so fast lately1 it has been forced to erect a new plant4 ,perhaps you have heard of the ,old ,grove ,amusement ,park1 which failed8 ,it's not far from that4 ,mac,leod looked at us inquiringly1 and ,kennedy nodded to go on1 though ,i am sure neither of us was familiar with the place4 ,they've called the new plant ,nitropolis--rather a neat name for a powder-works1 don't you think8 resumed ,mac,leod4 ,everything went along all right until a few days ago4 ,then one of the buildings1 a storehouse1 was blown up4 ,we couldn't be sure that it was an accident1 so we redoubled our precautions4 ,it was of no use4 ,that started it4 ,the very next day another building was blown up1 then another1 until now there have been five of them4 ,what may happen to-day ,heaven only knows6 ,i want to get back as soon as ,i can4 ,rather too frequent1 ,i must admit1 to be coincidences1 remarked ,kennedy4 ,no2 they can't all be accidents1 asserted ,mac,leod1 confidently4 ,there's too great regularity for that4 ,i think ,i've considered almost everything4 ,i don't see how they can be from bombs placed by workmen4 ,at least1 it's not a bit likely4 ,besides1 the explosions all occur in broad daylight1 not at night4 ,we're very careful about the men we employ1 and they're watched all the time4 ,the company has a guard of its own1 twenty-five picked men1 under me--all honorably discharged ,united ,states army men4 ,you have formed no theory of your own8 queried ,kennedy4 ,mac,leod paused1 then drew from his pocket the clipping of a despatch from the front in which one of the war correspondents reported the destruction of wire entanglements with heat supposed to have been applied by the use of reflecting mirrors4 ,i'm reduced to pure speculation1 he remarked4 ,to-day they seem to be reviving all the ancient practices4 ,maybe some one is going at it like ,archimedes4 ,not impossible1 returned ,craig1 handing back the clipping4 ,buffon tested the probability of the achievement of ,archimedes in setting fire to the ships of ,marcellus with mirrors and the sun's rays4 ,he constructed a composite mirror of a hundred and twenty-eight plane mirrors1 and with it he was able to ignite wood at two hundred and ten feet4 ,however1 ,i shrewdly suspect that1 even if this story is true1 they are using hydrogen or acetylene flares over there4 ,but none of these things would be feasible in your case4 ,you'd know it4 ,could it be some one who is projecting a deadly wireless force which causes the explosions8 ,i put in1 mindful of a previous case of ,kennedy's4 ,we all know that inventors have been working for years on the idea of making explosives obsolete and guns junk4 ,if some one has hit on a way of guiding an electric wave through the air and concentrating power at a point1 munitions-plants could be wiped out4 ,mac,leod looked anxiously from me to ,kennedy1 but ,craig betrayed nothing by his face except his interest4 ,sometimes ,i have imagined ,i heard a peculiar1 faint1 whirring noise in the air1 he remarked1 thoughtfully4 ,i thought of having the men on the watch for air-ships1 but they've never seen a trace of one4 ,it might be some power either like this1 he added1 shaking the clipping1 or like that which ,mr4 ,jameson suggests4 ,it's something like that you meant1 ,i presume1 when you called it a 'phantom destroyer' a moment ago8 asked ,kennedy4 ,mac,leod nodded4 ,if you're interested1 he pursued1 hastily1 and feel like going down there to look things over1 ,i think the best place for you to go would be to the ,sneddens'4 ,they're some people who have seen a chance to make a little money out of the boom4 ,many visitors are now coming and going on business connected with the new works4 ,they have started a boarding-house--or1 rather1 ,mrs4 ,snedden has4 ,there's a daughter1 too1 who seems to be very popular4 ,kennedy glanced whimsically at me4 ,well1 ,walter1 he remarked1 tentatively1 entirely aside from the young lady1 this ought to make a good story for the ,star4 ,indeed it ought6 ,i replied1 enthusiastically4 ,then you'll go down to ,nitropolis8 queried ,mac,leod1 eagerly4 ,you can catch a train that will get you there about noon4 ,and the company will pay you well4 ,mac,leod1 with the mystery1 ,miss ,snedden1 and the remuneration1 you are irresistible1 smiled ,kennedy4 ,thank you1 returned the detective4 ,you won't regret it4 ,i can't tell you how much relieved ,i feel to have some one else1 and1 above all1 yourself1 on the case4 ,you can get a train in half an hour4 ,i think it would be best for you to go as though you had no connection with me--at least for the present4 ,kennedy agreed1 and ,mac,leod excused himself1 promising to be on the train1 although not to ride with us1 in case we should be the target of too inquisitive eyes4 ,for a few moments1 while our taxicab was coming1 ,kennedy considered thoughtfully what the company detective had said4 ,by the time the vehicle arrived he had hurriedly packed up some apparatus in two large grips1 one of which it fell to my lot to carry4 ,the trip down to ,nitropolis was uninteresting1 and we arrived at the little station shortly after noon4 ,mac,leod was on the train1 but did not speak to us1 and it was perhaps just as well1 for the cabmen and others hanging about the station were keenly watching new arrivals1 and any one with ,mac,leod must have attracted attention4 ,we selected or were1 rather1 selected by one of the cabmen and driven immediately to the ,snedden house4 ,our cover was1 as ,craig and ,i had decided1 to pose as two newspaper men from ,new ,york1 that being the easiest way to account for any undue interest we might show in things4 ,the powder-company's plant was situated on a large tract of land which was surrounded by a barbed-wire fence1 six feet high and constructed in a manner very similar to the fences used in protecting prison-camps in war-times4 ,at various places along the several miles of fence gates were placed1 with armed guards4 ,many other features were suggestive of war-times4 ,one that impressed us most was that each workman had to carry a pass similar1 almost1 to a passport4 ,this entire fence1 we learned1 was patrolled day and night by armed guards4 ,a mile or so from the plant1 or just outside the main gate1 quite a settlement had grown up1 like a mushroom1 almost overnight--the product of a flood of new money4 ,originally1 there had been only one house for some distance about--that of the ,sneddens4 ,but now there were scores of houses1 mostly those of officials and managers1 some of them really pretentious affairs4 ,mac,leod himself lived in one of them1 and we could see him ahead of us1 being driven home4 ,the workmen lived farther along the line1 in a sort of company town1 which at present greatly resembled a ,western mining-camp1 though ultimately it was to be a bungalow town4 ,just at present1 however1 it was the ,snedden house that interested us most1 for we felt the need of getting ourselves established in this strange community4 ,it was an old-fashioned farm-house and had been purchased very cheaply by ,snedden several years before4 ,he had altered it and brought it up to date1 and the combination of old and new proved to be typical of the owner as well as of the house4 ,kennedy carried off well the critical situation of our introduction1 and we found ourselves welcomed rather than scrutinized as intruders4 ,garfield ,snedden was much older than his second wife1 ,ida4 ,in fact1 she did not seem to be much older than ,snedden's daughter ,gertrude1 whom ,mac,leod had already mentioned--a dashing young lady1 never intended by nature to vegetate in the rural seclusion that her father had sought before the advent of the powder-works4 ,mrs4 ,snedden was one of those capable women who can manage a man without his knowing it4 ,indeed1 one felt that ,snedden1 who was somewhat of both student and dreamer1 needed a manager4 ,i'm glad your train was on time1 bustled ,mrs4 ,snedden4 ,luncheon will be ready in a few moments now4 ,we had barely time to look about before ,gertrude led us into the dining-room and introduced us to the other boarders4 ,knowing human nature1 ,kennedy was careful to be struck with admiration and amazement at everything we had seen in our brief whirl through ,nitropolis4 ,it was not a difficult or entirely assumed feeling1 either1 when one realized that1 only a few short months before1 the region had been nothing better than an almost hopeless wilderness of scrub-pines4 ,we did not have to wait long before the subject uppermost in our minds was brought up--the explosions4 ,among the boarders there were at least two who1 from the start1 promised to be interesting as well as important4 ,one was a tall1 slender chap named ,garretson1 whose connection with the company1 ,i gathered from the conversation1 took him often on important matters to ,new ,york4 ,the other was an older man1 ,jackson1 who seemed to be connected with the management of the works1 a reticent fellow1 more given to listening to others than to talking himself4 ,nothing has happened so far to-day1 anyhow1 remarked ,garretson1 tapping the back of his chair with his knuckle1 as a token of respect for that evil spirit who seems to be exorcised by knocking wood4 ,oh1 exclaimed ,gertrude1 with a little half-suppressed shudder1 ,i do hope those terrible explosions are at last over6 ,if ,i had my way1 asserted ,garretson1 savagely1 ,i'd put this town under martial law until they ,,were over4 ,it may come to that1 put in ,jackson1 quietly4 ,quite in keeping with the present tendency of the age1 agreed ,snedden1 in a tone of philosophical disagreement4 ,i don't think it makes much difference how you accomplish the result1 ,garfield1 chimed in his wife1 as long as you accomplish it1 and it is one that should be accomplished4 ,snedden retreated into the refuge of silence4 ,though this was only a bit of the conversation1 we soon found out that he was an avowed pacifist4 ,garretson1 on the other hand1 was an ardent militarist1 a good deal of a fire-eater4 ,i wondered whether there might not be a good deal of the poseur about him1 too4 ,it needed no second sight to discover that both he and ,gertrude were deeply interested in each other4 ,garretson was what ,broadway would call a live one1 and1 though there is nothing essentially wrong in that1 ,i fancied that ,i detected1 now and then1 an almost maternal solicitude on the part of her stepmother1 who seemed to be watching both the young man and her husband alternately4 ,once ,jackson and ,mrs4 ,snedden exchanged glances4 ,there seemed to be some understanding between them4 ,the time to return to the works was approaching1 and we all rose4 ,somehow1 ,gertrude and ,garretson seemed naturally to gravitate toward the door together4 ,some distance from the house there was a large barn4 ,part of it had been turned into a garage1 where ,garretson kept a fast car4 ,jackson1 also1 had a roadster4 ,in fact1 in this new community1 with its superabundant new wealth1 everybody had a car4 ,kennedy and ,i sauntered out after the rest4 ,as we turned an angle of the house we came suddenly upon ,garretson in his racer1 talking to ,gertrude4 ,the crunch of the gravel under our feet warned them before we saw them1 but not before we could catch a glimpse of a warning finger on the rosy lips of ,gertrude4 ,as she saw us she blushed ever so slightly4 ,you'll be late6 she cried1 hastily4 ,mr4 ,jackson has been gone five minutes4 ,on foot1 returned ,garretson1 nonchalantly4 ,i'll overtake him in thirty seconds4 ,nevertheless1 he did not wait longer1 but swung up the road at a pace which was the admiration of all speed-loving ,nitropolitans4 ,craig had ordered our taxicab driver to stop for us after lunch1 and1 without exciting suspicion1 managed to stow away the larger part of the contents of our grips in his car4 ,still without openly showing our connection with ,mac,leod1 ,kennedy sought out the manager of the works1 and1 though scores of correspondents and reporters from various newspapers had vainly applied for permission to inspect the plant1 somehow we seemed to receive the freedom of the place and without exciting suspicion4 ,craig's first move was to look the plant over4 ,as we approached it our attention was instantly attracted to the numerous one-story galvanized-iron buildings that appeared to stretch endlessly in every direction4 ,they seemed to be of a temporary nature1 though the power-plants1 offices1 and other necessary buildings were very substantially built4 ,the framework of the factory-buildings was nothing but wood1 covered by iron sheathing1 and even the sides seemed to be removable4 ,the floors1 however1 were of concrete4 ,they serve their purpose well1 observed ,kennedy1 as we picked our way about4 ,explosions at powder-mills are frequent1 anyhow4 ,after an explosion there is very little debris to clear away1 as you may imagine4 ,these buildings are easily repaired or replaced1 and they keep a large force of men for these purposes1 as well as materials for any emergency4 ,one felt instinctively the hazard of the employment4 ,everywhere were signs telling what not and what to do4 ,one that stuck in my mind was1 ,it is better to be careful than sorry4 ,throughout the plant at frequent intervals were first-aid stations with kits for all sorts of accidents1 including respirators1 for workmen were often overcome by ether or alcohol fumes4 ,everything was done to minimize the hazard1 yet one could not escape the conviction that human life and limb were as much a cost of production in this industry as fuel and raw material4 ,once1 in our wanderings about the plant1 ,i recall we ran across both ,garretson and ,jackson in one of the offices4 ,they did not see us1 but seemed to be talking very earnestly about something4 ,what it was we could not guess1 but this time it seemed to be ,jackson who was doing most of the talking4 ,kennedy watched them as they parted4 ,there's something peculiar under the surface with those people at the boarding-house1 was all he observed4 ,come2 over there1 about an eighth of a mile1 ,i think ,i see evidences of the latest of the explosions4 ,let's look at it4 ,mac,leod had evidently reasoned that1 sooner of later1 ,kennedy would appear in this part of the grounds1 and as we passed one of the shops he joined us4 ,you mentioned something about rumors of poisonous gases1 hinted ,craig1 as we walked along4 ,yes1 assented ,mac,leod2 ,i don't know what there is in it4 ,i suppose you know that there is a very poisonous gas1 carbon monoxide1 or carbonic oxide1 formed in considerable quantity by the explosion of several of the powders commonly used in shells4 ,the gas has the curious power of combining with the blood and refusing to let go1 thus keeping out the oxygen necessary for life4 ,it may be that that is what accounts for what we've seen--that it is actual poisoning to death of men not killed by the immediate explosion4 ,we had reached the scene of the previous day's disaster4 ,no effort had yet been made to clear it up4 ,kennedy went over it carefully4 ,what it was he found ,i do not know1 but he had not spent much time before he turned to me4 ,walter1 he directed1 ,i wish you would go back to the office near the gate1 where ,i left that paraphernalia we brought down4 ,carry it over--let me see--there's an open space there on that knoll4 ,i'll join you there4 ,whatever was in the packages was both bulky and heavy1 and ,i was glad to reach the hillside he had indicated4 ,craig was waiting for me there with ,mac,leod1 and at once opened the packages4 ,from them he took a thin steel rod1 which he set up in the center of the open space4 ,to it he attached a frame and to the frame what looked like four reversed megaphones4 ,attached to the frame1 which was tubular1 was an oak box with a little arrangement of hard rubber and metal which fitted into the ears4 ,for some time ,kennedy's face wore a set1 far-away expression1 as if he were studying something4 ,the explosions seem always to occur in the middle of the afternoon1 observed ,mac,leod1 fidgeting apprehensively4 ,kennedy motioned petulantly for silence4 ,then suddenly he pulled the tubes out of his ears and gazed about sharply4 ,there's something in the air6 he cried4 ,i can hear it6 ,mac,leod and ,i strained our eyes4 ,there was nothing visible4 ,this is an anti-aircraft listening-post1 such as the ,french use1 explained ,craig1 hurriedly4 ,between the horns and the microphone in the box you can catch the hum of an engine1 even when it is muffled4 ,if there's an aeroplane or a ,zeppelin about1 this thing would locate it4 ,still1 there was nothing that we could see1 though now the sound was just perceptible to the ear if one strained his attention a bit4 ,i listened4 ,it was plain in the detector2 yet nothing was visible4 ,what strange power could it be that we could not see or feel in broad daylight8 ,just then came a low rumbling1 and then a terrific roar from the direction of the plant4 ,we swung about in time to see a huge cloud of debris lifted literally into the air above the tree-tops and dropped to earth again4 ,the silence that succeeded the explosion was eloquent4 ,the phantom destroyer had delivered his blow again4 ,the distillery--where we make the denatured alcohol6 cried ,mac,leod1 gazing with tense face as from other buildings1 we could see men pouring forth1 panic-stricken1 and the silence was punctured by shouts4 ,kennedy bent over his detector4 ,that same mysterious buzzing1 he muttered1 only fainter4 ,together we hastened now toward the distillery1 another of those corrugated-iron buildings4 ,it had been completely demolished4 ,here and there lay a dark1 still mass4 ,i shuddered4 ,they were men6 ,as we ran toward the ruin we crossed a baseball-field which the company had given the men4 ,i looked back for ,kennedy4 ,he had paused at the wire backstop behind the catcher4 ,something caught in the wires interested him4 ,by the time ,i reached him he had secured it--a long1 slender metal tube1 cleverly weighted so as to fall straight4 ,not a hundred per cent4 of hits1 evidently1 he muttered4 ,still1 one was enough4 ,what is it8 asked ,mac,leod4 ,an incendiary pastille4 ,on contact1 the nose burns away anything it hits1 goes right through corrugated iron4 ,it carries a charge of thermit ignited by this piece of magnesium ribbon4 ,you know what thermit will penetrate with its thousands of degrees of heat4 ,only the nose of this went through the netting and never touched a thing4 ,this didn't explode anything1 but another one did4 ,thousands of gallons of alcohol did the rest4 ,kennedy had picked up his other package as we ran1 and was now busily unwrapping it4 ,i looked about at the crowd that had collected1 and saw that there was nothing we could do to help4 ,once ,i caught sight of ,gertrude's face4 ,she was pale1 and seemed eagerly searching for some one4 ,then1 in the crowd1 ,i lost her4 ,i turned to ,mac,leod4 ,he was plainly overwhelmed4 ,kennedy was grimly silent and at work on something he had jammed into the ground4 ,stand back6 he cautioned1 as he touched a match to the thing4 ,with a muffled explosion1 something whizzed and shrieked up into the air like a sky-rocket4 ,far above1 ,i could now see a thing open out like a parachute1 while below it trailed something that might have been the stick of the rocket4 ,eagerly ,kennedy followed the parachute as the wind wafted it along and it sank slowly to the earth4 ,when1 at last1 he recovered it ,i saw that between the parachute and the stick was fastened a small1 peculiar camera4 ,a ,scheimpflug multiple camera1 he explained as he seized it almost ravenously4 ,is there a place in town where ,i can get the films in this developed quickly8 ,mac,leod1 himself excited now1 hurried us from the scene of the explosion to a local drug-store1 which combined most of the functions of a general store1 even being able to improvise a dark-room in which ,kennedy could work4 ,it was some time after the excitement over the explosion had quieted down that ,mac,leod and ,i1 standing impatiently before the drug-store1 saw ,snedden wildly tearing down the street in his car4 ,he saw us and pulled up at the curb with a jerk4 ,where's ,gertrude8 he shouted1 wildly4 ,has any one seen my daughter8 ,breathlessly he explained that he had been out1 had returned to find his house deserted1 ,gertrude gone1 his wife gone1 even ,jackson's car gone from the barn4 ,he had been to the works4 ,neither ,garretson nor ,jackson had been seen since the excitement of the explosion1 they told him4 ,garretson's racer was gone1 too4 ,there seemed to have been a sort of family explosion1 also4 ,kennedy had heard the loud talking and had left his work to the druggist to carry on and joined us4 ,there was no concealment now of our connection with ,mac,leod1 for it was to him that every one in town came when in trouble4 ,in almost no time1 so accurately did he keep his fingers on the fevered pulse of ,nitropolis1 ,mac,leod had found out that ,gertrude had been seen driving away from the company's grounds with some one in ,garretson's car1 probably ,garretson himself4 ,jackson had been seen hurrying down the street4 ,some one else had seen ,ida ,snedden in ,jackson's car1 alone4 ,meanwhile1 over the wire1 ,mac,leod had sent out descriptions of the four people and the two cars1 in the hope of intercepting them before they could be plunged into the obscurity of any near-by city4 ,not content with that1 ,mac,leod and ,kennedy started out in the former's car1 while ,i climbed in with ,snedden1 and we began a systematic search of the roads out of ,nitropolis4 ,as we sped along1 ,i could not help feeling1 though ,i said nothing1 that1 somehow1 the strange disappearances must have something to do with the mysterious phantom destroyer4 ,i did not tell even ,snedden about the little that ,kennedy had discovered1 for ,i had learned that it was best to let ,craig himself tell1 at his own time and in his own way4 ,but the man seemed frantic in his search1 and ,i could not help the impression that there was something1 perhaps only a suspicion1 that he knew which might shed some light4 ,we were coming down the river1 or1 rather1 the bay1 after a fruitless search of unfrequented roads and were approaching the deserted ,old ,grove ,amusement ,park1 to which excursions used1 years ago1 to come in boats4 ,no one could make it pay1 and it was closed and going to ruin4 ,there had been some hint that ,garretson's racer might have disappeared down this unfrequented river road4 ,as we came to a turn in the road1 we could see ,kennedy and ,mac,leod in their car1 coming up4 ,instead of keeping on1 however1 they turned into the grove1 ,kennedy leaning far over the running-board as ,mac,leod drove slowly1 following his directions1 as though ,craig were tracing something4 ,with a hurried exclamation of surprise1 ,snedden gave our car the gas and shot ahead1 swinging around after them4 ,they were headed1 following some kind of tire-tracks1 toward an old merry-go-round that was dismantled and all boarded up4 ,they heard us coming and stopped4 ,has any one told you that ,garretson's car went down the river road1 too8 called ,snedden1 anxiously4 ,no2 but some one thought he saw ,jackson's car come down here1 called back ,mac,leod4 ,jackson's8 exclaimed ,snedden4 ,maybe both are right1 ,i ventured1 as we came closer4 ,what made you turn in here8' ,kennedy thought he saw fresh tire-tracks running into the grove4 ,we were all out of our cars by this time1 and examining the soft roadway with ,craig4 ,it was evident to any one that a car had been run in1 and not so very long ago1 in the direction of the merry-go-round4 ,we followed the tracks on foot1 bending about the huge circle of a building until we came to the side away from the road4 ,the tracks seemed to run right in under the boards4 ,kennedy approached and touched the boards4 ,they were loose4 ,some one had evidently been there1 had taken them down1 and put them up4 ,in fact1 by the marks on them1 it seemed as though he had made a practice of doing so4 ,mac,leod and ,kennedy unhooked the boarding1 while ,snedden looked on in a sort of daze4 ,they had taken down only two or three sections1 which indicated that that whole side might similarly be removed1 when ,i heard a low1 startled exclamation from ,snedden4 ,we peered in4 ,there1 in the half-light of the gloomy interior1 we could see a car4 ,before we knew it ,snedden had darted past us4 ,an instant later ,i distinguished what his more sensitive eye had seen--a woman1 all alone in the car1 motionless4 ,ida6 he cried4 ,there was no answer4 ,she--she's dead6 he shouted4 ,it was only too true4 ,there was ,ida ,snedden1 seated in ,jackson's car in the old deserted building1 all shut up--dead4 ,yet her face was as pink as if she were alive and the blood had been whipped into her cheeks by a walk in the cold wind4 ,we looked at one another1 at a loss4 ,how did she get there--and why8 ,she must have come there voluntarily4 ,no one had seen any one else with her in the car4 ,snedden was now almost beside himself4 ,misfortunes never come singly1 he wailed4 ,my daughter ,gertrude gone--now my wife dead4 ,confound that young fellow ,garretson--and ,jackson1 too6 ,where are they8 ,why have they fled8 ,the scoundrels--they have stolen my whole family4 ,oh1 what shall ,i do8 what shall ,i do8 ,trying to quiet ,snedden1 at the same time we began to look about the building4 ,on one side was a small stove1 in which were still the dying coals of a fire4 ,near by were a work-bench1 some tools1 pieces of wire1 and other material4 ,scattered about were pieces of material that looked like celluloid4 ,some one evidently used the place as a secret workshop4 ,kennedy picked up a piece of the celluloid-like stuff and carefully touched a match to it4 ,it did not burn rapidly as celluloid does1 and ,craig seemed more than ever interested4 ,mac,leod himself was no mean detective4 ,accustomed to action1 he had an idea of what to do4 ,wait here6 he called back1 dashing out4 ,i'm going to the nearest house up the road for help4 ,i'll be back in a moment4 ,we heard him back and turn his car and shoot away4 ,meanwhile1 ,kennedy was looking over carefully ,jackson's roadster4 ,he tapped the gas-tank in the rear1 then opened it4 ,there was not a drop of gas in it4 ,he lifted up the hood and looked inside at the motor4 ,whatever he saw there1 he said nothing4 ,finally1 by siphoning some gas from ,snedden's tank and making some adjustments1 he seemed to have the car in a condition again for it to run4 ,he was just about to start it when ,mac,leod returned1 carrying a canary-bird in a cage4 ,i've telephoned to town1 he announced4 ,some one will be here soon now4 ,meanwhile1 an idea occurred to me1 and ,i borrowed this bird4 ,let me see whether the idea is any good4 ,kennedy1 by this time1 had started the engine4 ,mac,leod placed the bright little songster near the stove on the work-bench and began to watch it narrowly4 ,more than ever up in the air over the mystery1 ,i could only watch ,kennedy and ,mac,leod1 each following his own lines4 ,it might1 perhaps1 have been ten minutes after ,mac,leod returned1 and during that time he had never taken his eyes off the bird1 when ,i began to feel a little drowsy4 ,a word from ,mac,leod roused me4 ,there's carbon monoxide in the air1 ,kennedy6 he exclaimed4 ,you know how this gas affects birds4 ,kennedy looked over intently4 ,the canary had begun to show evident signs of distress over something4 ,it must be that this stove is defective1 pursued ,mac,leod1 picking up the poor little bird and carrying it quickly into the fresh air1 where it could regain its former liveliness4 ,then1 when he returned1 he added1 ,there must be some defect in the stove or the draught that makes it send out the poisonous gas4 ,there's some gas1 agreed ,kennedy4 ,it must have cleared away mostly1 though1 or we couldn't stand it ourselves4 ,craig continued to look about the car and the building1 in the vain hope of discovering some other clue4 ,had ,mrs4 ,snedden been killed by the carbonic oxide8 ,was it a case of gas poisoning8 ,then1 too1 why had she been here at all8 ,who had shut her up8 ,had she been overcome first and1 in a stupor1 been unable to move to save herself8 ,above all1 what had this to do with the mysterious phantom slayer that had wrecked so much of the works in less than a week8 ,it was quite late in the afternoon when1 at last1 people came from the town and took away both the body of ,mrs4 ,snedden and ,jackson's car4 ,snedden could only stare and work his fingers1 and after we had seen him safely in the care of some one we could trust ,kennedy1 ,mac,leod1 and ,i climbed into ,mac,leod's car silently4 ,it's too deep for me1 acknowledged ,mac,leod4 ,what shall we do next8 ,surely that fellow must have my pictures developed by this time1 considered ,kennedy4 ,shoot back there4 ,they came out beautifully--all except one1 reported the druggist1 who was somewhat of a camera fiend himself4 ,that's a wonderful system1 sir4 ,kennedy thanked him for his trouble and took the prints4 ,with care he pieced them together1 until he had several successive panoramas of the country taken from various elevations of the parachute4 ,then1 with a magnifying-glass1 he went over each section minutely4 ,look at that6 he pointed out at last with the sharp tip of a pencil on one picture4 ,in what looked like an open space among some trees was a tiny figure of a man4 ,it seemed as if he were hacking at something with an ax4 ,what the something was did not appear in the picture4 ,i should say that it was half a mile1 perhaps a mile1 farther away than that grove1 commented ,kennedy1 making a rough calculation4 ,on the old ,davis farm1 considered ,mac,leod4 ,look and see if you can't make out the ruins of a house somewhere near-by4 ,it was burned many years ago4 ,yes1 yes1 returned ,kennedy1 excitedly2 there's the place6 ,do you think we can get there in a car before it's dark8 ,easily1 replied ,mac,leod4 ,it was only a matter of minutes before we three were poking about in a tangle of wood and field1 seeking to locate the spot where ,kennedy's apparatus had photographed the lone axman4 ,at last1 in a large1 cleared field1 we came upon a most peculiar heap of debris4 ,as nearly as ,i could make out1 it was a pile of junk1 but most interesting junk4 ,practically all of it consisted in broken bits of the celluloid-like stuff we had seen in the abandoned building4 ,twisted inextricably about were steel wires and bits of all sorts of material4 ,in the midst of the wreckage was something that looked for all the world like the remains of a gas-motor4 ,it was not rusted1 either1 which indicated that it had been put there recently4 ,as he looked at it1 ,craig's face displayed a smile of satisfaction4 ,looks as though it might have been an aeroplane of the tractor type1 he vouchsafed1 finally4 ,surely there couldn't have been an accident1 objected ,mac,leod4 ,no aviator could have lived through it1 and there's no body4 ,no2 it was purposely destroyed1 continued ,craig4 ,it was landed here from somewhere else for that purpose4 ,that was what the man in the picture was doing with the ax4 ,after the last explosion something happened4 ,he brought the machine here to destroy the evidence4 ,but1 persisted ,mac,leod1 if there had been an aeroplane hovering about we should have seen it in the air1 passing over the works at the time of the explosion4 ,kennedy picked the pieces1 significantly4 ,some one about here has kept abreast of the times1 if not ahead4 ,see2 the planes were of this non-inflammable celluloid that made it virtually transparent and visible only at a few hundred feet in the air4 ,the aviator could fly low and so drop those pastilles accurately--and unseen4 ,the engine had one of those new muffler-boxes4 ,he would have been unheard1 too1 except for that delicate air-ship detector4 ,mac,leod and ,i could but stare at each other1 aghast4 ,without a doubt it was in the old merry-go-round building that the phantom aviator had established his hangar4 ,what the connection was between the tragedy in the ,snedden family and the tragedy in the powder-works we did not know1 but1 at least1 now we knew that there was some connection4 ,it was growing dark rapidly1 and1 with some difficulty1 we retraced our steps to the point where we had left the car4 ,we whirled back to the town1 and1 of course1 to the ,snedden house4 ,snedden was sitting in the parlor when we arrived1 by the body of his wife1 staring1 speechless1 straight before him1 while several neighbors were gathered about1 trying to console him4 ,we had scarcely entered when a messenger-boy came up the path from the gate4 ,both ,kennedy and ,mac,leod turned toward him1 expecting some reply to the numerous messages of alarm sent out earlier in the afternoon4 ,telegram for ,mrs4 ,snedden1 announced the boy4 ,,mrs4 ,snedden8 queried ,kennedy1 surprised1 then quickly3 ,oh yes1 that's all right4 ,i'll take care of it4 ,he signed for the message1 tore it open1 and read it4 ,for a moment his face1 which had been clouded1 smoothed out1 and he took a couple of turns up and down the hall1 as though undecided4 ,finally he crumpled the telegram abstractedly and shoved it into his pocket4 ,we followed him as he went into the parlor and stood for several moments1 looking fixedly on the strangely flushed face of ,mrs4 ,snedden4 ,mac,leod1 he said1 finally1 turning gravely toward us1 and1 for the present1 seeming to ignore the presence of the others1 this amazing series of crimes has brought home to me forcibly the alarming possibilities of applying modern scientific devices to criminal uses4 ,new modes and processes seem to bring new menaces4 ,like carbon-monoxide poisoning8 suggested ,mac,leod4 ,of course it has long been known as a harmful gas1 but-- ,let us see1 interrupted ,kennedy4 ,walter1 you were there when ,i examined ,jackson's car4 ,there was not a drop of gasolene in the tank1 you will recall4 ,even the water in the radiator was low4 ,i lifted the hood4 ,some one must have tampered with the carburetor4 ,it was adjusted so that the amount of air in the mixture was reduced4 ,more than that1 ,i don't know whether you noticed it or not1 but the spark and gas were set so that1 when ,i did put gasolene in the tank1 ,i had but to turn the engine over and it went4 ,in other words1 that car had been standing there1 the engine running1 until it simply stopped for want of fuel4 ,he paused while we listened intently1 then resumed4 ,the gas-engine and gas-motor have brought with them another of those unanticipated menaces of which ,i spoke4 ,whenever the explosion of the combustible mixture is incomplete or of moderated intensity a gas of which little is known may be formed in considerable quantities4 ,in this case1 as in several others that have come to my attention1 vapors arising from the combustion must have emitted certain noxious products4 ,the fumes that caused ,ida ,snedden's death were not of carbon monoxide from the stove1 ,mac,leod4 ,they were splitting-products of gasolene1 which are so new to science that they have not yet been named4 ,mrs4 ,snedden's death1 ,i may say for the benefit of the coroner1 was due to the absorption of some of these unidentified gaseous poisons4 ,they are as deadly as a knife-thrust through the heart1 under certain conditions4 ,due to the non-oxidation of some of the elements of gasolene1 they escape from the exhaust of every running gas-engine4 ,in the open air1 where only a whiff or two would be inhale now and then1 they are not dangerous4 ,but in a closed room they may kill in an incredibly short time4 ,in fact1 the condition has given rise to an entirely new phenomenon which some one has named 'petromortis4' ,petromortis8 repeated ,snedden1 who1 for the first time1 began to show interest in what was going on about him4 ,then it was an accident8 ,i did not say it was an accident1 corrected ,craig4 ,there is an old adage that murder will out4 ,and this expression of human experience is only repeated in what we modern scientific detectives are doing4 ,no man bent on the commission of a crime can so arrange the circumstances of that crime that it will afterward appear1 point by point1 as an accident4 ,kennedy had us all following him breathlessly now4 ,i do not consider it an accident1 he went on1 rapidly piecing together the facts as we had found them4 ,ida ,snedden was killed because she was getting too close to some one's secret4 ,even at luncheon1 ,i could see that she had discovered ,gertrude's attachment for ,garretson4 ,how she heard that1 following the excitement of the explosion this afternoon1 ,gertrude and ,garretson had disappeared1 ,i do not pretend to know4 ,but it is evident that she did hear1 that she went out and took ,jackson's car1 probably to pursue them4 ,if we have heard that they went by the river road1 she might have heard it1 too4 ,in all probability she came along just in time to surprise some one working on the other side of the old merry-go-round structure4 ,there can be no reason to conceal the fact longer4 ,from that deserted building some one was daily launching a newly designed invisible aeroplane4 ,as ,mrs4 ,snedden came along1 she must have been just in time to see that person at his secret hangar4 ,what happened ,i do not know1 except that she must have run the car off the river road and into the building4 ,the person whom she found must have suddenly conceived a method of getting her out of the way and making it look like an accident of some kind1 perhaps persuaded her to stay in the car with the engine running1 while he went off and destroyed the aeroplane which was damning evidence now4 ,startling as was the revelation of an actual phantom destroyer1 our minds were more aroused as to who might be the criminal who had employed such an engine of death4 ,kennedy drew from his pocket the telegram which had just arrived1 and spread it out flat before us on a table4 ,it was dated ,philadelphia1 and read3 ,,mrs4 ,,ida ,,snedden1 ,nitropolis3 ,garretson and ,gertrude were married to-day4 ,have traced them to the ,wolcott4 ,try to reconcile ,mr4 ,snedden4 ,,hunter ,,jackson4 ,i saw at once that part of the story4 ,it was just a plain love-affair that had ended in an elopement at a convenient time4 ,the fire-eating ,garretson had been afraid of the ,sneddens and ,jackson1 who was their friend4 ,before ,i could even think further1 ,kennedy had drawn out the films taken by the rocket-camera4 ,with the aid of a magnifying-glass1 he was saying1 ,i can get just enough of the lone figure in this picture to identify it4 ,these are the crimes of a crazed pacifist1 one whose mind had so long dwelt on the horrors of-- ,look out6 shouted ,mac,leod1 leaping in front of ,kennedy4 ,the strain of the revelation had been too much4 ,snedden--a raving maniac--had reeled forward1 wildly and impotently1 at the man who had exposed him4 ,,vi ,,the ,,beauty ,,mask ,oh1 ,mr4 ,jameson1 if they could only wake her up--find out what is the matter--do something6 ,this suspense is killing both mother and myself4 ,scenting a good feature story1 my city editor had sent me out on an assignment1 my sole equipment being a clipping of two paragraphs from the morning ,star4 ,,girl ,,in ,,coma ,,six ,,days--,,shows ,,no ,,sign ,,of ,,revival ,virginia ,blakeley1 the nineteen-year-old daughter of ,mrs4 ,stuart ,blakeley1 of ,riverside ,drive1 who has been in a state of coma for six days1 still shows no sign of returning consciousness4 ,ever since ,monday some member of her family has been constantly beside her4 ,her mother and sister have both vainly tried to coax her back to consciousness1 but their efforts have not met with the slightest response4 ,dr4 ,calvert ,haynes1 the family physician1 and several specialists who have been called in consultation1 are completely baffled by the strange malady4 ,often ,i had read of cases of morbid sleep lasting for days and even for weeks4 ,but this was the first case ,i had ever actually encountered and ,i was glad to take the assignment4 ,the ,blakeleys1 as every one knew1 had inherited from ,stuart ,blakeley a very considerable fortune in real estate in one of the most rapidly developing sections of upper ,new ,york1 and on the death of their mother the two girls1 ,virginia and ,cynthia1 would be numbered among the wealthiest heiresses of the city4 ,they lived in a big sandstone mansion fronting the ,hudson and it was with some misgiving that ,i sent up my card4 ,both ,mrs4 ,blakeley and her other daughter1 however1 met me in the reception-room1 thinking1 perhaps1 from what ,i had written on the card1 that ,i might have some assistance to offer4 ,mrs4 ,blakeley was a well-preserved lady1 past middle-age1 and very nervous4 ,mercy1 ,cynthia6 she exclaimed1 as ,i explained my mission1 it's another one of those reporters4 ,no1 ,i cannot say anything--not a word4 ,i don't know anything4 ,see ,doctor ,haynes4 ,i-- ,but1 mother1 interposed ,cynthia1 more calmly1 the thing is in the papers4 ,it may be that some one who reads of it may know of something that can be done4 ,who can tell8 ,well1 ,i won't say anything1 persisted the elder woman4 ,i don't like all this publicity4 ,did the newspapers ever do anything but harm to your poor dear father8 ,no1 ,i won't talk4 ,it won't do us a bit of good4 ,and you1 ,cynthia1 had better be careful4 ,mrs4 ,blakeley backed out of the door1 but ,cynthia1 who was a few years older than her sister1 had evidently acquired independence4 ,at least she felt capable of coping with an ordinary reporter who looked no more formidable than myself4 ,it is quite possible that some one who knows about such cases may learn of this1 ,i urged4 ,she hesitated as her mother disappeared1 and looked at me a moment1 then1 her feelings getting the better of her1 burst forth with the strange appeal ,i have already quoted4 ,it was as though ,i had come at just an opportune moment when she must talk to some outsider to relieve her pent-up feelings4 ,by an adroit question here and there1 as we stood in the reception-hall1 ,i succeeded in getting the story1 which seemed to be more of human interest than of news4 ,i even managed to secure a photograph of ,virginia as she was before the strange sleep fell on her4 ,briefly1 as her sister told it1 ,virginia was engaged to ,hampton ,haynes1 a young medical student at the college where his father was a professor of diseases of the heart4 ,the ,hayneses were of a fine ,southern family which had never recovered from the war and had finally come to ,new ,york4 ,the father1 ,dr4 ,calvert ,haynes1 in addition to being a well-known physician1 was the family physician of the ,blakeleys1 as ,i already knew4 ,twice the date of the marriage has been set1 only to be postponed1 added ,cynthia ,blakeley4 ,we don't know what to do4 ,and ,hampton is frantic4 ,then this is really the second attack of the morbid sleep8 ,i queried4 ,yes--in a few weeks4 ,only the other wasn't so long--not more than a day4 ,she said it in a hesitating manner which ,i could not account for4 ,either she thought there might be something more back of it or she recalled her mother's aversion to reporters and did not know whether she was saying too much or not4 ,do you really fear that there is something wrong8 ,i asked1 significantly1 hastily choosing the former explanation4 ,cynthia ,blakeley looked quickly at the door through which her mother had retreated4 ,i--,i don't know1 she replied1 tremulously4 ,i don't know why ,i am talking to you4 ,i'm so afraid1 too1 that the newspapers may say something that isn't true4 ,you would like to get at the truth1 if ,i promise to hold the story back8 ,i persisted1 catching her eye4 ,yes1 she answered1 in a low tone1 but-- then stopped4 ,i will ask my friend1 ,professor ,kennedy1 at the university1 to come here1 ,i urged4 ,you know him8 she asked1 eagerly4 ,he will come8 ,without a doubt1 ,i reassured1 waiting for her to say no more1 but picking up the telephone receiver on a stand in the hall4 ,fortunately ,i found ,craig at his laboratory and a few hasty words were all that was necessary to catch his interest4 ,i must tell mother1 ,cynthia cried1 excitedly1 as ,i hung up the receiver4 ,surely she cannot object to that4 ,will you wait here8 ,as ,i waited for ,craig1 ,i tried to puzzle the case out for myself4 ,though ,i knew nothing about it as yet1 ,i felt sure that ,i had not made a mistake and that there was some mystery here4 ,suddenly ,i became aware that the two women were talking in the next room1 though too low for me to catch what they were saying4 ,it was evident1 however1 that ,cynthia was having some difficulty in persuading her mother that everything was all right4 ,well1 ,cynthia1 ,i heard her mother say1 finally1 as she left the room for one farther back1 ,i hope it will be all right--that is all ,i can say4 ,what was it that ,mrs4 ,blakeley so feared8 ,was it merely the unpleasant notoriety8 ,one could not help the feeling that there was something more that she suspected1 perhaps knew1 but would not tell4 ,yet1 apparently1 it was aside from her desire to have her daughter restored to normal4 ,she was at sea1 herself1 ,i felt4 ,poor dear mother6 murmured ,cynthia1 rejoining me in a few moments4 ,she hardly knows just what it is she does want-except that we want ,virginia well again4 ,we had not long to wait for ,craig4 ,what ,i had told him over the telephone had been quite enough to arouse his curiosity4 ,both ,mrs4 ,blakeley and ,cynthia met him1 at first a little fearfully1 but quickly reassured by his manner1 as well as my promise to see that nothing appeared in the ,star which would be distasteful4 ,oh1 if some one could only bring back our little girl6 cried ,mrs4 ,blakeley1 with suppressed emotion1 leading the way with her daughter up-stairs4 ,it was only for a moment that ,i could see ,craig alone to explain the impressions ,i had received1 but it was enough4 ,i'm glad you called me1 he whispered4 ,there is something queer4 ,we followed them up to the dainty bedroom in flowered enamel where ,virginia ,blakeley lay1 and it was then for the first time that we saw her4 ,kennedy drew a chair up beside the little white bed and went to work almost as though he had been a physician himself4 ,partly from what ,i observed myself and partly from what he told me afterward1 ,i shall try to describe the peculiar condition in which she was4 ,she lay there lethargic1 scarcely breathing4 ,once she had been a tall1 slender1 fair girl1 with a sort of wild grace4 ,now she seemed to be completely altered4 ,i could not help thinking of the contrast between her looks now and the photograph in my pocket4 ,not only was her respiration slow1 but her pulse was almost imperceptible1 less than forty a minute4 ,her temperature was far below normal1 and her blood pressure low4 ,once she had seemed fully a woman1 with all the strength and promise of precocious maturity4 ,but now there was something strange about her looks4 ,it is difficult to describe4 ,it was not that she was no longer a young woman1 but there seemed to be something almost sexless about her4 ,it was as though her secondary sex characteristics were no longer feminine1 but--for want of a better word--neuter4 ,yet1 strange to say1 in spite of the lethargy which necessitated at least some artificial feeding1 she was not falling away4 ,she seemed1 if anything1 plump4 ,to all appearances there was really a retardation of metabolism connected with the trance-like sleep4 ,she was actually gaining in weight6 ,as he noted one of these things after another1 ,kennedy looked at her long and carefully4 ,i followed the direction of his eyes4 ,over her nose1 just a trifle above the line of her eyebrows1 was a peculiar red mark1 a sore1 which was very disfiguring1 as though it were hard to heal4 ,what is that8 he asked ,mrs4 ,blakeley1 finally4 ,i don't know1 she replied1 slowly4 ,we've all noticed it4 ,it came just after the sleep began4 ,you have no idea what could have caused it8 ,both ,virginia and ,cynthia have been going to a face specialist1 she admitted1 to have their skins treated for freckles4 ,after the treatment they wore masks which were supposed to have some effect on the skin4 ,i don't know4 ,could it be that8 ,kennedy looked sharply at ,cynthia's face4 ,there was no red mark over her nose4 ,but there were certainly no freckles on either of the girls' faces now1 either4 ,oh1 mother1 remonstrated ,cynthia1 it couldn't be anything ,doctor ,chapelle did4 ,doctor ,chapelle8 repeated ,kennedy4 ,yes1 ,dr4 ,carl ,chapelle1 replied ,mrs4 ,blakeley4 ,perhaps you have heard of him4 ,he is quite well known1 has a beauty-parlor on ,fifth ,avenue4 ,he-- ,it's ridiculous1 cut in ,cynthia1 sharply4 ,why1 my face was worse than ,virgie's4 ,car--,he said it would take longer4 ,i had been watching ,cynthia1 but it needed only to have heard her to see that ,doctor ,chapelle was something more than a beauty specialist to her4 ,kennedy glanced thoughtfully from the clear skin of ,cynthia to the red mark on ,virginia4 ,though he said nothing1 ,i could see that his mind was on it4 ,i had heard of the beauty doctors who promise to give one a skin as soft and clear as a baby's--and often1 by their inexpert use of lotions and chemicals1 succeed in ruining the skin and disfiguring the patient for life4 ,could this be a case of that sort8 ,yet how explain the apparent success with ,cynthia8 ,the elder sister1 however1 was plainly vexed at the mention of the beauty doctor's name at all1 and she showed it4 ,kennedy made a mental note of the matter1 but refrained from saying any more about it4 ,i suppose there is no objection to my seeing ,doctor ,haynes8 asked ,kennedy1 rising and changing the subject4 ,none whatever1 returned ,mrs4 ,blakeley4 ,if there's anything you or he can do to bring ,virginia out of this--anything safe--,i want it done1 she emphasized4 ,cynthia was silent as we left4 ,evidently she had not expected ,doctor ,chapelle's name to be brought into the case4 ,we were lucky in finding ,doctor ,haynes at home1 although it was not the regular time for his office hours4 ,kennedy introduced himself as a friend of the ,blakeleys who had been asked to see that ,i made no blunders in writing the story for the ,star4 ,doctor ,haynes did not question the explanation4 ,he was a man well on toward the sixties1 with that magnetic quality that inspires the confidence so necessary for a doctor4 ,far from wealthy1 he had attained a high place in the profession4 ,as ,kennedy finished his version of our mission1 ,doctor ,haynes shook his head with a deep sigh4 ,you can understand how ,i feel toward the ,blakeleys1 he remarked1 at length4 ,i should consider it unethical to give an interview under any circumstances--much more so under the present4 ,still1 ,i put in1 taking ,kennedy's cue1 just a word to set me straight can't do any harm4 ,i won't quote you directly4 ,he seemed to realize that it might be better to talk carefully than to leave all to my imagination4 ,well1 he began1 slowly1 ,i have considered all the usual causes assigned for such morbid sleep4 ,it is not auto-suggestion or trance1 ,i am positive4 ,nor is there any trace of epilepsy4 ,i cannot see how it could be due to poisoning1 can you8 ,i admitted readily that ,i could not4 ,no1 he resumed1 it is just a case of what we call narcolepsy--pathological somnolence--a sudden1 uncontrollable inclination to sleep1 occurring sometimes repeatedly or at varying intervals4 ,i don't think it hysterical1 epileptic1 or toxemic4 ,the plain fact of the matter1 gentlemen1 is that neither myself nor any of my colleagues whom ,i have consulted have the faintest idea what it is--yet4 ,the door of the office opened1 for it was not the hour for consulting patients1 and a tall1 athletic young fellow1 with a keen and restless face1 though very boyish1 entered4 ,my son1 the doctor introduced1 soon to be the sixth ,doctor ,haynes in direct line in the family4 ,we shook hands4 ,it was evident that ,cynthia had not by any means exaggerated when she said that he was frantic over what had happened to his fiancee4 ,accordingly1 there was no difficulty in reverting to the subject of our visit4 ,gradually ,i let ,kennedy take the lead in the conversation so that our position might not seem to be false4 ,it was not long before ,craig managed to inject a remark about the red spot over ,virginia's nose4 ,it seemed to excite young ,hampton4 ,naturally ,i look on it more as a doctor than a lover1 remarked his father1 smiling indulgently at the young man1 whom it was evident he regarded above everything else in the world4 ,i have not been able to account for it1 either4 ,really the case is one of the most remarkable ,i have ever heard of4 ,you have heard of a ,dr4 ,carl ,chapelle8 inquired ,craig1 tentatively4 ,a beauty doctor1 interrupted the young man1 turning toward his father4 ,you've met him4 ,he's the fellow ,i think is really engaged to ,cynthia4 ,hampton seemed much excited4 ,there was unconcealed animosity in the manner of his remark1 and ,i wondered why it was4 ,could there be some latent jealousy8 ,i see1 calmed ,doctor ,haynes4 ,you mean to infer that this--er--this ,doctor ,chapelle-- ,he paused1 waiting for ,kennedy to take the initiative4 ,i suppose you've noticed over ,miss ,blakeley's nose a red sore8 hazarded ,kennedy4 ,yes1 replied ,doctor ,haynes1 rather refractory1 too4 ,i-- ,say1 interrupted ,hampton1 who by this time had reached a high pitch of excitement1 say1 do you think it could be any of his confounded nostrums back of this thing8 ,careful1 ,hampton1 cautioned the elder man4 ,i'd like to see him1 pursued ,craig to the younger4 ,you know him8 ,know him8 ,i should say ,i do4 ,good-looking1 good practice1 and all that1 but--why1 he must have hypnotized that girl6 ,cynthia thinks he's wonderful4 ,i'd like to see him1 suggested ,craig4 ,very well1 agreed ,hampton1 taking him at his word4 ,much as ,i dislike the fellow1 ,i have no objection to going down to his beauty-parlor with you4 ,thank you1 returned ,craig1 as we excused ourselves and left the elder ,doctor ,haynes4 ,several times on our journey down ,hampton could not resist some reference to ,chapelle for commercializing the profession1 remarks which sounded strangely old on his lips4 ,chapelle's office1 we found1 was in a large building on ,fifth ,avenue in the new shopping district1 where hundreds of thousands of women passed almost daily4 ,he called the place a ,dermatological ,institute1 but1 as ,hampton put it1 he practised decorative surgery4 ,as we entered one door1 we saw that patients left by another4 ,evidently1 as ,craig whispered1 when sixty sought to look like sixteen the seekers did not like to come in contact with one another4 ,we waited some time in a little private room4 ,at last ,doctor ,chapelle himself appeared1 a rather handsome man with the manner that one instinctively feels appeals to the ladies4 ,he shook hands with young ,haynes1 and ,i could detect no hostility on ,chapelle's part1 but rather a friendly interest in a younger member of the medical profession4 ,again ,i was thrown forward as a buffer4 ,i was their excuse for being there4 ,however1 a newspaper experience gives you one thing1 if no other--assurance4 ,i believe you have a patient1 a ,miss ,virginia ,blakeley8 ,i ventured4 ,miss ,blakeley8 ,oh yes1 and her sister1 also4 ,the mention of the names was enough4 ,i was no longer needed as a buffer4 ,chapelle1 blurted out ,hampton1 you must have done something to her when you treated her face4 ,there's a little red spot over her nose that hasn't healed yet4 ,kennedy frowned at the impetuous interruption4 ,yet it was perhaps the best thing that could have happened4 ,so1 returned ,chapelle1 drawing back and placing his head on one side as he nodded it with each word1 you think ,i've spoiled her looks8 ,aren't the freckles gone8 ,yes1 retorted ,hampton1 bitterly1 but on her face is this new disfigurement4 ,that8 shrugged ,chapelle4 ,i know nothing of that--nor of the trance4 ,i have only my specialty4 ,calm though he appeared outwardly1 one could see that ,chapelle was plainly worried4 ,under the circumstances1 might not his professional reputation be at stake8 ,what if a hint like this got abroad among his rich clientele8 ,i looked about his shop and wondered just how much of a faker he was4 ,once or twice ,i had heard of surgeons who had gone legitimately into this sort of thing4 ,but the common story was that of the swindler--or worse4 ,i had heard of scores of cases of good looks permanently ruined1 seldom of any benefit4 ,had ,chapelle ignorantly done something that would leave its scar forever8 ,or was he one of the few who were honest and careful8 ,whatever the case1 ,kennedy had accomplished his purpose4 ,he had seen ,chapelle4 ,if he were really guilty of anything the chances were all in favor of his betraying it by trying to cover it up4 ,deftly suppressing ,hampton1 we managed to beat a retreat without showing our hands any further4 ,humph6 snorted ,hampton1 as we rode down in the elevator and hopped on a 'bus to go up-town4 ,gave up legitimate medicine and took up this beauty doctoring--it's unprofessional1 ,i tell you4 ,why1 he even advertises6 ,we left ,hampton and returned to the laboratory1 though ,craig had no present intention of staying there4 ,his visit was merely for the purpose of gathering some apparatus1 which included a ,crookes tube1 carefully packed1 a rheostat1 and some other paraphernalia which we divided4 ,a few moments later we were on our way again to the ,blakeley mansion4 ,no change had taken place in the condition of the patient1 and ,mrs4 ,blakeley met us anxiously4 ,nor was the anxiety wholly over her daughter's condition1 for there seemed to be an air of relief when ,kennedy told her that we had little to report4 ,up-stairs in the sick-room1 ,craig set silently to work1 attaching his apparatus to an electric-light socket from which he had unscrewed the bulb4 ,as he proceeded ,i saw that it was1 as ,i had surmised1 his new ,x-ray photographing machine which he had brought4 ,carefully1 from several angles1 he took photographs of ,virginia's head1 then1 without saying a word1 packed up his kit and started away4 ,we were passing down the hall1 after leaving ,mrs4 ,blakeley1 when a figure stepped out from behind a portiere4 ,it was ,cynthia1 who had been waiting to see us alone4 ,you--don't think ,doctor ,chapelle had anything to do with it8 she asked1 in a hoarse whisper4 ,then ,hampton ,haynes has been here8 avoided ,kennedy4 ,yes1 she admitted1 as though the question had been quite logical4 ,he told me of your visit to ,carl4 ,there was no concealment1 now1 of her anxiety4 ,indeed1 ,i saw no reason why there should be4 ,it was quite natural that the girl should worry over her lover1 if she thought there was even a haze of suspicion in ,kennedy's mind4 ,really ,i have found out nothing yet1 was the only answer ,craig gave1 from which ,i readily deduced that he was well satisfied to play the game by pitting each against all1 in the hope of gathering here and there a bit of the truth4 ,as soon as ,i find out anything ,i shall let you and your mother know4 ,and you must tell me everything1 too4 ,he paused to emphasize the last words1 then slowly turned again toward the door4 ,from the corner of my eye ,i saw ,cynthia take a step after him1 pause1 then take another4 ,oh1 ,professor ,kennedy1 she called4 ,craig turned4 ,there's something ,i forgot1 she continued4 ,there's something wrong with mother6 ,she paused1 then resumed3 ,even before ,virginia was taken down with this--illness ,i saw a change4 ,she is worried4 ,oh1 ,professor ,kennedy1 what is it8 ,we have all been so happy4 ,and now--,virgie1 mother--all ,i have in the world4 ,what shall ,i do8 ,just what do you mean8 asked ,kennedy1 gently4 ,i don't know4 ,mother has been so different lately4 ,and now1 every night1 she goes out4 ,where8 encouraged ,kennedy1 realizing that his plan was working4 ,i don't know4 ,if she would only come back looking happier4 ,she was sobbing1 convulsively1 over she knew not what4 ,miss ,blakeley1 said ,kennedy1 taking her hand between both of his1 only trust me4 ,if it is in my power ,i shall bring you all out of this uncertainty that haunts you4 ,she could only murmur her thanks as we left4 ,it is strange1 ruminated ,kennedy1 as we sped across the city again to the laboratory4 ,we must watch ,mrs4 ,blakeley4 ,that was all that was said4 ,although ,i had no inkling of what was back of it all1 ,i felt quite satisfied at having recognized the mystery even on stumbling on it as ,i had4 ,in the laboratory1 as soon as he could develop the skiagraphs he had taken1 ,kennedy began a minute study of them4 ,it was not long before he looked over at me with the expression ,i had come to recognize when he found something important4 ,i went over and looked at the radiograph which he was studying4 ,to me it was nothing but successive gradations of shadows4 ,but to one who had studied roentgenography as ,kennedy had each minute gradation of light and shade had its meaning4 ,you see1 pointed out ,kennedy1 tracing along one of the shadows with a fine-pointed pencil1 and then along a corresponding position on another standard skiagraph which he already had1 there is a marked diminution in size of the sella turcica1 as it is called4 ,yet there is no evidence of a tumor4 ,for several moments he pondered deeply over the photographs4 ,and it is impossible to conceive of any mechanical pressure sufficient to cause such a change1 he added4 ,unable to help him on the problem1 whatever it might be1 ,i watched him pacing up and down the laboratory4 ,i shall have to take that picture over again--under different circumstances1 he remarked1 finally1 pausing and looking at his watch4 ,to-night we must follow this clue which ,cynthia has given us4 ,call a cab1 ,walter4 ,we took a stand down the block from the ,blakeley mansion1 near a large apartment1 where the presence of a cab would not attract attention4 ,if there is any job ,i despise it is shadowing4 ,one must keep his eyes riveted on a house1 for1 once let the attention relax and it is incredible how quickly any one may get out and disappear4 ,our vigil was finally rewarded when we saw ,mrs4 ,blakeley emerge and hurry down the street4 ,to follow her was easy1 for she did not suspect that she was being watched1 and went afoot4 ,on she walked1 turning off the ,drive and proceeding rapidly toward the region of cheap tenements4 ,she paused before one1 and as our cab cruised leisurely past we saw her press a button1 the last on the right-hand side1 enter the door1 and start up the stairs4 ,instantly ,kennedy signaled our driver to stop and together we hopped out and walked back1 cautiously entering the vestibule4 ,the name in the letter-box was ,mrs4 ,reba ,rinehart4 ,what could it mean8 ,just then another cab stopped up the street1 and as we turned to leave the vestibule ,kennedy drew back4 ,it was too late1 however1 not to be seen4 ,a man had just alighted and1 in turn1 had started back1 also realizing that it was too late4 ,it was ,chapelle6 ,there was nothing to do but to make the best of it4 ,shadowing the shadowers8 queried ,kennedy1 keenly watching the play of his features under the arc-light of the street4 ,miss ,cynthia asked me to follow her mother the other night1 he answered1 quite frankly4 ,and ,i have been doing so ever since4 ,it was a glib answer1 at any rate1 ,i thought4 ,then1 perhaps you know something of ,reba ,rinehart1 too1 bluffed ,kennedy4 ,chapelle eyed us a moment1 in doubt how much we knew4 ,kennedy played a pair of deuces as if they had been four aces instead4 ,not much1 replied ,chapelle1 dubiously4 ,i know that ,mrs4 ,blakeley has been paying money to the old woman1 who seems to be ill4 ,once ,i managed to get in to see her4 ,it's a bad case of pernicious anemia1 ,i should say4 ,a neighbor told me she had been to the college hospital1 had been one of ,doctor ,haynes's cases1 but that he had turned her over to his son4 ,i've seen ,hampton ,haynes here1 too4 ,there was an air of sincerity about ,chapelle's words4 ,but1 then1 ,i reflected that there had also been a similar ring to what we had heard ,hampton say4 ,were they playing a game against each other8 ,perhaps--but what was the game8 ,what did it all mean and why should ,mrs4 ,blakeley pay money to an old woman1 a charity patient8 ,there was no solution4 ,both ,kennedy and ,chapelle1 by a sort of tacit consent1 dismissed their cabs1 and we strolled on over toward ,broadway1 watching one another1 furtively4 ,we parted finally1 and ,craig and ,i went up to our apartment1 where he sat for hours in a brown study4 ,there was plenty to think about even so far in the affair4 ,he may have sat up all night4 ,at any rate1 he roused me early in the morning4 ,come over to the laboratory1 he said4 ,i want to take that ,x-ray machine up there again to ,blakeley's4 ,confound it6 ,i hope it's not too late4 ,i lost no time in joining him and we were at the house long before any reasonable hour for visitors4 ,kennedy asked for ,mrs4 ,blakeley and hurriedly set up the ,x-ray apparatus4 ,i wish you would place that face mask which she was wearing exactly as it was before she became ill1 he asked4 ,her mother did as ,kennedy directed1 replacing the rubber mask as ,virginia had worn it4 ,i want you to preserve that mask1 directed ,kennedy1 as he finished taking his pictures4 ,say nothing about it to any one4 ,in fact1 ,i should advise putting it in your family safe for the present4 ,hastily we drove back to the laboratory and ,kennedy set to work again developing the second set of skiagraphs4 ,i had not long to wait1 this time1 for him to study them4 ,his first glance brought me over to him as he exclaimed loudly4 ,at the point just opposite the sore which he had observed on ,virginia's forehead1 and overlying the sella turcica1 there was a peculiar spot on the radiograph4 ,something in that mask has affected the photographic plate1 he explained1 his face now animated4 ,before ,i could ask him what it was he had opened a cabinet where he kept many new things which he studied in his leisure moments4 ,from it ,i saw him take several glass ampules which he glanced at hastily and shoved into his pocket as we heard a footstep out in the hall4 ,it was ,chapelle1 very much worried4 ,could it be that he knew his society clientele was at stake1 ,i wondered4 ,or was it more than that8 ,she's dead6 he cried4 ,the old lady died last night6 ,without a word ,kennedy hustled us out of the laboratory1 stuffing the ,x-ray pictures into his pocket1 also1 as we went4 ,as we hurried down-town ,chapelle told us how he had tried to keep a watch by bribing one of the neighbors1 who had just informed him of the tragedy4 ,it was her heart1 said one of the neighbors1 as we entered the poor apartment4 ,the doctor said so4 ,anemia1 insisted ,chapelle1 looking carefully at the body4 ,kennedy bent over1 also1 and examined the poor1 worn frame4 ,as he did so he caught sight of a heavy linen envelope tucked under her pillow4 ,he pulled it out gently and opened it4 ,inside were several time-worn documents and letters4 ,he glanced over them hastily1 unfolding first a letter4 ,walter1 he whispered1 furtively1 looking at the neighbors in the room and making sure that none of them had seen the envelope already4 ,read these4 ,that's her story4 ,one glance was sufficient4 ,the first was a letter from old ,stuart ,blakeley4 ,reba ,rinehart had been secretly married to him--and never divorced4 ,one paper after another unfolded her story4 ,i thought quickly4 ,then she had had a right in the ,blakeley millions4 ,more than that1 the ,blakeleys themselves had none1 at least only what came to them by ,blakeley's will4 ,i read on1 to see what1 if any1 contest she had intended to make4 ,and as ,i read ,i could picture old ,stuart ,blakeley to myself--strong1 direct1 unscrupulous1 a man who knew what he wanted and got it1 dominant1 close-mouthed1 mysterious4 ,he had understood and estimated the future of ,new ,york4 ,on that he had founded his fortune4 ,according to the old lady's story1 the marriage was a complete secret4 ,she had demanded marriage when he had demanded her4 ,he had pointed out the difficulties4 ,the original property had come to him and would remain in his hands only on condition that he married one of his own faith4 ,she was not of the faith and declined to become so4 ,there had been other family reasons1 also4 ,they had been married1 with the idea of keeping it secret until he could arrange his affairs so that he could safely acknowledge her4 ,it was1 according to her story1 a ruse4 ,when she demanded recognition he replied that the marriage was invalid1 that the minister had been unfrocked before the ceremony4 ,she was not in law his wife and had no claim1 he asserted4 ,but he agreed to compromise1 in spite of it all4 ,if she would go ,west and not return or intrude1 he would make a cash settlement4 ,disillusioned1 she took the offer and went to ,california4 ,somehow1 he understood that she was dead4 ,years later he married again4 ,meanwhile she had invested her settlement1 had prospered1 had even married herself1 thinking the first marriage void4 ,then her second husband died and evil times came4 ,blakeley was dead1 but she came ,east4 ,since then she had been fighting to establish the validity of the first marriage and hence her claim to dower rights4 ,it was a moving story4 ,as we finished reading1 ,kennedy gathered the papers together and took charge of them4 ,taking ,chapelle1 who by this time was in a high state of excitement over both the death and the discovery1 ,kennedy hurried to the ,blakeley mansion1 stopping only long enough to telephone to ,doctor ,haynes and his son4 ,evidently the news had spread4 ,cynthia ,blakeley met us in the hall1 half frightened1 yet much relieved4 ,oh1 ,professor ,kennedy1 she cried1 ,i don't know what it is1 but mother seems so different4 ,what is it all about8 ,as ,kennedy said nothing1 she turned to ,chapelle1 whom ,i was watching narrowly4 ,what is it1 ,carl8 she whispered4 ,i--,i can't tell1 he whispered back1 guardedly4 ,then1 with an anxious glance at the rest of us1 ,is your sister any better8 ,cynthia's face clouded4 ,relieved though she was about her mother1 there was still that horror for ,virginia4 ,come1 ,i interrupted1 not wishing to let ,chapelle get out of my sight1 yet wishing to follow ,kennedy1 who had dashed up-stairs4 ,i found ,craig already at the bedside of ,virginia4 ,he had broken one of the ampules and was injecting some of the extract in it into the sleeping girl's arm4 ,mrs4 ,blakeley bent over eagerly as he did so4 ,even in her manner she was changed4 ,there was anxiety for ,virginia yet1 but one could feel that a great weight seemed to be lifted from her4 ,so engrossed was ,i in watching ,kennedy that ,i did not hear ,doctor ,haynes and ,hampton enter4 ,chapelle heard1 however1 and turned4 ,for a moment he gazed at ,hampton4 ,then with a slight curl of the lip he said1 in a low tone1 ,is it strictly ethical to treat a patient for disease of the heart when she is suffering from anemia--if you have an interest in the life and death of the patient8 ,i watched ,hampton's face closely4 ,there was indignation in every line of it4 ,but before he could reply ,doctor ,haynes stepped forward4 ,my son was right in the diagnosis1 he almost shouted1 shaking a menacing finger at ,chapelle4 ,to come to the point1 sir1 explain that mark on ,miss ,virginia's forehead6 ,yes1 demanded ,hampton1 also taking a step toward the beauty doctor1 explain it--if you dare4 ,cynthia suppressed a little cry of fear4 ,for a moment ,i thought that the two young men would forget everything in the heat of their feelings4 ,just a second1 interposed ,kennedy1 quickly stepping between them4 ,let me do the talking4 ,there was something commanding about his tone as he looked from one to the other of us4 ,the trouble with ,miss ,virginia1 he added1 deliberately1 seems to lie in one of what the scientists have lately designated the 'endocrine glands'--in this case the pituitary4 ,my ,x-ray pictures show that conclusively4 ,let me explain for the benefit of the rest4 ,the pituitary is an oval glandular body composed of two lobes and a connecting area1 which rest in the sella turcica1 enveloped by a layer of tissue1 about under this point4 ,he indicated the red spot on her forehead as he spoke4 ,it is1 as the early ,french surgeons called it1 l'organe enigmatique4 ,the ancients thought it discharged the pituita1 or mucus1 into the nose4 ,most scientists of the past century asserted that it was a vestigial relic of prehistoric usefulness4 ,to-day we know better4 ,one by one the functions of the internal secretions are being discovered4 ,our variously acquired bits of information concerning the ductless glands lie before us like the fragments of a modern picture puzzle4 ,and so1 ,i may tell you1 in connection with recent experimental studies of the role of the pituitary1 ,doctor ,cushing and other collaborators at ,johns ,hopkins have noticed a marked tendency to pass into a profoundly lethargic state when the secretion of the pituitary is totally or nearly so removed4 ,kennedy now had every eye riveted on him as he deftly led the subject straight to the case of the poor girl before us4 ,this1 he added1 with a wave of his hand toward her1 is much like what is called the ,frohlich syndrome--the lethargy1 the subnormal temperature1 slow pulse1 and respiration1 lowered blood pressure1 and insensitivity1 the growth of fat and the loss of sex characteristics4 ,it has a name--dystrophia adiposogenitalis4 ,he nodded to ,doctor ,haynes1 but did not pause4 ,this case bears a striking resemblance to the pronounced natural somnolence of hibernation4 ,and induced hypopituitarism--under activity of the gland--produces a result just like natural hibernation4 ,hibernation has nothing to do with winter1 or with food1 primarily2 it is connected in some way with this little gland under the forehead4 ,as the pituitary secretion is lessened1 the blocking action of the fatigue products in the body be-comes greater and morbid somnolence sets in4 ,there is a high tolerance of carbohydrates which are promptly stored as fat4 ,i am surprised1 ,doctor ,haynes1 that you did not recognize the symptoms4 ,a murmur from ,mrs4 ,blakeley cut short ,doctor ,haynes's reply4 ,i thought ,i noticed a movement of the still face on the white bed4 ,virgie6 ,virgie6 called ,mrs4 ,blakeley1 dropping on her knee beside her daughter4 ,i'm here--mother6 ,virginia's eyes opened ever so slightly4 ,her face turned just an inch or two4 ,she seemed to be making a great effort1 but it lasted only a moment4 ,then she slipped back into the strange condition that had baffled skilled physicians and surgeons for nearly a week4 ,the sleep is being dispelled1 said ,kennedy1 quietly placing his hand on ,mrs4 ,blakeley's shoulder4 ,it is a sort of semi-consciousness now and the improvement should soon be great4 ,and that8 ,i asked1 touching the empty ampule from which he had injected the contents into her4 ,pituitrin--the extract of the anterior lobe of the pituitary body4 ,some one who had an object in removing her temporarily probably counted on restoring her to her former blooming womanhood by pituitrin--and by removing the cause of the trouble4 ,kennedy reached into his pocket and drew forth the second ,x-ray photograph he had taken4 ,mrs4 ,blakeley1 may ,i trouble you to get that beauty mask which your daughter wore8 ,mechanically ,mrs4 ,blakeley obeyed4 ,i expected ,chapelle to object1 but not a word broke the death-like stillness4 ,the narcolepsy1 continued ,kennedy1 taking the mask1 was due1 ,i find1 to something that affected the pituitary gland4 ,i have here a photograph of her taken when she was wearing the mask4 ,he ran his finger lightly over the part just above the eyes4 ,feel that little lump1 ,walter1 he directed4 ,i did so4 ,it was almost imperceptible1 but there was something4 ,what is it8 ,i asked4 ,located in one of the best protected and most inaccessible parts of the body1 ,kennedy considered1 slowly1 how could the pituitary be reached8 ,if you will study my skiagraph1 you will see how ,i got my first clue4 ,there was something over that spot which caused the refractory sore4 ,what was it8 ,radium--carefully placed in the mask with guards of lead foil in such a way as to protect the eyes1 but direct the emission full at the gland which was to be affected1 and the secretions stopped4 ,chapelle gave a gasp4 ,he was pale and agitated4 ,some of you have already heard of ,reba ,rinehart1 shot out ,kennedy1 suddenly changing the subject4 ,mrs4 ,blakeley could not have been more astounded if a bomb had dropped before her4 ,still kneeling before ,virginia's bed1 she turned her startled face at ,kennedy1 clasping her hands in appeal4 ,it was for my girls that ,i tried to buy her off--for their good name--their fortune--their future1 she cried1 imploringly4 ,kennedy bent down1 ,i know that is all1 he reassured1 then1 facing us1 went on3 ,behind that old woman was a secret of romantic interest4 ,she was contemplating filing suit in the courts to recover a widow's interest in the land on which now stand the homes of millionaires1 hotel palaces1 luxurious apartments1 and popular theaters--millions of dollars' worth of property4 ,cynthia moved over and drew her arms about the convulsed figure of her mother4 ,some one else knew of this old marriage of ,stuart ,blakeley1 proceeded ,kennedy1 knew of ,reba ,rinehart1 knew that she might die at any moment4 ,but until she died none of the ,blakeleys could be entirely sure of their fortune4 ,it flashed over me that ,chapelle might have conceived the whole scheme1 seeking to gain the entire fortune for ,cynthia4 ,who was interested enough to plot this postponement of the wedding until the danger to the fortune was finally removed8 ,i caught sight of ,hampton ,haynes1 his eyes riveted on the face on the bed before us4 ,virginia stirred again4 ,this time her eyes opened wider4 ,as if in a dream she caught sight of the face of her lover and smiled wanly4 ,could it have been ,hampton8 ,it seemed incredible4 ,the old lady is dead1 pursued ,kennedy1 tensely4 ,her dower right died with her4 ,nothing can be gained by bringing her case back again--except to trouble the ,blakeleys in what is rightfully theirs4 ,gathering up the beauty mask1 the ,x-ray photographs1 and the papers of ,mrs4 ,rinehart1 ,kennedy emphasized with them the words as he whipped them out suddenly4 ,postponing the marriage1 at the possible expense of ,chapelle1 until ,reba ,rinehart was dead1 and trusting to a wrong diagnosis and ,hampton's inexperience as the surest way of bringing that result about quickly1 it was your inordinate ambition for your son1 ,doctor ,haynes1 that led you on4 ,i shall hold these proofs until ,virginia ,blakeley is restored completely to health and beauty4 ,,vii ,,the ,,love ,,meter ,since we brought him home1 my brother just tosses and gasps for air4 ,oh1 ,i think ,eulalie and ,i shall both go mad6 ,the soft1 pleading voice of ,anitra ,barrios and her big1 appealing brown eyes filled with tears were doubly affecting as1 in spite of her own feelings1 she placed her hand on that of a somewhat younger girl who had accompanied her to the laboratory4 ,we were to have been married next month1 sobbed ,eulalie ,sandoval4 ,can't you come and see ,jose1 ,professor ,kennedy8 ,there must be something you can do4 ,we fear he is dying--yes1 dying4 ,poor little girl6 murmured ,anitra1 still patting her hand affectionately1 then to us1 ,you know1 ,eulalie is the sister of ,manuel ,sandoval1 who manages the ,new ,york business of my brother4 ,she paused4 ,oh1 ,i can't believe it1 myself4 ,it's all so strange1 so sudden4 ,for the moment her own grief overwhelmed ,anitra1 and both sister and sweetheart of ,jose ,barrios clung to each other4 ,what is the trouble8 soothed ,craig4 ,what has happened8 ,how can ,i help you8 ,everything was so happy with us1 cried ,anitra1 until ,jose and ,i came to ,new ,york--and--now-- ,she broke down again4 ,please be calm1 encouraged ,kennedy4 ,tell me everything--anything4 ,with an effort ,anitra began again4 ,it was last night--quite late--at his office at the foot of ,wall ,street--he was there alone1 she strove to connect her broken thoughts4 ,some one--,i think it must have been the janitor--called me up at home and said that my brother was very ill4 ,eulalie was there with me4 ,we hurried down to him4 ,when we got there ,jose was on the floor by his desk1 unconscious1 struggling for breath1 just as he is now4 ,did you observe anything peculiar8 queried ,kennedy4 ,was there anything that might give you a hint of what had happened8 ,anitra ,barrios considered4 ,nothing1 she replied1 slowly1 except that the windows were all closed4 ,there was a peculiar odor in the room4 ,i was so excited over ,jose1 though1 that ,i couldn't tell you just what it was like4 ,what did you do8 inquired ,craig4 ,what could we do1 just two girls1 all alone8 ,it was late4 ,the streets were deserted4 ,you know how they are down-town at night4 ,we took him home1 to the hotel1 in a cab1 and called the hotel physician1 ,doctor ,scott4 ,both girls were again weeping silently in each other's arms4 ,if there was anything that moved ,kennedy to action it was distress of this sort4 ,without a word he rose from his desk1 and ,i followed him4 ,anitra and ,eulalie seemed to understand4 ,though they said nothing1 they looked their gratitude as we four left the laboratory4 ,on the way down to the hotel ,anitra continued to pour out her story in a fragmentary way4 ,her brother and she1 it seemed1 had inherited from their father a large sugar-plantation in ,santa ,clara1 the middle province of ,cuba4 ,jose had not been like many of the planters4 ,he had actually taken hold of the plantation1 after the revolution had wrecked it1 and had re-established it on modern1 scientific lines4 ,now it was one of the largest independent plantations on the island4 ,to increase its efficiency1 he had later established a ,new ,york office to look after the sale of the raw sugar and had placed it in charge of a friend1 ,manuel ,sandoval4 ,a month or so before he had come to ,new ,york with his sister to sell the plantation1 to get the high price that the boom in sugar had made it worth4 ,it was while he had been negotiating for the sale that he had fallen in love with ,eulalie and they had become engaged4 ,doctor ,scott met us in the sitting-room of the suite which ,anitra and her brother occupied1 and1 as she introduced us1 with an anxious glance in the direction of the door of the sick-room1 he shook his head gravely1 though he did his best to seem encouraging4 ,it's a case of poisoning of some kind1 ,i fear1 he whispered aside to us1 at the first opportunity4 ,but ,i can't quite make out just what it is4 ,we followed the doctor into the room4 ,eulalie had preceded us and had dropped down on her knees by the bed1 passing her little white hand caressingly over the pale and distorted face of ,jose4 ,he was still unconscious1 gasping and fighting for breath1 his features pinched and skin cold and clammy4 ,kennedy examined the stricken man carefully1 first feeling his pulse4 ,it was barely perceptible1 rapid1 thready1 and irregular4 ,now and then there were muscular tremblings and convulsive movements of the limbs4 ,craig moved over to the side of the room away from the two girls1 where ,doctor ,scott was standing4 ,sometimes1 ,i heard the doctor venture1 ,i think it is aconite1 but the symptoms are not quite the same4 ,besides1 ,i don't see how it could have been administered4 ,there's no mark on him that might have come from a hypodermic1 no wound1 not even a scratch4 ,he couldn't have swallowed it4 ,suicide is out of the question4 ,but his nose and throat are terribly swollen and inflamed4 ,it's beyond me4 ,i tried to recall other cases ,i had seen4 ,there was one case of ,kennedy's in which several deaths had occurred due to aconite4 ,was this another of that sort8 ,i felt unqualified to judge1 where ,doctor ,scott himself confessed his inability4 ,kennedy himself said nothing1 and from his face ,i gathered that even he had no clue as yet4 ,as we left the sick-room1 we found that another visitor had arrived and was standing in the sitting-room4 ,it was ,manuel ,sandoval4 ,sandoval was a handsome fellow1 tall1 straight as an arrow1 with bushy dark hair and a mustache which gave him a distinguished appearance4 ,born in ,cuba1 he had been educated in the ,united ,states1 had taken special work in the technology of sugar1 knew the game from cane to centrifugal and the ship to the sugar trust4 ,he was quite as much a scientist as a business man4 ,he and ,eulalie talked for a moment in low tones in ,cuban ,spanish1 but it needed only to watch his eyes to guess where his heart was4 ,he seemed to fairly devour every move that ,anitra made about the apartment4 ,a few minutes later the door opened again and a striking-looking man entered4 ,he was a bit older than ,sandoval1 but still young4 ,as he entered he bowed to ,sandoval and ,eulalie but greeted ,anitra warmly4 ,mr4 ,burton ,page1 introduced ,anitra1 turning to us quickly1 with just the trace of a flush on her face4 ,mr4 ,page has been putting my brother in touch with people in ,new ,york who are interested in ,cuban sugar-plantations4 ,a call from ,doctor ,scott for some help took both girls into the sick-room for a moment4 ,is ,barrios any better8 asked ,page1 turning to ,sandoval4 ,sandoval shook his head in the negative1 but said nothing4 ,one could not help observing that there seemed to be a sort of antipathy between the two1 and ,i saw that ,craig was observing them both closely4 ,page was a typical1 breezy ,westerner1 who had first drifted to ,new ,york as a mining promoter4 ,prom that he had gone into selling ranches1 and1 by natural stages1 into the promotion of almost anything in the universe4 ,sugar being at the time uppermost in the mind of the ,street1 ,page was naturally to be found crammed with facts about that staple4 ,one could not help being interested in studying a man of his type1 as long as one kept his grip on his pocket-book4 ,for he was a veritable pied piper when it came to enticing dollars to follow him1 and in his promotions he had the reputation of having amassed an impressive pile of dollars himself4 ,no important change in the condition of ,barrios had taken place1 except that he was a trifle more exhausted1 and ,doctor ,scott administered a stimulant4 ,kennedy1 who was eager to take up the investigation of the case on the outside in the hope of discovering something that might be dignified into being a clue1 excused himself1 with a nod to ,anitra to follow into the hall4 ,i may look over the office8 ,craig ventured when we were alone with her4 ,surely1 she replied1 frankly1 opening her handbag which was lying on a table near the door4 ,i have an equal right in the business with my brother4 ,here are the keys4 ,the office has been closed to-day4 ,kennedy took the keys1 promising to let her know the moment he discovered anything important1 and we hurried directly down-town4 ,the office of the ,barrios ,company was at the foot of ,wall ,street1 where the business of importing touched on the financial district4 ,from the window one could see freighters unloading their cargoes at the docks4 ,in the other direction1 capital to the billions was represented4 ,but in all that interesting neighborhood nothing just at present could surpass the mystery of what had taken place in the lonely little office late the night before4 ,kennedy passed the rail that shut the outer office off from a sort of reception space4 ,he glanced about at the safe1 the books1 papers1 and letter-files4 ,it would take an accountant and an investigator days1 perhaps weeks1 to trace out anything in them1 if indeed it were worth while at all4 ,two glass doors opened at one end to two smaller private offices1 one belonging evidently to ,sandoval1 the other to ,barrios4 ,what theory ,craig formed ,i could not guess1 but as he tiptoed from the hall door1 past the rail1 to the door of ,jose's office1 ,i could see that first of all he was trying to discover whether it was possible to enter the outer office and reach ,jose's door unseen and unheard by any one sitting at the desk inside4 ,apparently it was easily possible1 and he paused a moment to consider what good that knowledge might do4 ,as he did so his eye rested on the floor4 ,a few feet away stood one of the modern sanitary desks4 ,in this case the legs of the desk raised the desk high enough from the floor so that one could at least see where the cleaning-woman had left a small pile of unsanitary dust near the wall4 ,suddenly ,kennedy bent down and poked something out of the pile of dust4 ,there on the floor was an empty shell of a cartridge4 ,kennedy picked it up and looked at it curiously4 ,what did it mean8 ,i recalled that ,doctor ,scott had particularly said that ,barrios had not been wounded4 ,still regarding the cartridge shell1 ,kennedy sat down at the desk of ,barrios4 ,looking for a piece of paper in which to wrap the shell1 he pulled out the middle drawer of the desk4 ,in a back corner was a package of letters1 neatly tied4 ,we glanced at them4 ,the envelopes bore the name of ,jose ,barrios and were in the handwriting of a woman4 ,some were postmarked ,cuba2 others1 later1 ,new ,york4 ,kennedy opened one of them4 ,i could not restrain an exclamation of astonishment4 ,i had expected that they were from ,eulalie ,sandoval4 ,but they were signed by a name that we had not heard--,teresa de ,leon6 ,hastily ,kennedy read through the open letter4 ,its tone seemed to be that of a threat4 ,one sentence ,i recall was1 ,i would follow you anywhere--,i'll make you want me4 ,one after another ,kennedy ran through them4 ,all were vague and veiled1 as though the writer wished by some circumlocution to convey an idea that would not be apparent to some third1 inquisitive party4 ,what was back of it all8 ,had ,jose been making love to another woman at the same time that he was engaged to ,eulalie ,sandoval8 ,as far as the contents of the letters went there was nothing to show that he had done anything wrong4 ,the mystery of the other woman only served to deepen the mystery of what little we already knew4 ,craig dropped the letters into his pocket along with the shell1 and walked around into the office of ,sandoval4 ,i followed him4 ,quickly he made a search1 but it did not seem to net him anything4 ,meanwhile ,i had been regarding a queer-looking instrument that stood on a flat table against one wall4 ,it seemed to consist of a standard on each end of which was fastened a disk1 besides several other arrangements the purpose of which ,i had not the slightest idea4 ,between the two ends rested a glass tube of some liquid4 ,at one end was a lamp2 the other was fitted with an eyepiece like a telescope4 ,beside the instrument on the table lay some more glass-capped tubes and strewn about were samples of raw sugar4 ,it is a saccharimeter1 explained ,kennedy1 also looking at it1 an instrument used to detect the amount of sugar held in solution1 a form of the polariscope4 ,we won't go into the science of it now4 ,it's rather abstruse4 ,he was about to turn back into the outer office when an idea seemed to occur to him4 ,he took the cartridge from his pocket and carefully scraped off what he could of the powder that still adhered to the outer rim4 ,it was just a bit1 but he dissolved it in some liquid from a bottle on the table1 filled one of the clean glass tubes1 capped the open end1 and placed this tube in the saccharimeter where the first one ,i noticed had been4 ,carefully he lighted the lamp1 then squinted through the eyepiece at the tube of liquid containing what he had derived from the cartridge4 ,he made some adjustments1 and as he did so his face indicated that at last he began to see something dimly4 ,the saccharimeter had opened the first rift in the haze that surrounded the case4 ,i think ,i know what we have here1 he said1 briefly1 rising and placing the tube and its contents in his pocket with the other things he had discovered4 ,of course it is only a hint4 ,this instrument won't tell me finally4 ,but it is worth following up4 ,with a final glance about to make sure that we had overlooked nothing1 ,kennedy closed and locked the outside door4 ,i'm going directly up to the laboratory1 ,walter1 decided ,kennedy4 ,meanwhile you can help me very much if you will look up this ,teresa de ,leon4 ,i noticed that the ,new ,york letters were written on the stationery of the ,pan-,america ,hotel4 ,get what you can4 ,i leave it to you4 ,and if you can find out anything about the others1 so much the better4 ,i'll see you as soon as you finish4 ,it was rather a large contract4 ,if the story had reached the newspaper stage1 ,i should have known how to go about it4 ,for there is no detective agency in the world like the ,star1 and even on the slender basis that we had1 with a flock of reporters deployed at every point in the city1 with telephones1 wires1 and cables busily engaged1 ,i might have gathered priceless information in a few hours4 ,but1 as it was1 whatever was to be got must be got by me alone4 ,i found ,teresa de ,leon registered at the ,pan-,america1 as ,craig had surmised4 ,such inquiries as ,i was able to make about the hotel did not show a trace of reason for believing that ,jose ,barrios had been numbered among her visitors4 ,while that proved nothing as to the relations of the two1 it was at least reassuring as far as ,anitra and ,eulalie were concerned1 and1 after all1 as in such cases1 this was their story4 ,not having been able to learn much about the lady1 ,i decided finally to send up my card1 and to my satisfaction she sent back word that she would receive me in the parlor of the hotel4 ,teresa de ,leon proved to be a really striking type of ,latin-,american beauty4 ,she was no longer young1 but there was an elusiveness about her personality that made a more fascinating study than youth4 ,i felt that with such a woman directness might be more of a surprise than subtlety4 ,i suppose you know that ,senor ,barrios is very seriously ill8 ,i ventured1 in answer to her inquiring gaze that played from my card to my face4 ,for a fleeting instant she looked startled4 ,yet she betrayed nothing as to whether it was fear or surprise4 ,i have called his office several times1 she replied1 but no one answered4 ,even ,senor ,sandoval was not there4 ,i felt that she was countering as cleverly as ,i might lead4 ,then you know ,mr4 ,sandoval also8 ,i asked1 adding1 and ,mr4 ,page8 ,i have known ,senor ,barrios a long time in ,cuba1 she answered1 and the others1 too--here4 ,there was something evasive about her answers4 ,she was trying to say neither too much nor too little4 ,she left one in doubt whether she was trying to shield herself or to involve another4 ,though we chatted several minutes1 ,i could gain nothing that would lead me to judge how intimately she knew ,barrios4 ,except that she knew ,sandoval and ,page1 her conversation might have been a replica of the letters we had discovered4 ,even when she hinted politely1 but finally1 that the talk was over she left me in doubt even whether she was an adventuress4 ,the woman was an enigma4 ,had revenge or jealousy brought her to ,new ,york1 or was she merely a tool in the hands of another8 ,i was not ready to return to ,kennedy merely with another unanswered question1 and ,i determined to stop again at the hotel where ,barrios and his sister lived1 in the hope of picking up something there4 ,the clerk at the desk told me that no one had called since we had been there1 adding3 ,except the tall gentleman1 who came back4 ,i think ,senorita ,barrios came down and met him in the tea-room4 ,wondering whether it was ,page or ,sandoval the clerk meant1 ,i sauntered down the corridor past the door of the tea-room4 ,it was ,page with whom ,anitra was talking4 ,there was no way in which ,i could hear what was said1 although ,page was very earnest and ,anitra showed plainly that she was anxious to return to the sick-room up-stairs4 ,as ,i watched1 ,i took good care that ,i should not be seen4 ,it was well that ,i did1 for once when ,i looked about ,i saw that some one else in another doorway was watching them1 too1 so intently that he did not see me4 ,it was ,sandoval4 ,jealousy of ,page was written in every line of his face4 ,studying the three1 while ,i could not escape the rivalry of the two men1 ,i was unable to see now or recollect anything that had happened which would convey even an inkling of her feelings toward them4 ,yet ,i was convinced that that way lay a problem quite as important as relations between the other triangle of ,eulalie1 ,teresa1 and ,barrios4 ,i was not psychologist enough to deal with either triangle4 ,there was something that distinctly called for the higher mathematics of ,kennedy4 ,determined not to return to him entirely empty-mouthed1 ,i thought it would be a good opportunity to see ,eulalie alone1 and hurried to the elevator1 which whisked me up to the ,barrios apartment4 ,doctor ,scott had not left his patient1 though he seemed to realize that ,eulalie was a most efficient nurse4 ,no change1 whispered the doctor1 except that he is reaching a crisis4 ,interested as ,i was in the patient1 it had been for the purpose of seeing ,eulalie that ,i had come1 and ,i was glad when ,doctor ,scott left us a moment4 ,has ,mr4 ,kennedy found out anything yet8 she asked1 in a tremulous whisper4 ,i think he is on the right track now1 ,i encouraged4 ,has anything happened here8 ,remember--it is quite as important that you should tell him all as it is for him to tell you4 ,she looked at me a moment1 then drew from a fold of her waist a yellow paper4 ,it was a telegram4 ,i took it and read3 ,beware of ,teresa de ,leon1 ,hotel ,pan-,america4 ,a ,,friend4 ,you know her8 ,i asked1 folding the telegram1 but not returning it4 ,eulalie looked at me frankly and shook her head4 ,i have no idea who she is4 ,or of who sent the telegram8 ,none at all4 ,when did you receive it8 ,only a few minutes ago4 ,here was another mystery4 ,who had sent the anonymous telegram to ,eulalie so soon after it had been evident that ,kennedy had entered the case8 ,what was its purpose8 ,i may keep this8 ,i asked1 indicating the telegram4 ,i was about to send it to ,professor ,kennedy1 she replied4 ,oh1 ,i hope he will find something ,won't you go to him and tell him to hurry8 ,i needed no urging1 not only for her sake1 but also because ,i did not wish to be seen or to have the receipt of the telegram by ,kennedy known so soon4 ,in the hotel ,i stopped only long enough to see that ,anitra was now hurrying toward the elevator1 eager to get back to her brother and oblivious to every one around4 ,what had become of ,page and the sinister watcher whom he had not seen ,i did not know1 nor did ,i have time to find out4 ,a few moments later ,i rejoined ,kennedy at the laboratory4 ,he was still immersed in work1 and1 scarcely stopping1 nodded to me to tell what ,i had discovered4 ,he listened with interest until ,i came to the receipt of the anonymous telegram4 ,did you get it8 he asked1 eagerly4 ,he almost seized it from my hands as ,i pulled it out of my pocket and studied it intently4 ,strange1 he muttered4 ,any of them might have sent it4 ,have you discovered anything8 ,i asked1 for ,i had been watching him1 consumed by curiosity1 as ,i told my story4 ,do you know yet how the thing was done8 ,i think ,i do1 he replied1 abstractedly4 ,how was it8 ,i prompted1 for his mind was now on the telegram4 ,a poison-gas pistol1 he resumed1 coming back to the work he had just been doing4 ,instead of bullets1 this pistol used cartridges charged with some deadly powder4 ,it might have been something like the anesthetic pistol devised by the police authorities in ,paris some years ago when the motor bandits were operating4 ,but who could have used it8 ,i asked4 ,kennedy did not answer directly4 ,either he was not quite sure yet or did not feel that the time was ripe to hazard a theory4 ,in this case1 he continued1 after a moment's thought1 ,i shouldn't be surprised if even the wielder of the pistol probably wore a mask1 doubly effective1 for disguise and to protect the wielder from the fumes that were to overcome the victim4 ,you have no idea who it was8 ,i reiterated4 ,before ,kennedy could answer there came a violent ring at the laboratory bell1 and ,i hurried to the door4 ,it was one of the bell-boys from the hotel where the ,barrioses had their apartment1 with a message for ,kennedy4 ,craig tore it open and read it hurriedly4 ,from ,doctor ,scott1 he said1 briefly1 in answer to my anxious query4 ,barrios is dead4 ,even though ,i had been prepared for the news by my last visit1 death came as a shock1 as it always does4 ,i had felt all along that ,kennedy had been called in too late to do anything to save ,barrios1 but ,i had been hoping against hope4 ,but ,i knew that it was not too late to catch the criminal who had done the dastardly1 heartless deed4 ,a few hours and perhaps all clues might have been covered up4 ,but there is always something that goes wrong with crime1 always some point where murder cannot be covered up4 ,i think if people could only be got to realize it1 as my experience both on the ,star and with ,kennedy have impressed it on me1 murder would become a lost art4 ,without another word ,kennedy seized his hat and together we hurried to the hotel4 ,we found ,anitra crying softly to herself1 while near her sat ,eulalie1 tearless1 stunned by the blow1 broken-hearted4 ,in the realization of the tragedy everything had been forgotten1 even the mysterious anonymous telegram signed1 ,judas-like1 ,a ,friend4 ,sandoval1 we learned1 had been there when the end came1 and had now gone out to make what arrangements were necessary4 ,i had nothing against the man1 but ,i could not help feeling that1 now that the business was all ,anitra's1 might he not be the one to profit most by the death8 ,the fact was that ,kennedy had expressed so little opinion on the case so far that ,i might be pardoned for suspecting any one--even ,teresa de ,leon1 who must have seen ,jose slipping away from her in spite of her pursuit1 whatever actuated it4 ,it was while ,i was in the midst of these fruitless speculations that ,doctor ,scott beckoned us outside1 and we withdrew quietly4 ,i don't know that there is anything more that ,i can do1 he remarked1 but ,i promised ,senor ,sandoval that ,i would stay here until he came back4 ,he begged me to1 seems scarcely to know how to do enough to comfort his sister and ,senorita ,barrios4 ,i listened to the doctor keenly4 ,was it possible that ,sandoval had one of those ,jekyll-,hyde natures which seem to be so common in some of us8 ,had his better nature yielded to his worse8 ,to my mind that has often been an explanation of crime1 never an adequate defense4 ,kennedy was about to say something when the elevator door down the hall opened4 ,i expected that it was ,sandoval returning1 but it was ,burton ,page4 ,they told me you were here1 he said1 greeting us4 ,i have been looking all over for you1 down at your laboratory and at your apartment4 ,would you mind stepping down around the bend in the hall8 ,we excused ourselves from ,doctor ,scott1 wondering what ,page had to reveal4 ,i knew ,sandoval had not returned1 he began as soon as we were out of ear-shot of the doctor1 and ,i don't want to see him--again--not after what happened this afternoon4 ,the man is crazy4 ,we had reached an alcove and sank down into a soft settee4 ,why1 what was that8 ,i asked1 recalling the look of hate on the man's face as he had watched ,page talking to ,anitra in the tea-room4 ,i'm giving you this for what it may be worth1 began ,page1 turning from me to ,kennedy4 ,down in the lobby this afternoon1 after you had been gone some time1 ,i happened to run into ,sandoval4 ,he almost seized hold of me4 ',you have been at the office1' he said4 ',you've been rummaging around there4' ,well1 ,i denied it flatly4 ',who took those letters8' he shot back at me4 ,all ,i could do was to look at him4 ',i don't know about any letters4 ,what letters8' ,i asked4 ,oh1 he's a queer fellow all right4 ,i thought he was going to kill me by the black look he gave me4 ,he cooled down a bit1 but ,i didn't wait for any apology4 ,the best thing to do with these hot-headed people is to cut out and let them alone4 ,how do you account for his strange actions8 asked ,kennedy4 ,have you ever heard anything more that he did8 ,page shrugged his shoulders as if in doubt whether to say anything1 then decided quickly4 ,the other day ,i heard ,barrios and ,sandoval in the office4 ,they were quite excited4 ,barrios was talking loudly4 ,i didn't know at first what it was all about4 ,but ,i soon found out4 ,sandoval had gone to him1 as the head of the family1 following their custom1 ,i believe1 to ask whether he might seek to win ,anitra4 ,have you ever heard of ,teresa de ,leon8 interrupted ,kennedy suddenly4 ,page looked at him and hesitated4 ,there's some scandal1 there1 ,i'm afraid1 he nodded1 combining his answers4 ,i heard ,sandoval say something about her to ,barrios that day--warn him against something4 ,that was when the argument was heated4 ,it seemed to make ,barrios angry4 ,sandoval said something about ,barrios refusing to let him court ,anitra while at the same time ,barrios was engaged to ,eulalie4 ,barrios retorted that the cases were different4 ,he said he had decided that ,anitra was going to marry an ,american millionaire4 ,there could be no doubt about how ,page himself interpreted the remark4 ,it was evident that he took it to mean himself4 ,sandoval had warned against this ,de ,leon8 asked ,kennedy1 evidently having in mind the anonymous telegram4 ,something--,i don't know what it was all about1 returned ,page1 then added1 in a burst of confidence3 ,i never heard of the lady until she came to ,new ,york and introduced herself to me4 ,for a time she was interesting4 ,but ,i'm too old for that sort of thing4 ,besides1 she always impressed me as though she had some ulterior motive1 as though she was trying to get at something through me4 ,i cut it all out4 ,kennedy nodded1 but for a moment said nothing4 ,i think ,i'll be getting out1 remarked ,page1 with a half smile4 ,i don't want a knife in the back4 ,i thought you ought to know all this1 though4 ,and if ,i hear anything else ,i'll let you know4 ,kennedy thanked him and together we rode down in the next elevator1 parting with ,page at the hotel entrance4 ,it was still early in the evening1 and ,kennedy had no intention now of wasting a moment4 ,he beckoned for a cab and directed the man to drive immediately to the ,pan-,america4 ,this time ,teresa de ,leon was plainly prepared for a visit1 though ,i am not sure that she was prepared to receive two visitors4 ,i believe you were acquainted with ,senior ,barrios1 who died to-night8 opened ,kennedy1 after ,i had introduced him4 ,he was acquainted with me1 she corrected1 with a purr in her voice that suggested claws4 ,you were not married to him1 shot out ,kennedy2 then before she could reply1 nor even engaged4 ,he had known me a long time4 ,we were intimate-- ,friends1 interrupted ,kennedy1 leaving no doubt as to the meaning of his emphasis4 ,she colored4 ,it was evident that1 at least to her1 it was more than friendship4 ,senor ,sandoval says1 romanced ,kennedy1 in true detective style1 that you wrote-- ,it was her turn to interrupt4 ,if ,senor ,sandoval says anything against me1 he tells what is not--the truth4 ,in spite of ,kennedy's grilling she was still mistress of herself4 ,you introduced yourself to ,burton ,page1 and-- ,you had better remember your own proverb1 she retorted4 ,don't believe anything you hear and only half you see4 ,kennedy snapped down the yellow telegram before her4 ,it was a dramatic moment4 ,the woman did not flinch at the anonymous implication4 ,straight into ,kennedy's eyes she shot a penetrating glance4 ,watch both of ,,them1 she replied1 shortly1 then turned and deliberately swept out of the hotel parlor as though daring us to go as far as we cared4 ,i think we have started forces working for us1 remarked ,kennedy1 coolly consulting his watch4 ,for the present at least let us retire to the laboratory4 ,some one will make a move4 ,my game is to play one against the other--until the real one breaks4 ,we had scarcely switched on the lights and ,kennedy was checking over the results he had obtained during his afternoon's investigations1 when the door was flung open and a man dashed in on us unexpectedly4 ,it was ,sandoval1 and as he advanced furiously at ,kennedy ,i more than feared that ,page's idea was correct4 ,it was you1 ,kennedy1 he hissed1 who took those letters from ,jose's desk4 ,it is you--or ,page back of you--who are trying to connect me with that woman1 ,de ,leon4 ,but let me tell you-- ,a sharp click back of ,sandoval caused him to cut short the remark and look about apprehensively4 ,kennedy's finger1 sliding along the edge of the laboratory table1 had merely found an electric button by which he could snap the lock on the door4 ,we are two to one1 returned ,kennedy1 nonchalantly4 ,that was nothing but the lock on the door closing4 ,mr4 ,jameson has a revolver in the top drawer of his desk over there4 ,you will pardon me if ,i do a little telephoning--through the central office of the detective bureau8 ,some of our friends may not be overanxious to come here1 and it may be necessary to compel their attendance4 ,sandoval subsided into a sullen silence as ,kennedy made arrangements to have ,burton ,page1 ,anitra1 ,eulalie1 and ,teresa de ,leon hurried to us at once4 ,there was nothing for me to do but watch ,sandoval as ,kennedy prepared a little instrument with a scale and dial upon which rested an indicator resembling a watch hand1 something like the new horizontal clocks which have only one hand to register seconds1 minutes1 and hours4 ,in them1 like a thermometer held sidewise1 the hand moves along from zero to twenty-four4 ,in this instrument a little needle did the same thing4 ,pairs of little wire-like strings ran to the instrument4 ,kennedy had finished adjusting another instrument which was much like the saccharimeter1 only more complicated1 when the racing of an engine outside announced the arrival of the party in one of the police department cars4 ,between us1 ,craig and ,i lost no time in disposing the visitors so that each was in possession of a pair of the wire-like strings1 and then disdaining to explain why he had gathered them together so unceremoniously1 ,kennedy turned and finished adjusting the other apparatus4 ,most people regard light1 so abundant1 so necessary1 so free as a matter of course1 he remarked1 contemplatively4 ,not one person in ten thousand ever thinks of its mysterious nature or ever attempts to investigate it4 ,in fact1 most of us are in utter darkness as to light4 ,he paused1 tapped the machine and went on1 ,this is a polarimeter--a simple polariscope--a step beyond the saccharimeter1 he explained1 with a nod at ,sandoval4 ,it detects differences of structure in substances not visible in ordinary light4 ,light is polarized in several ways--by reflection1 by transmission1 but most commonly through what ,i have here1 a prism of calcite1 or ,iceland spar1 commonly called a ,nicol prism4 ,light fully polarized consists of vibrations transverse to the direction of the ray1 all in one plane4 ,ordinary light has transverse vibrations in all planes4 ,certain substances1 due to their molecular structure1 are transparent to vibrations in one plane1 but opaque to those at right angles4 ,here we have1 he explained1 tapping the parts in order1 a source of light1 passing in through this aperture1 here a ,nicol polarizer1 next a liquid to be examined in a glass-capped tube2 here on this other side an arrangement of quartz plates with rotary power which ,i will explain in a moment1 next an analyzer1 and finally the aperture for the eye of an observer4 ,kennedy adjusted the glass tube containing the liquid which bore the substance scraped from the cartridge--he had picked up in the office of ,jose4 ,look through the eyepiece1 ,walter1 he directed4 ,the field appeared halved4 ,he made an adjustment and at once the field of vision appeared wholly the same tint4 ,when he removed the tube it was dark4 ,if a liquid has not what we call rotary power both halves of the double disk appear of the same tint1 he explained4 ,if it has rotary power1 the halves appear of different tints and the degree of rotation is measured by the alteration of thickness of this double quartz plate necessary to counteract it4 ,it is1 as ,i told ,mr4 ,jameson early to-day1 a rather abstruse subject1 this of polarized light4 ,i shall not bore you with it1 but ,i think you will see in a moment why it is necessary1 perhaps why some one who knew thought it would never be used4 ,what ,i am getting at now is that some substances with the same chemical formula rotate polarized light to the right1 are dextro-rotary1 as1 for instance1 what is known as dextrose4 ,others rotate it to the left1 are levo-rotary1 as the substance called levose4 ,both of them are glucose4 ,so there are substances which give the same chemical reactions which can only be distinguished by their being left or right rotary4 ,craig took a bit of crystalline powder and dissolved it in ether4 ,then he added some strong sulphuric acid4 ,the liquid turned yellow1 then slowly a bright scarlet4 ,beside the first he repeated the operation with another similar-looking powder1 with the identical result4 ,both of those1 he remarked1 holding up the vials1 were samples of pure veratrine1 but obtained from different sources4 ,you see the brilliant reaction--unmistakable4 ,but it makes all the difference in the world in this case what was the source of the veratrine4 ,it may mean the guilt or innocence of one of you4 ,he paused1 to let the significance of his remark sink in4 ,veratrine1 he resumed1 is a form of hellebore1 known to gardeners for its fatal effect on insects4 ,there are white and green hellebore1 ,veratrum alba and ,veratrum viride4 ,it is the pure alkaloid1 or rather one of them1 that we have to deal with here--veratrine4 ,there are various sources of veratrine4 ,for instance1 there is the veratrine that may be derived from the sabadilla seeds which grow in the ,west ,indies and ,mexico4 ,it is used1 ,i am informed1 by the ,germans in their lachrymatory and asphyxiating bombs4 ,the mention of the ,west ,indies brought1 like a flash1 to my mind ,sandoval and ,senorita de ,leon4 ,then1 too1 continued ,kennedy1 there is a plant out in our own ,western country1 of which you may have heard1 known as the death camas1 very fatal to cattle when they eat it4 ,the active principle in this is also veratrine4 ,i began to see what ,kennedy was driving at4 ,if it were veratrine derived from death camas it would point toward ,page4 ,abderhalden1 the great ,german physiological chemist1 has discovered that substances that once get into the blood produce specific ferments4 ,not long ago1 in a case1 ,i showed it by the use of dialyzing membranes4 ,but ,abderhalden has found that the polariscope can show it also4 ,and in this case only the polariscope can show what chemistry cannot show when we reach the point of testing ,senor ,barrios's blood--if that becomes necessary4 ,it was plain that ,kennedy was confident4 ,there are other sources of drugs of the nature used in this case to asphyxiate and kill1 but the active principle of all is veratrine4 ,the point is1 veratrine from what source8 ,the sabadilla is dextro-rotary2 the death camas is levo-rotary4 ,which is it here8 ,as ,i tried to figure out the ramifications of the case1 ,i could see that it was a cruel situation for one or the other of the girls4 ,was one of her lovers the murderer of ,anitra's brother8 ,or was her own brother the murderer of ,eulalie's lover8 ,i looked at the faces before me1 now tensely watching ,kennedy1 forgetful of the wire-like strings which they held in their hands4 ,i studied ,teresa de ,leon intently for a while4 ,she was still the enigma which she had been the first time ,i saw her4 ,kennedy paused long enough to look through the eyepiece again as if to reassure himself finally that he was right4 ,there was a tantalizing suspense as we waited for the verdict of science on this intensely human tragedy4 ,then he turned to the queer instrument over which the needle-hand was moving4 ,though some scientists would call this merely a sensitive form of galvanometer1 he remarked1 it is1 to me1 more than that4 ,it registers feelings1 emotions4 ,it has been registering your own every moment that ,i have been talking4 ,but most of all it registers the grand passion4 ,i might even call it a love meter4 ,love might seem to be a subject which could not be investigated4 ,but even love can be attributed to electrical forces1 or1 perhaps better1 is expressed by the generation of an electric current1 as though the attraction between men and women were the giving off of electrons or radiations of one to the other4 ,i have seen this galvanometer stationary during the ordinary meeting of men and women1 yet exhibit all sorts of strange vibrations when true lovers meet4 ,not used to ,kennedy's peculiar methods1 they were now on guard1 ignorant of the fact that that alone was sufficient to corroborate unescapably any evidence they had already given of their feelings toward each other4 ,kennedy passed lightly over the torn and bleeding heart of ,eulalie4 ,but1 much as he disliked to do so1 he could not so quickly pass ,anitra4 ,in spite of her grief1 ,i could see that she was striving to control herself4 ,a quick blush suffused her face and her breath came and went faster4 ,this record1 went on ,kennedy1 lowering his voice1 tells me that two men are in love with ,anitra ,barrios4 ,i will not say which exhibits the deeper1 truer passion4 ,you shall see for yourself in a moment4 ,but1 more than that1 it tells me which of the two she cares for most--a secret her heart would never permit her lips to disclose4 ,nor will ,i disclose it4 ,one of them1 with supreme egotism1 was so sure that he would win her heart that he plotted this murder of her brother so that she would have the whole estate to bring to him--a terrible price for a dowry4 ,my love meter tells me1 however1 that ,anitra has something to say about it yet4 ,she does not love this man4 ,as for ,teresa de ,leon1 it was jealousy that impelled her to follow ,jose ,barrios from ,cuba to ,new ,york4 ,the murderer1 in his scheming1 knew it1 saw a chance to use her1 to encourage her1 perhaps throw suspicion on her1 if necessary4 ,when ,i came uncomfortably close to him he even sent an anonymous telegram that might point toward her4 ,it was sent by the same person who stole in ,barrios's office and shot him with an asphyxiating pistol which discharged a fatal quantity of pure veratrine full at him4 ,my love meter1 in registering hidden emotions1 supplements what the polarimeter tells me4 ,it was the levo-rotary veratrine of the fatal death camas which you used1 ,page1 concluded ,craig1 as again the electric attachment clicked shut the lock on the laboratory door4 ,,viii ,,the ,,vital ,,principle ,that's the handwriting of a woman--a jealous woman1 remarked ,kennedy1 handing to me a dainty note on plain paper which had come in the morning mail4 ,i did not stop to study the writing1 for the contents of the letter were more fascinating than even ,kennedy's new science of graphology4 ,you don't know me the note read1 but ,i know of your work of scientific investigation4 ,let me inform you of something that ought to interest you4 ,in the ,forum ,apartments you will find that there is some strange disease affecting the ,wardlaw family4 ,it is a queer disease of the nerves4 ,one is dead4 ,others are dying4 ,look into it4 ,a ,,friend4 ,as ,i read it ,i asked myself vainly what it could mean4 ,there was no direct accusation against any one1 yet the implication was plain4 ,a woman had been moved by one of the primal passions to betray--some one4 ,i looked up from the note on the table at ,craig4 ,he was still studying the handwriting4 ,it's that peculiar vertical1 angular hand affected by many women1 he commented1 half to himself4 ,even at a glance you can see that it's written hastily1 as if under the stress of excitement and sudden resolution4 ,you'll notice how those capitals-- ,the laboratory door opened1 interrupting him4 ,hello1 ,kennedy1 greeted ,doctor ,leslie1 our friend1 the coroner's physician1 who had recently been appointed ,health ,commissioner of the city4 ,it was the first time we had seen him since the appointment and we hastened to congratulate him4 ,he thanked us absently1 and it was evident that there was something on his mind1 some problem which1 in his new office1 he felt that he must solve if for no other purpose than to justify his reputation4 ,craig said nothing1 preferring to let the commissioner come to the point in his own way4 ,do you know1 ,kennedy1 he said1 at length1 turning in his chair and facing us1 ,i believe we have found one of the strangest cases in the history of the department4 ,the commissioner paused1 then went on1 quickly1 ,it looks as if it were nothing less than an epidemic of beriberi--not on a ship coming into port as so often happens1 but actually in the heart of the city4 ,beriberi--in ,new ,york8 queried ,craig1 incredulously4 ,it looks like it1 reiterated ,leslie1 in the family of a ,doctor ,wardlaw1 up-town here1 in the ,forum-- ,kennedy had already shoved over the letter he had just received4 ,leslie did not finish the sentence1 but read the note in amazement4 ,what are the symptoms8 inquired ,craig4 ,what makes you think it is beriberi1 of all things8 ,because they show the symptoms of beriberi1 persisted ,leslie1 doggedly4 ,you know what they are like4 ,if you care to go into the matter ,i think ,i can convince you4 ,the commissioner was still holding the letter and gazing1 puzzled1 from it to us4 ,it seemed as if he regarded it merely as confirming his own suspicions that something was wrong1 even though it shed no real light on the matter4 ,how did you first hear of it8 prompted ,kennedy4 ,leslie answered frankly4 ,it came to the attention of the department as the result of a reform ,i have inaugurated4 ,when ,i went in office ,i found that many of the death certificates were faulty1 and in the course of our investigations we ran across one that seemed to be most vaguely worded4 ,i don't know yet whether it was ignorance--or something worse4 ,but it started an inquiry4 ,i can't say that ,i'm thoroughly satisfied with the amended certificate of the physician who attended ,mrs4 ,marbury1 the mother of ,doctor ,wardlaw's wife1 who died about a week ago--,doctor ,aitken4 ,then ,wardlaw didn't attend her himself8 asked ,kennedy4 ,oh no4 ,he couldn't1 under the circumstances1 as ,i'll show you presently1 aside from the medical ethics of the case4 ,aitken was the family physician of the ,marburys4 ,kennedy glanced at the note4 ,one is dead4 ,others are dying1 he read4 ,who are the others8 ,who else is stricken8 ,why1 continued ,leslie1 eager to unburden his story1 ,wardlaw himself has the marks of a nervous affection as plainly as the eye can see it4 ,you know what it is in this disease1 as though the nerves were wasting away4 ,but he doesn't seem half as badly affected as his wife4 ,they tell me ,maude ,marbury was quite a beauty once1 and photographs ,i have seen prove it4 ,she's a wreck now4 ,and1 of course1 the old lady must have been the most seriously affected of them all4 ,who else is there in the household8 inquired ,kennedy1 growing more and more interested4 ,well1 answered ,leslie1 slowly1 they've had a nurse for some time1 ,natalie ,langdale4 ,apparently she has escaped4 ,any servants8 ,some by the day2 only one regularly--a ,japanese1 ,kato4 ,he goes home at night1 too4 ,there's no evidence of the disease having affected him4 ,i caught ,leslie's eye as he gave the last information4 ,though ,i did not know much about beriberi1 ,i had read of it1 and knew that it was especially prevalent in the ,orient4 ,i did not know what importance to attach to ,kato and his going home at night4 ,have you done any investigating yourself8 asked ,kennedy4 ,leslie hesitated a moment1 as though deprecating his own efforts in that line1 though when he spoke ,i could see no reason why he should1 except that it had so often happened that ,kennedy had seen the obvious which was hidden from most of those who consulted him4 ,yes1 he replied1 ,i thought perhaps there might be some motive back of it all which ,i might discover4 ,possibly it was old ,mrs4 ,marbury's fortune--not a large one1 but substantial4 ,so it occurred to me that the will might show it4 ,i have been to the surrogate4 ,and8 prompted ,kennedy1 approvingly4 ,mrs4 ,marbury's will has already been offered for probate4 ,it directs1 among other things1 that twenty-five thousand dollars be given by her daughter1 to whom she leaves the bulk of her fortune1 to ,doctor ,aitken1 who had been ,mr4 ,marbury's physician and her own4 ,leslie looked at us significantly1 but ,kennedy made no comment4 ,would you like to go up there and see them8 urged the commissioner1 anxious to get ,craig's final word on whether he would co-operate in the affair4 ,i certainly should1 returned ,kennedy1 heartily1 folding up the letter which had first attracted his interest4 ,it looks as if there were more to this thing than a mere disease1 however unusual4 ,doctor ,leslie could not conceal his satisfaction1 and without delaying a moment more than was necessary hurried us out into one of the department cars1 which he had left waiting outside1 and directed the driver to take us to the ,forum ,apartments1 one of the newest and most fashionable on the ,drive4 ,miss ,langdale met us at the door and admitted us into the apartment4 ,she was a striking type of trained nurse1 one of those who seem bubbling over with health and vivacity4 ,she seemed solicitous of her patients and reluctant to have them disturbed1 yet apparently not daring to refuse to admit ,doctor ,leslie4 ,there was nothing in her solicitude1 however1 that one could take exception to4 ,miss ,langdale conducted us softly down a hallway through the middle of the apartment1 and ,i noted quickly how it was laid out4 ,on one side we passed a handsomely furnished parlor and dining-room1 opposite which were the kitchen and butler's pantry1 and1 farther along1 a bedroom and the bath4 ,on down the hall1 on the right1 was ,doctor ,wardlaw's study1 or rather den1 for it was more of a library than an office4 ,the nurse led the way1 and we entered4 ,through the windows one caught a beautiful vista of the ,drive1 the river1 and the ,jersey shore4 ,i gazed about curiously4 ,around the room there were bookcases and cabinets1 a desk1 some easy-chairs1 and in the corner a table on which were some of ,wardlaw's paraphernalia1 for1 although he was not a practising physician1 he still specialized in his favorite branches of eye and ear surgery4 ,miss ,langdale left us a moment1 with a hasty excuse that she must prepare ,mrs4 ,wardlaw for the unexpected visit4 ,the preparation1 however1 did not take long1 for a moment later ,maude ,wardlaw entered1 supported by her nurse4 ,her lips moved mechanically as she saw us1 but we could not hear what she said4 ,as she walked1 ,i could see that she had a peculiar gait1 as though she were always lifting her feet over small obstacles4 ,her eyes1 too1 as she looked at us1 had a strange squint1 and now and then the muscles of her face twitched4 ,she glanced from ,leslie to ,kennedy inquiringly1 as ,leslie introduced us1 implying that we were from his office1 then dropped into the easy-chair4 ,her breathing seemed to be labored and her heart action feeble1 as the nurse propped her up comfortably4 ,as ,mrs4 ,wardlaw's hand rested on the arm of the chair ,i saw that there was a peculiar flexion of her wrist which reminded me of the so-called wrist-drop of which ,i had heard4 ,it was almost as if the muscles of her hands and arms1 feet and legs1 were weak and wasting4 ,once she had been beautiful1 and even now1 although she seemed to be a wreck of her former self1 she had a sort of ethereal beauty that was very touching4 ,doctor is out--just now1 she hesitated1 in a tone that hinted at the loss of her voice4 ,she turned appealingly to ,miss ,langdale4 ,oh1 she murmured1 ,i feel so badly this morning--as if pins and needles were sticking in me--vague pains in all my limbs-- ,her voice sank to a whisper and only her lips moved feebly4 ,one had only to see her to feel sympathy4 ,it seemed almost cruel to intrude under the circumstances1 yet it was absolutely necessary if ,craig were to accomplish anything4 ,maude ,wardlaw1 however1 did not seem to comprehend the significance of our presence1 and ,i wondered how ,kennedy would proceed4 ,i should like to see your ,japanese servant1 ,kato1 he began1 directly1 somewhat to my surprise1 addressing himself rather to ,miss ,langdale than to ,mrs4 ,wardlaw4 ,the nurse nodded and left the room without a word1 as though appreciating the anomalous position in which she was placed as temporary mistress of the household4 ,a few moments later ,kato entered4 ,he was a typical specimen of the suave ,oriental1 and ,i eyed him keenly1 for to me ,east was ,east and ,west was ,west1 and ,i was frankly suspicious1 especially as ,i saw no reason to be otherwise in ,kennedy's manner4 ,i waited eagerly to see what ,craig would do4 ,sit here1 directed ,kennedy1 indicating a straight-backed chair1 on which the ,japanese obediently sat4 ,now cross your knees4 ,as ,kato complied1 ,kennedy quickly brought his hand1 held flat and palm upward1 sharply against the ,jap's knee just below the kneecap4 ,there was a quick reflex jerk of the leg below the knee in response4 ,quite natural1 ,kennedy whispered1 turning to ,leslie1 who nodded4 ,he dismissed ,kato without further questioning1 having had an opportunity to observe whether he showed any of the symptoms that had appeared in the rest of the family4 ,craig and the ,health ,commissioner exchanged a few words under their breath1 then ,craig crossed the room to ,mrs4 ,wardlaw4 ,the entrance of ,kato had roused her momentarily and she had been watching what was going on4 ,it is a simple test1 explained ,kennedy1 indicating to ,miss ,langdale that he wished to repeat it on her patient4 ,mrs4 ,wardlaw's knee showed no reflex6 ,as he turned to us1 we could see that ,kennedy's face was lined deeply with thought1 and he paced up and down the room once or twice1 considering what he had observed4 ,i could see that even this simple interview had greatly fatigued ,mrs4 ,wardlaw4 ,miss ,langdale said nothing1 but it was plainly evident that she objected strongly to the strain on her patient's strength4 ,that will be sufficient1 nodded ,craig1 noticing the nurse4 ,thank you very much4 ,i think you had better let ,mrs4 ,wardlaw rest in her own room4 ,on the nurse's arm ,mrs4 ,wardlaw withdrew and ,i looked inquiringly from ,kennedy to ,doctor ,leslie4 ,what was it that had made this beautiful woman such a wreck8 ,it seemed almost as though the hand of fate had stretched out against one who had all to make her happy--wealth1 youth1 a beautiful home--for the sullen purpose of taking away what had been bestowed so bounteously4 ,it is polyneuritis1 all right1 ,leslie1 ,craig agreed1 the moment we were alone4 ,i think so1 coincided ,leslie1 with a nod4 ,it's the ,,cause ,i can't get at4 ,is it polyneuritis of beriberi--or something else8 ,kennedy did not reply immediately4 ,then there are other causes8 ,i inquired of ,leslie4 ,alcohol1 he returned1 briefly4 ,i don't think that figures in this instance4 ,at least ,i've seen no evidence4 ,perhaps some drug8 ,i hazarded at a venture4 ,leslie shrugged4 ,how about the food8 inquired ,craig4 ,have you made any attempt to examine it8 ,i have1 replied the commissioner4 ,when ,i came up here first ,i thought of that4 ,i took samples of all the food that ,i could find in the ice-box1 the kitchen1 and the butler's pantry4 ,i have the whole thing1 labeled1 and ,i have already started to test them out4 ,i'll show you what ,i have done when we go down to the department laboratory4 ,kennedy had been examining the books in the bookcase and now pulled out a medical dictionary4 ,it opened readily to the heading1 ,polyneuritis--multiple neuritis4 ,i bent over and read with him4 ,in the disease1 it seemed1 the nerve fibers themselves in the small nerves broke down and the affection was motor1 sensory1 vasomotor1 or endemic4 ,all the symptoms described seemed to fit what ,i had observed in ,mrs4 ,wardlaw4 ,invariably1 the article went on1 it is the result of some toxic substance circulating in the blood4 ,there is a polyneuritis psychosis1 known as ,korsakoff's syndrome1 characterized by disturbances of the memory of recent events and false reminiscences1 the patient being restless and disorientated4 ,i ran my finger down the page until ,i came to the causes4 ,there were alcohol1 lead1 arsenic1 bisulphide of carbon1 diseases such as diabetes1 diphtheria1 typhoid1 and finally1 much to my excitement1 was enumerated beriberi1 with the added information1 or1 as the ,japanese call it1 kakke4 ,i placed my finger on the passage and was about to say something about my suspicions of ,kato when we heard the sound of footsteps in the hall1 and ,craig snapped the book shut1 returning it hastily to the bookcase4 ,it was ,miss ,langdale who had made her patient comfortable in bed and now returned to us4 ,who is this ,kato8 inquired ,craig1 voicing what was in my own mind4 ,what do you know about him8 ,just a young ,japanese from the ,mission downtown1 replied the nurse1 directly4 ,i don't suppose you know1 but ,mrs4 ,wardlaw used to be greatly interested in religious and social work among the ,japanese and ,chinese2 would be yet1 but1 she added1 significantly1 she is not strong enough4 ,they employed him before ,i came here1 about a year ago1 ,i think4 ,kennedy nodded1 and was about to ask another question1 when there was a slight noise out in the hall4 ,thinking it might be ,kato himself1 ,i sprang to the door4 ,instead1 ,i encountered a middle-aged man1 who drew back in surprise at seeing me1 a stranger4 ,oh1 good morning1 ,doctor ,aitken6 greeted ,miss ,langdale1 in quite the casual manner of a nurse accustomed to the daily visit at about this hour4 ,as for ,doctor ,aitken1 he glanced from ,leslie1 whom he knew1 to ,kennedy1 whom he did not know1 with a very surprised look on his face4 ,in fact1 ,i got the impression that after he had been admitted he had paused a moment in the hall to listen to the strange voices in the ,wardlaw study4 ,leslie nodded to him and introduced us1 without quite knowing what to say or do1 any more than ,doctor ,aitken4 ,a most incomprehensible case1 ventured ,aitken to us4 ,i can't1 for the life of me1 make it out4 ,the doctor showed his perplexity plainly1 whether it was feigned or not4 ,i'm afraid she's not quite so well as usual1 put in ,miss ,langdale1 speaking to him1 but in a manner that indicated that first of all she wished any blame for her patient's condition to attach to us and not to herself4 ,doctor ,aitken pursed up his lips1 bowed excusingly to us1 and turned down the hall1 followed by the nurse4 ,as they passed on to ,mrs4 ,wardlaw's room1 ,i am sure they whispered about us4 ,i was puzzled by ,doctor ,aitken4 ,he seemed to be sincere1 yet1 under the circumstances1 ,i felt that ,i must be suspicious of everybody and everything4 ,alone again for a moment1 ,kennedy turned his attention to the furniture of the room1 and finally paused before a writing-desk in the corner4 ,he tried it4 ,it was not locked and he opened it4 ,quickly he ran through a pile of papers carefully laid under a paper-weight at the back4 ,a suppressed exclamation from him called my attention to something that he had discovered4 ,there lay two documents1 evidently recently drawn up4 ,as we looked over the first1 we saw that it was ,doctor ,wardlaw's will1 in which he had left everything to his wife1 although he was not an especially wealthy man4 ,the other was the will of ,mrs4 ,wardlaw4 ,we devoured it hastily4 ,in substance it was identical with the first1 except that at the end she had added two clauses4 ,in the first she had done just as her mother had directed4 ,twenty-five thousand dollars had been left to ,doctor ,aitken4 ,i glanced at ,kennedy1 but he was reading on1 taking the second clause4 ,i read also4 ,fifty thousand dollars was given to endow the ,new ,york ,japanese ,mission4 ,immediately the thought of ,kato and what ,miss ,langdale had just told us flashed through my mind4 ,a second time we heard the nurse's footsteps on the hardwood floor of the hall4 ,craig closed the desk softly4 ,doctor ,aitken is ready to go1 she announced4 ,is there anything more you wish to ask8 ,kennedy spoke a moment with the doctor as he passed out1 but1 aside from the information that ,mrs4 ,wardlaw was1 in his opinion1 growing worse1 the conversation added nothing to our meager store of information4 ,i suppose you attended ,mrs4 ,marbury8 ventured ,kennedy of ,miss ,langdale1 after the doctor had gone4 ,not all the time1 she admitted4 ,before ,i came there was another nurse1 a ,miss ,hackstaff4 ,what was the matter8 ,wasn't she competent8 ,miss ,langdale avoided the question1 as though it were a breach of professional etiquette to cast reflections on another nurse1 although whether that was the real reason for her reticence did not appear4 ,craig seemed to make a mental note of the fact4 ,have you seen anything--er--suspicious about this ,kato8 put in ,leslie1 while ,kennedy frowned at the interruption4 ,miss ,langdale answered quickly1 ,nothing4 ,doctor ,aitken has never expressed any suspicion8 pursued ,leslie4 ,oh no1 she returned4 ,i think ,i would have known it if he had any4 ,no1 ,i've never heard him even hint at anything4 ,it was evident that she wished us to know that she was in the confidence of the doctor4 ,i think we'd better be going1 interrupted ,kennedy1 hastily1 not apparently pleased to have ,leslie break in in the investigation just at present4 ,miss ,langdale accompanied us to the door1 but before we reached it it was opened from the outside by a man who had once been and yet was handsome1 although one could see that he had a certain appearance of having neglected himself4 ,leslie nodded and introduced us4 ,it was ,doctor ,wardlaw4 ,as ,i studied his face ,i could see that1 as ,leslie had already told us1 it plainly bore the stigma of nervousness4 ,has ,doctor ,aitken been here8 he inquired1 quickly1 of the nurse4 ,then1 scarcely waiting for her even to nod1 he added3 ,what did he say8 ,is ,mrs4 ,wardlaw any better8 ,miss ,langdale seemed to be endeavoring to make as optimistic a report as the truth permitted1 but ,i fancied ,wardlaw read between the lines4 ,as they talked it was evident that there was a sort of restraint between them4 ,i wondered whether ,wardlaw might not have some lurking suspicion against ,aitken1 or some one else4 ,if he had1 even in his nervousness he did not betray it4 ,i can't tell you how worried ,i am1 he murmured1 almost to himself4 ,what can this thing be8 ,he turned to us1 and1 although he had just been introduced1 ,i am sure that our presence seemed to surprise him1 for he went on talking to himself1 ,oh yes--let me see--oh yes1 friends of ,doctor--er--,leslie4 ,i had been studying him and trying to recall what ,i had just read of beriberi and polyneuritis4 ,there flashed over my mind the recollection of what had been called ,korsakoff's syndrome1 in which one of the mental disturbances was the memory of recent events4 ,did not this1 ,i asked myself1 indicate plainly enough that ,leslie might be right in his suspicions of beriberi8 ,it was all the more apparent a moment later when1 turning to ,miss ,langdale1 ,wardlaw seemed almost instantly to forget our presence again4 ,at any rate1 his anxiety was easy to see4 ,after a few minutes' chat during which ,craig observed ,wardlaw's symptoms1 too1 we excused ourselves1 and the ,health ,commissioner undertook to conduct us to his office to show us what he had done so far4 ,as for me1 ,i could not get ,miss ,langdale out of my mind1 and especially the mysterious letter to ,kennedy4 ,what of it and what of its secret sender8 ,none of us said much until1 half an hour later1 in the department laboratory1 ,leslie began to recapitulate what he had already done in the case4 ,you asked whether ,i had examined the food1 he remarked1 pausing in a corner before several cages in which were a number of pigeons1 separated and carefully tagged4 ,with a wave of his hand at one group of cages he continued3 ,these fellows ,i have been feeding exclusively on samples of the various foods which ,i took from the ,wardlaw family when ,i first went up there4 ,here1 too1 are charts showing what ,i have observed up to date4 ,over there are the 'controls'--pigeons from the same group which have been fed regularly on the usual diet so that ,i can check my tests4 ,kennedy fell to examining the pigeons carefully as well as the charts and records of feeding and results4 ,none of the birds fed on what had been taken from the apartment looked well1 though some were worse than others4 ,i want you to observe this fellow1 pointed out ,leslie at last1 singling out one cage4 ,the pigeon in it was a pathetic figure4 ,his eyes seemed dull and glazed4 ,he paid little or no attention to us2 even his food and water did not seem to interest him4 ,instead of strutting about1 he seemed to be positively wabbly on his feet4 ,kennedy examined this one longer and more carefully than any of the rest4 ,there are certainly all the symptoms of beriberi1 or rather1 polyneuritis1 in pigeons1 with that bird1 admitted ,craig1 finally1 looking up at ,leslie4 ,the commissioner seemed to be gratified4 ,you know1 he remarked1 beriberi itself is a common disease in the ,orient4 ,there has been a good deal of study of it and the cause is now known to be the lack of something in the food1 which in the ,orient is mostly rice4 ,polishing the rice1 which removes part of the outer coat1 also takes away something that is necessary for life1 which scientists now call 'vitamines4' ,i may take some of these samples to study myself8 interrupted ,kennedy1 as though the story of vitamines was an old one to him4 ,by all means1 agreed ,leslie4 ,craig selected what he wanted1 keeping each separate and marked1 and excused himself1 saying that he had some investigations of his own that he wished to make and would let ,leslie know the result as soon as he discovered anything4 ,kennedy did not go back directly to the laboratory1 however4 ,instead1 he went up-town and1 to my surprise1 stopped at one of the large breweries4 ,what it was that he was after ,i could not imagine1 but1 after a conference with the manager1 he obtained several quarts of brewer's yeast1 which he had sent directly down to the laboratory4 ,impatient though ,i was at this seeming neglect of the principal figures in the case1 ,i knew1 nevertheless1 that ,kennedy had already schemed out his campaign and that whatever it was he had in mind was of first importance4 ,back at last in his own laboratory1 ,craig set to work on the brewer's yeast1 deriving something from it by the plentiful use of a liquid labeled ,lloyd's reagent1 a solution of hydrous aluminum silicate4 ,after working for some time1 ,i saw that he had obtained a solid which he pressed into the form of little whitish tablets4 ,he had by no means finished1 but1 noticing my impatience1 he placed the three or four tablets in a little box and handed them to me4 ,you might take these over to ,leslie in the department laboratory1 ,walter1 he directed4 ,tell him to feed them to that wabbly-looking pigeon over there--and let me know the moment he observes any effect4 ,glad of the chance to occupy myself1 ,i hastened on the errand1 and even presided over the first feeding of the bird4 ,when ,i returned ,i found that ,kennedy had finished his work with the brewer's yeast and was now devoting himself to the study of the various samples of food which he had obtained from ,leslie4 ,he was just finishing a test of the baking-powder when ,i entered1 and his face showed plainly that he was puzzled by something that he had discovered4 ,what is it8 ,i asked4 ,have you found out anything8 ,this seems to be almost plain sodium carbonate1 he replied1 mechanically4 ,and that indicates8 ,i prompted4 ,perhaps nothing1 in itself1 he went on1 less abstractedly4 ,but the use of sodium carbonate and other things which ,i have discovered in other samples disengages carbon dioxide at the temperature of baking and cooking4 ,if you'll look in that public-health report on my desk you'll see how the latest investigations have shown that bicarbonate of soda and a whole list of other things which liberate carbon dioxide destroy the vitamines ,leslie was talking about4 ,in other words1 taken altogether ,i should almost say there was evidence that a concerted effort was being made to affect the food--a result analogous to that of using polished rice as a staple diet--and producing beriberi1 or1 perhaps more accurately1 polyneuritis4 ,i can be sure of nothing yet1 but--it's worth following up4 ,then you think ,kato-- ,not too fast1 cautioned ,craig4 ,remember1 others had access to the kitchen1 too4 ,in spite of his hesitancy1 ,i could think only of the two paragraphs we had read in ,mrs4 ,wardlaw's will1 and especially of the last4 ,might not ,kato have been forced or enticed into a scheme that promised a safe return and practically no chance of discovery8 ,what gruesome mystery had been unveiled by the anonymous letter which had first excited our curiosity8 ,it was late in the afternoon that ,commissioner ,leslie called us up1 much excited1 to inform us that the drooping pigeon was already pecking at food and beginning to show some interest in life4 ,kennedy seemed greatly gratified as he hung up the receiver4 ,almost dinner-time1 he commented1 with a glance at his watch4 ,i think we'll make another hurried visit to the ,wardlaw apartment4 ,we had no trouble getting in1 although as outsiders we were more tolerated than welcome4 ,our excuse was that ,kennedy had some more questions which we wished to ask ,miss ,langdale4 ,while we waited for her we sat1 not in the study1 but in the parlor4 ,the folding-doors into the dining-room were closed1 but across the hall we could tell by the sound when ,kato was in the kitchen and when he crossed the hall4 ,once ,i heard him in the dining-room4 ,before ,i knew it ,kennedy had hastily tiptoed across the hall and into the kitchen4 ,he was gone only a couple of minutes1 but it was long enough to place in the food that was being prepared1 and in some unprepared1 either the tablets he had made or a powder he had derived from them crushed up4 ,when he returned ,i saw from his manner that the real purpose of the visit had been accomplished1 although when ,miss ,langdale appeared he went through the form of questioning her1 mostly on ,mrs4 ,marbury's sickness and death4 ,he did not learn anything that appeared to be important1 but at least he covered up the reason for his visit4 ,outside the apartment1 ,kennedy paused a moment4 ,there's nothing to do now but await developments1 he meditated4 ,meanwhile1 there is no use for us to double up our time together4 ,i have decided to watch ,kato to-night4 ,suppose you shadow ,doctor ,aitken4 ,perhaps we may get a line on something that way4 ,the plan seemed admirable to me4 ,in fact1 ,i had been longing for some action of the sort all the afternoon1 while ,kennedy had been engaged in the studies which he evidently deemed more important4 ,accordingly1 after dinner1 we separated1 ,kennedy going back to the ,forum ,apartments to wait until ,kato left for the night1 while ,i walked farther up the ,drive to the address given in the directory as that of ,doctor ,aitken4 ,it happened to be the time when the doctor had his office hours for patients1 so that ,i was sure at least that he was at home when ,i took my station just down the street1 carefully scrutinizing every one who entered and left his house4 ,nothing happened1 however1 until the end of the hour during which he received office calls4 ,as ,i glanced down the street ,i was glad that ,i had taken an inconspicuous post1 for ,i could see ,miss ,langdale approaching4 ,she was not in her nurse's uniform1 but seemed to be off duty for an hour or two1 and ,i must confess she was a striking figure1 even in that neighborhood which was noted for its pretty and daintily gowned girls4 ,almost before ,i knew it she had entered the ,english-basement entrance of ,doctor ,aitken's4 ,i thought rapidly4 ,what could be the purpose of her visit8 ,above all1 how was ,i1 on the outside1 to find out8 ,i walked down past the house4 ,but that did no good4 ,in a quandary1 ,i stopped4 ,hesitation would get me nothing4 ,suddenly an idea flashed through my mind4 ,i turned in and rang the bell4 ,it's past the doctor's office hours1 informed a servant who opened the door4 ,he sees no one after hours4 ,but1 ,i lied1 ,i have an appointment4 ,don't disturb him4 ,i can wait4 ,the waiting-room was empty1 ,i had seen1 and ,i was determined to get in at any cost4 ,reluctantly the servant admitted me4 ,for several moments ,i sat quietly alone1 fearful that the doctor might open the double doors of his office and discover me4 ,but nothing happened and ,i grew bolder4 ,carefully ,i tiptoed to the door4 ,it was of solid oak and practically impervious to sound4 ,the doors fitted closely1 too4 ,still1 by applying my ear1 ,i could make out the sound of voices on the other side4 ,i strained my ears both to catch a word now and then and to be sure that ,i might hear the approach of anybody outside4 ,was ,aitken suspiciously interested in the pretty nurse--or was she suspiciously interested in him8 ,suddenly their voices became a trifle more distinct4 ,then you think ,doctor ,wardlaw has it1 too8 ,i heard her ask4 ,i did not catch the exact reply1 but it was in the affirmative4 ,they were approaching the door4 ,in a moment it would be opened4 ,i waited to hear no more1 but seized my hat and dashed for the entrance from the street just in time to escape observation4 ,miss ,langdale came out shortly1 the doctor accompanying her to the door1 and ,i followed her back to the ,forum4 ,what ,i had heard only added to the puzzle4 ,why her anxiety to know whether ,wardlaw himself was affected8 ,why ,aitken's solicitude in asserting that he was8 ,were they working together1 or were they really opposed8 ,which might be using the other8 ,my queries still unanswered1 ,i returned to ,aitken's and waited about some time1 but nothing happened1 and finally ,i went on to our own apartment4 ,it was very late when ,craig came in1 but ,i was still awake and waiting for him4 ,before ,i could ask him a question he was drawing from me what ,i had observed1 listening attentively4 ,evidently he considered it of great importance1 though no remark of his betrayed what interpretation he put on the episode4 ,have you found anything8 ,i managed to ask1 finally4 ,yes1 indeed1 he nodded1 thoughtfully4 ,i shadowed ,kato from the ,forum4 ,it must have been before ,miss ,langdale came out that he left4 ,he lives down-town in a tenement-house4 ,there's something queer about that ,jap4 ,i think there is1 ,i agreed4 ,i don't like his looks4 ,but it wasn't he who interested me so much to-night1 ,craig went on1 ignoring my remark1 as a woman4 ,a woman8 ,i queried1 in surprise4 ,a ,jap1 too8 ,no1 a white woman1 rather good-looking1 too1 with dark hair and eyes4 ,she seemed to be waiting for him4 ,afterward ,i made inquiries4 ,she has been seen about there before4 ,who was she8 ,i asked1 fancying perhaps ,miss ,langdale had made another visit while she was out1 although from the time it did not seem possible4 ,i followed her to her house4 ,her name is ,hackstaff-- ,the first trained nurse6 ,i exclaimed4 ,miss ,hackstaff is an enigma1 confessed ,kennedy4 ,at first ,i thought that perhaps she might be one of those women whom the ,oriental type fascinated1 that she and ,kato might be plotting4 ,then ,i have considered that perhaps her visits to ,kato may be merely to get information--that she may have an ax to grind4 ,both ,kato and she will bear watching1 and ,i have made arrangements to have it done4 ,i've called on that young detective1 ,chase1 whom ,i've often used for the routine work of shadowing4 ,there's nothing more that we can do now until to-morrow1 so we might as well turn in4 ,early the next day ,kennedy was again at work1 both in his own laboratory and in that of the ,health ,department1 making further studies of the food and the effect it had on the pigeons1 as well as observing what changes were produced by the white tablets he had extracted from the yeast4 ,it was early in the forenoon when the buzzer on the laboratory door sounded and ,i opened the door to admit ,chase in a high state of excitement4 ,what has happened8 asked ,craig1 eagerly4 ,many things1 reported the young detective1 breathlessly4 ,to begin with1 ,i followed ,miss ,hackstaff from her apartment this morning4 ,she seemed to be worked up over something--perhaps had had a sleepless night4 ,as nearly as ,i could make out she was going about aimlessly4 ,finally1 however1 ,i found that she was getting into the neighborhood of ,doctor ,aitken and of the ,forum4 ,well1 when we got to the ,forum she stopped and waited in front of it--oh1 ,i should say almost half an hour4 ,i couldn't make out what it was she wanted1 but at last ,i found out4 ,he paused a moment1 then raced on1 without urging4 ,miss ,langdale came out--and you should have seen the ,hackstaff woman go for her4 ,he drew in his breath sharply at the reminiscence4 ,i thought there was going to be a murder done--on ,riverside ,drive4 ,miss ,langdale screamed and ran back into the apartment4 ,there was a good deal of confusion4 ,the hall-boys came to the rescue4 ,in the excitement1 ,i managed to slip into the elevator with her4 ,no one seemed to think it strange then that an outsider should be interested4 ,i went up with her--saw ,wardlaw1 as she poured out the story4 ,he's a queer one4 ,is he ,,right8 ,why8 asked ,craig1 indulgently4 ,he seems so nervous2 things upset him so easily4 ,yet1 after we had taken care of ,miss ,langdale and matters had quieted down1 ,i thought ,i might get some idea of the cause of the fracas and asked him if he knew of any reason4 ,why1 he looked at me kind of blankly1 and ,i swear he acted as though he had almost forgotten it already4 ,i tell you1 he's not ,,right4 ,remembering our own experience1 ,i glanced significantly at ,craig4 ,korsakoff's syndrome8 ,i queried1 laconically4 ,another example of a mind confused even on recent events8 ,kennedy1 however1 was more interested in ,chase4 ,what did ,miss ,hackstaff do8 he asked4 ,i don't know4 ,i missed her4 ,when ,i got out again she was gone4 ,pick her up again1 directed ,craig4 ,perhaps you'll get her at her place4 ,and see1 this time1 if you can get what ,i asked you4 ,i'll try1 returned ,chase1 much pleased at the words of commendation which ,craig added as he left us again4 ,on what errand ,chase had gone ,i could not guess1 except that it had something to do with this strange woman who had so unexpectedly entered the case4 ,nor was ,craig any more communicative4 ,there were evidently many problems which only events could clear up even in his mind4 ,though he did not say anything1 ,i knew that he was as impatient as ,i was1 and as ,leslie1 too1 who called up once or twice to learn whether he had discovered anything4 ,there was nothing to do but wait4 ,it was early in the afternoon that the telephone rang and ,i answered it4 ,it was ,chase calling ,kennedy4 ,i heard only half the conversation and there was not much of that1 but ,i knew that something was about to happen4 ,craig hastily summoned a cab1 then in rapid succession called up ,doctor ,aitken and ,leslie1 for whom we stopped as our driver shot us over to the ,forum ,apartments4 ,there was no ceremony or unnecessary explanation about our presence1 as ,kennedy entered and directed ,miss ,langdale to bring her patients into the little office-study of ,doctor ,wardlaw4 ,miss ,langdale obeyed reluctantly4 ,when she returned ,i felt that it was appreciable that a change had taken place4 ,mrs4 ,wardlaw1 at least1 was improved4 ,she was still ill1 but she seemed to take a more lively interest in what was going on about her4 ,as for ,doctor ,wardlaw1 however1 ,i could not see that there had been any improvement in him4 ,his nervousness had not abated4 ,kato1 whom ,kennedy summoned at the same time1 preserved his usual imperturbable exterior4 ,miss ,langdale1 in spite of the incident of the morning1 was quite as solicitous as ever of her charges4 ,we had not long to wait for ,doctor ,aitken4 ,he arrived1 inquiring anxiously what had happened1 although ,kennedy gave none of us any satisfaction immediately as to the cause of his quick action4 ,aitken fidgeted uneasily1 glancing from ,kennedy to ,leslie1 then to ,miss ,langdale1 and back to ,kennedy1 without reading any explanation in the faces4 ,i knew that ,craig was secretly taking his time both for its effect on those present and to give ,chase a chance4 ,our poisons and our drugs1 he began1 leisurely1 at length1 are in many instances the close relatives of harmless compounds that represent the intermediate steps in the daily process of metabolism4 ,there is much that ,i might say about protein poisons4 ,however1 that is not exactly what ,i want to talk about--at least first4 ,he stopped to make sure that he had the attention of us all4 ,as a matter of fact1 his manner was such that he attracted even the vagrant interest of the ,wardlaws4 ,i do not know how much of his suspicions ,commissioner ,leslie has communicated to you1 he resumed1 but ,i believe that you have all heard of the disease beriberi so common in the ,far ,east and known to the ,japanese as kakke4 ,it is a form of polyneuritis and1 as you doubtless know1 is now known to be caused1 at least in the ,orient1 by the removal of the pericarp in the polishing of rice4 ,our milling of flour is1 in a minor degree1 analogous4 ,to be brief1 the disease arises from the lack in diet of certain substances or bodies which modern scientists call vitamines4 ,small quantities of these vital principles are absolutely essential to normal growth and health and even to life itself4 ,they are nitrogenous compounds and their absence gives rise to a class of serious disorders in which the muscles surrender their store of nitrogen first4 ,the nerves seems to be the preferred creditors1 so to speak4 ,they are affected only after the muscles begin to waste4 ,it is an abstruse subject and it is not necessary for me to go deeper into it now4 ,i controlled my own interest in order to watch those about me4 ,kato1 for one1 was listening attentively1 ,i saw4 ,in my studies of the diet of this household1 continued ,kennedy1 ,i have found that substances have been used in preparing food which kill vitamines4 ,in short1 the food has been denatured4 ,valuable elements1 necessary elements1 have been taken away4 ,i1 sir1 not always in kitchen1 sir1 interrupted ,kato1 still deferential4 ,i not always know-- ,with a peremptory wave of his hand ,kennedy silenced the ,jap4 ,it has long been a question1 he hurried on1 whether these vitamines are tangible bodies or just special arrangements of molecules4 ,recently government investigators have discovered that they are bodies that can be isolated by a special process from the filtrate of brewer's yeast by ,lloyd's reagent4 ,five grams of this--he held up some of the tablets he had made--for a sixty-kilogram person each day are sufficient4 ,unknown to you1 ,i have introduced some of this substance into the food already deficient in vitamines4 ,i fancy that even now ,i can detect a change1 he nodded toward ,mrs4 ,wardlaw4 ,there was a murmur of surprise in the room1 but before ,craig could continue further the door opened and ,mrs4 ,wardlaw uttered a nervous exclamation4 ,there stood ,chase with a woman4 ,i recognized her immediately from ,kennedy's description as ,miss ,hackstaff4 ,chase walked deliberately over to ,kennedy and handed him something1 while the nurse glanced calmly1 almost with pity1 at ,mrs4 ,wardlaw1 ignoring ,wardlaw1 then fixing her gaze venomously on ,miss ,langdale4 ,recalling the incident of the morning1 ,i was ready to prevent1 if necessary1 a repetition now4 ,neither moved4 ,but it was a thrilling1 if silent1 drama as the two women glared at each other4 ,kennedy was hastily comparing the anonymous note he had received with something ,chase had brought4 ,some one1 he shot out1 suddenly1 looking up and facing us1 has1 as ,i have intimated1 been removing or destroying the vital principle in the food--these vitamines4 ,clearly the purpose was to make this case look like an epidemic of beriberi1 polyneuritis4 ,that part has been clear to me for some time4 ,it has been the source of this devilish plot which has been obscure4 ,just a moment1 ,kato1 ,i will do the talking4 ,my detective1 ,chase1 has been doing some shadowing for me1 as well as some turning over of past history4 ,he has found a woman1 a nurse1 more than a nurse1 a secret lover1 cast off in favor of another4 ,miss ,hackstaff--you wrote that letter--it is your hand--for revenge--on ,miss ,langdale and-- ,you shan't have him6 almost hissed ,helen ,hackstaff4 ,if ,i cannot--no one shall6 ,natalie ,langdale faced her1 defiant4 ,you are a jealous1 suspicious person1 she cried4 ,doctor ,aitken knows-- ,one moment1 interrupted ,craig4 ,mrs4 ,marbury is gone4 ,mrs4 ,wardlaw is weakened4 ,yet all who are affected with nerve troubles are not necessarily suffering from polyneuritis4 ,some one here has been dilettanting with death4 ,it is of no use1 he thundered1 turning suddenly on a cowering figure4 ,you stood to win most1 with the money and your unholy love4 ,but ,miss ,hackstaff1 cast off1 has proved your ,nemesis4 ,your nervousness is the nervousness not of polyneuritis1 but of guilt1 ,doctor ,wardlaw6 ,,ix ,,the ,,rubber ,,dagger ,hypnotism can't begin to accomplish what ,karatoff claims4 ,he's a fake1 ,kennedy1 a fake4 ,professor ,leslie ,gaines of the ,department of ,experimental ,psychology at the university paced excitedly up and down ,craig's laboratory4 ,there have been complaints to the ,county ,medical ,society1 he went on1 without stopping1 and they have taken the case up and arranged a demonstration for this afternoon4 ,i've been delegated to attend it and report4 ,i fancied from his tone and manner that there was just a bit more than professional excitement involved4 ,we did not know ,gaines intimately1 though of course ,kennedy knew of him and he of ,kennedy4 ,some years before1 ,i recollected1 he had married ,miss ,edith ,ashmore1 whose family was quite prominent socially1 and the marriage had attracted a great deal of attention at the time1 for she had been a student in one of his courses when he was only an assistant professor4 ,who is ,karatoff1 anyhow8 asked ,kennedy4 ,what is known about him8 ,dr4 ,galen ,karatoff--a ,russian1 ,i believe1 returned ,gaines4 ,he claims to be able to treat disease by hypnotism-suggestion1 he calls it1 though it is really something more than that4 ,as nearly as ,i can make out it must almost amount to thought transference1 telepathy1 or some such thing4 ,oh1 he has a large following2 in fact1 some very well-known people in the smart set are going to him4 ,why1 he added1 facing us1 ,edith--my wife--has become interested in his hypnotic clinics1 as he calls them4 ,i tell her it is more than half sham1 but she won't believe it4 ,gaines paused and it was evident that he hesitated over asking something4 ,when is the demonstration8 inquired ,kennedy1 with unconcealed interest4 ,the professor looked at his watch4 ,i'm going over there now2 in fact1 ,i'm just a bit late--only1 ,i happened to think of you and it occurred to me that perhaps if you could add something to my report it might carry weight4 ,would you like to come with me8 ,really1 ,i should think that it might interest you4 ,so far ,kennedy had said little besides asking a question or two4 ,i knew the symptoms4 ,gaines need not have hesitated or urged him4 ,it was just the thing that appealed to him4 ,how did ,mrs4 ,gaines become interested in the thing8 queried ,craig1 a moment later1 outside1 as we climbed into the car with the professor4 ,through an acquaintance who introduced her to ,karatoff and the rest4 ,carita ,belleville1 the dancer1 you know8 ,kennedy glanced at me and ,i nodded that ,i had heard of her4 ,it was only a few nights before that ,i had seen ,carita at one of the midnight revues1 doing a dance which was described as the hypnotic whirl1 a wild abandon of grace and motion4 ,carita ,belleville had burst like a meteor on the sky of the ,great ,white ,way1 blazing a gorgeous trail among the fixed stars of that gay firmament4 ,she had even been taken up by society1 or at least a certain coterie of it1 had become much sought after to do exhibition dancing at social affairs1 and now was well known in the amusement notes of the newspapers and at the fashionable restaurants4 ,she had hosts of admirers and ,i had no doubt that ,mrs4 ,gaines might well have fallen under the spell of her popularity4 ,what is ,miss ,belleville's interest in ,karatoff8 pursued ,craig1 keenly4 ,gaines shrugged his shoulders4 ,notoriety1 perhaps1 he replied4 ,it is a peculiar group that ,karatoff has gathered about him1 they tell me4 ,there was something unsatisfactory about the answer and ,i imagined that ,gaines meant purposely to leave it so as not to prejudice the case4 ,somehow1 ,i felt that there must be something risque in the doings of ,karatoff and his patients4 ,at any rate1 it was only natural with anything that ,carita ,belleville was likely to be concerned with4 ,there was little time for further questions1 for our destination was not far down the ,drive from the university1 and the car pulled up before one of the new handsome and ornate studio apartments up-town4 ,we followed ,gaines into the building1 and the hall-boy directed us to a suite on the first floor4 ,a moment later we were admitted by ,karatoff himself to what had become known as his hypnotic clinic1 really a most artistically furnished studio4 ,karatoff himself was a tall1 dark-haired fellow1 bearded1 somewhat sallow4 ,every feature of his remarkable face1 however1 was subordinate to a pair of wonderful1 deep-set1 piercing eyes4 ,even as he spoke1 greeting ,gaines on the rather ticklish mission he had come1 and accepting us with a quick glance and nod1 we could see instantly that he was1 indeed1 a fascinating fellow1 every inch a mystic4 ,his clinic1 or1 as ,i have said1 studio1 carried out well the impression of mysticism that one derived from the strange personality who presided over it4 ,there were only two or three rooms in the apartment1 one being the large room down the end of a very short hall to which he conducted us4 ,it was darkened1 necessarily1 since it was on the first floor of the tall building1 and the air seemed to be heavy with odors that suggested the ,orient4 ,altogether there was a cultivated dreaminess about it that was no less exotic because studied4 ,doctor ,karatoff paused at the door to introduce us1 and we could see that we were undergoing a close scrutiny from the party who were assembled there4 ,on a quaint stand tea was brewing and the whole assemblage had an atmosphere of bohemian camaraderie which1 with the professions of ,karatoff1 promised well that ,kennedy was not wasting time4 ,i watched particularly the exchange of greetings between ,professor ,gaines and ,edith ,gaines1 who was already there4 ,neither of them seemed to be perfectly at ease1 though they betrayed as little as they could4 ,however1 one could not help noticing that each was watching the other1 naturally4 ,edith ,gaines was a pretty little woman1 petite1 light of hair1 dainty1 the very type of woman who craved for and thrived on attention4 ,here at least there seemed to be no lack of it4 ,there was only one other woman in the room who attracted the men equally1 ,carita ,belleville herself4 ,carita was indeed a stunning woman1 tall1 slender1 dark1 with a wonderful pair of magnetic eyes4 ,as ,i watched1 ,i could see that both women were quite friendly with ,doctor ,karatoff--perhaps even rivals for his attentions4 ,i saw ,gaines watching ,carita attentively1 never in the mean time failing for long to lose sight of ,mrs4 ,gaines4 ,was he trying to estimate the relative popularity of the two in this strange group8 ,if so1 ,i failed to see any approval of either4 ,introductions were now coming so fast that neither ,kennedy nor ,i had much opportunity except for the most cursory observation of the people4 ,among the men1 however1 ,i noticed two especially who proved worth observation4 ,one was ,armand ,marchant1 well known as a broker1 not so much for his professional doings as for his other activities4 ,though successful1 he was better known as one of those who desert ,wall ,street promptly at the hour of closing1 to be found late in the afternoon at the tea dances up-town4 ,another was ,cyril ,errol1 a man of leisure1 well known also in the club world4 ,he had inherited an estate1 small1 perhaps1 but ample to allow him to maintain appearances4 ,errol impressed you as being one to whom the good things of the world appealed mightily1 a hedonist1 and1 withal1 very much attracted to and by the ladies4 ,it was fortunate that the serving of tea enabled us to look about and get our bearings4 ,in spite of the suppressed excitement and obvious restraint of the occasion1 we were able to learn much over the tea-cups4 ,errol seemed to vibrate between the group about ,mrs4 ,gaines and that about ,miss ,belleville1 welcome wherever he went1 for he was what men commonly call a good mixer4 ,marchant1 on the other hand1 was almost always to be found not far from ,edith ,gaines4 ,perhaps it was the more brilliant conversation that attracted him1 for it ran on many subjects1 but it was difficult to explain it so to my satisfaction4 ,all of which ,i saw ,gaines duly noting1 not for the report he had to make to the ,medical ,society1 but for his own information4 ,in fact1 it was difficult to tell the precise degree of disapproval with which he regarded ,karatoff1 ,errol1 and ,marchant1 in turn1 as he noted the intimacy of ,edith ,gaines with them4 ,i wished that we might observe them all when they did not know it1 for ,i could not determine whether she was taking pleasure in piquing the professor or whether she was holding her admirers in leash in his presence4 ,at any rate1 ,i felt ,i need lay no claim to clairvoyance to predict the nature of the report that ,gaines would prepare4 ,the conversation was at its height when ,karatoff detached himself from one of the groups and took a position in a corner of the room1 alone4 ,not a word was said by him1 yet as if by magic the buzz of conversation ceased4 ,karatoff looked about as though proud of the power of even his silence4 ,whatever might be said of the man1 at least his very presence seemed to command respect from his followers4 ,i had expected that he would make some reference to ,gaines and ourselves and the purpose of the meeting1 but he avoided the subject and1 instead1 chose to leap right into the middle of things4 ,so that there can be no question about what ,i am able to do1 he began1 ,i wish each of you to write on a piece of paper what you would like to have me cause any one to do or say under hypnotism4 ,you will please fold the paper tightly1 covering the writing4 ,i will read the paper to myself1 still folded up1 will hypnotize the subject1 and will make the subject do whatever is desired4 ,that will be preliminary to what ,i have to say later about my powers in hypnotic therapeutics4 ,pieces of paper and little lead-pencils were distributed by an attendant and in the rustling silence that followed each cudgeled his brain for something that would put to the test the powers of ,karatoff4 ,thinking1 ,i looked about the room4 ,near the speaker stood a table on which lay a curious collection of games and books1 musical instruments1 and other things that might suggest actions to be performed in the test4 ,my eye wandered to a phonograph standing next the table4 ,somehow1 ,i could not get ,mrs4 ,gaines and ,carita ,belleville out of my head4 ,slowly ,i wrote1 ,have ,mrs4 ,gaines pick out a record1 play it on the phonograph1 then let her do as she pleases4 ,some moments elapsed while the others wrote4 ,apparently they were trying to devise methods of testing ,doctor ,karatoff's mettle4 ,then the papers were collected and deposited on the table beside him4 ,apparently at random ,karatoff picked out one of the folded papers1 then1 seemingly without looking at it and certainly without unfolding it1 as far as ,i could determine1 he held it up to his forehead4 ,it was an old trick1 ,i knew4 ,perhaps he had palmed a sponge wet with alcohol or some other liquid1 had brushed it over the paper1 making the writing visible through it1 and drying out rapidly so as to leave the paper opaque again long before any of us saw it a second time4 ,or was he really exercising some occult power8 ,at any rate1 he read it1 or pretended to read it1 at least4 ,i am asked to hypnotize ,mrs4 ,gaines1 he announced1 dropping the paper unconcernedly on the table beside the other pile1 as though this were mere child's play for his powers4 ,it was something of a shock to realize that it was my paper he had chanced to pick up first1 and ,i leaned forward eagerly1 watching4 ,mrs4 ,gaines rose and every eye was riveted on her as ,karatoff placed her in an easy-chair before him4 ,there was an expectant silence1 as ,karatoff moved the chair so that she could concentrate her attention only on a bright silver globe suspended from the ceiling4 ,the half-light1 the heavy atmosphere1 the quiet1 assured manner of the chief actor in the scene1 all combined to make hypnotization as nearly possible as circumstances could4 ,karatoff moved before her1 passing his hands with a peculiar motion before her eyes4 ,it seemed an incredibly short time in which ,edith ,gaines yielded to the strange force which fascinated the group4 ,quite susceptible1 murmured ,kennedy1 beside me1 engrossed in the operation4 ,it is my test1 ,i whispered back1 and he nodded4 ,slowly ,edith ,gaines rose from the chair1 faced us with unseeing eyes1 except as ,karatoff directed4 ,karatoff himself was a study4 ,it seemed as if he had focused every ounce of his faculties on the accomplishment of the task in hand4 ,slowly still the woman moved1 as if in a dream walk1 over toward the phonograph1 reached into the cabinet beneath it and drew forth a book of records4 ,karatoff faced us1 as if to assure us that at that point he had resigned his control and was now letting her act for her subconscious self4 ,her fingers passed over page after page until finally she stopped1 drew forth the record1 placed it on the machine1 wound it1 then placed the record on the revolving disk4 ,my first surprise was quickly changed to gratification4 ,she had picked out the music to the ,hypnotic ,whirl4 ,i bent forward1 more intent4 ,what would she do next8 ,as she turned ,i could see1 even in the dim light1 a heightened color in her cheeks1 as though the excitement of the catchy music had infected her4 ,a moment later she was executing1 and very creditably1 too1 an imitation of ,carita herself in the ,revue4 ,what did it mean8 ,was it that consciously or unconsciously she was taking the slender dancer as her model8 ,the skill and knowledge that she put into the dance showed plainly4 ,next to ,kennedy1 ,i saw ,gaines leaning far forward1 looking now at his wife1 now at the little group4 ,i followed his eyes4 ,to my surprise1 ,i saw ,marchant1 his gaze riveted on ,edith ,gaines as if she had been the star performer in a play4 ,evidently my chance request to ,karatoff had been builded better than ,i knew4 ,i ran my gaze over the others4 ,errol was no less engrossed than ,marchant4 ,quickly ,i glanced at ,carita1 wondering whether she might be gratified by the performance of a pupil4 ,whether it was natural grace or real hypnotism in the ,hypnotic ,whirl1 ,i was surprised to see on ,carita's face something that looked strangely akin to jealousy4 ,it was as though some other woman had usurped her prerogative4 ,she leaned over to speak to ,errol with the easy familiarity of an old admirer4 ,i could not hear what was said and perhaps it was inconsequential4 ,in fact1 it must have been the very inconsequentiality of his reply that piqued her4 ,he glanced at ,marchant a moment1 as if she had said something about him1 then back at ,edith ,gaines4 ,on his part1 ,professor ,gaines was growing more and more furious4 ,i had just about decided that the little drama in the audience was of far more importance and interest than even the dance1 when the music ceased4 ,karatoff approached1 took ,mrs4 ,gaines by the hand1 led her back to the chair1 and1 at a word1 she regained her normal consciousness4 ,as she rose1 still in a daze it seemed1 it was quite evident that she had no waking realization of what had happened1 for she walked back and sat down beside her husband1 quite as though nothing had happened4 ,as for me1 ,i could not help wondering what had actually happened4 ,what did it all mean8 ,had ,mrs4 ,gaines expressed her own self--or was it ,karatoff--or ,marchant--or ,errol8 ,what was the part played by ,carita ,belleville8 ,gaines did not betray anything to her1 but their mutual attitude was eloquent4 ,there was something of which he disapproved and she knew it1 some lack of harmony4 ,what was the cause8 ,as for ,karatoff's exhibition1 it was all truly remarkable1 whether in his therapeutics the man was a faker or not4 ,karatoff seemed to realize that he had made a hit4 ,without giving any one a chance to question him1 he reached down quickly and picked up another of the papers1 repeating the process through which he had gone before4 ,mr4 ,errol1 he summoned1 placing the second folded paper on the table with the first4 ,errol rose and went forward and ,karatoff placed him in the chair as he had ,mrs4 ,gaines4 ,there seemed to be no hesitation1 at least on the part of ,karatoff's followers1 to being hypnotized4 ,whatever it was written on the paper1 the writer had evidently not trusted to chance1 as ,i had1 but had told specifically what to do4 ,at the mute bidding of ,karatoff ,errol rose4 ,we watched breathlessly4 ,deliberately he walked across the room to the table1 and1 to the astonishment of all save one1 picked up a rubber dagger1 one of those with which children play1 which was lying in the miscellaneous pile on the table4 ,i had not noticed it1 but some one's keen eye had1 and evidently it had suggested a melodramatic request4 ,quickly ,errol turned4 ,if he had been a motion-picture actor1 he could not have portrayed better the similitude of hate that was written on his face4 ,a few strides and he had advanced toward our little audience1 now keyed up to the highest pitch of excitement by the extraordinary exhibition4 ,of course1 remarked ,karatoff1 as at a word ,errol paused1 still poising the dagger1 you know that under hypnotism in the psychological laboratory a patient has often struck at his 'enemy' with a rubber dagger1 going through all the motions of real passion4 ,now6 ,no word was said by ,karatoff to indicate to ,errol what it was that he was to do4 ,but a gasp went up from some one as he took another step and it was evident that it was ,marchant whom he had singled out4 ,for just a moment ,errol poised the rubber dagger over his victim1 as if gloating4 ,it was dramatic1 realistic4 ,as ,errol paused1 ,marchant smiled at the rest of us1 a sickly smile1 ,i thought1 as though he would have said that the play was being carried too far4 ,never for a moment did ,errol take from him the menacing look4 ,it was only a moment in the play1 yet it was so unexpected that it seemed ages4 ,then1 swiftly1 down came the dagger on ,marchant's left side just over the breast1 the rubber point bending pliantly as it descended4 ,a sharp cry escaped ,marchant4 ,i looked quickly4 ,he had fallen forward1 face down1 on the floor4 ,edith ,gaines screamed as we rushed to ,marchant and turned him over4 ,for the moment1 as ,kennedy1 ,karatoff1 and ,gaines bent over him and endeavored to loosen his collar and apply a restorative1 consternation reigned in the little circle4 ,i bent over1 too1 and looked first at ,marchant's flushed face1 then at ,kennedy4 ,marchant was dead6 ,there was not a mark on him1 apparently4 ,only a moment before he had been one of us4 ,we could look at one another only in amazement1 tinged with fear4 ,killed by a rubber dagger8 ,was it possible8 ,call an ambulance--quick6 directed ,kennedy to me1 though ,i knew that he knew it was of no use except as a matter of form4 ,we stood about the prostrate form1 stunned4 ,in a few moments the police would be there4 ,instinctively we looked at ,karatoff4 ,plainly he was nervous and overwrought now4 ,his voice shook as he brought ,errol out of the trance1 and ,errol1 dazed1 uncomprehending1 struggled to take in the horribly unreal tragedy which greeted his return to consciousness4 ,it--it was an accident1 muttered ,karatoff1 eagerly trying to justify himself1 though trembling for once in his life4 ,arteriosclerosis1 perhaps1 hardening of the arteries1 some weakness of the heart4 ,i never-- ,he cut the words short as ,edith ,gaines reeled and fell into her husband's arms4 ,she seemed completely prostrated by the shock4 ,or was it weakness following the high mental tension of her own hypnotization8 ,together we endeavored to revive her1 waiting for the first flutter of her eyelids1 which seemed an interminable time4 ,errol in the mean time was pacing the floor like one in a dream4 ,events had followed one another so fast in the confusion that ,i had only an unrelated series of impressions4 ,it was not until a moment later that ,i realized the full import of the affair1 when ,i saw ,kennedy standing near the table in the position ,karatoff had assumed1 a strange look of perplexity on his face4 ,slowly ,i realized what was the cause4 ,the papers on which were written the requests for the exhibitions of ,karatoff's skill were gone6 ,whatever was done must be done quickly1 and ,kennedy looked about with a glance that missed nothing4 ,before ,i could say a word about the papers he had crossed the room to where ,marchant had been standing in the little group about ,edith ,gaines as we entered4 ,on a side-table stood the teacup from which he had been sipping4 ,with his back to the rest1 ,kennedy drew from his breast pocket a little emergency case he carried containing a few thin miniature glass tubes4 ,quickly he poured the few drops of the dregs of the tea into one of the tubes1 then into others tea from the other cups4 ,again he looked at the face of ,marchant as though trying to read in the horrified smile that had petrified on it some mysterious secret hidden underneath4 ,slowly the question was shaping in my mind1 was it1 as ,karatoff would have us believe1 an accident8 ,the clang of a bell outside threw us all into worse confusion1 and a moment later1 almost together1 a white-coated surgeon and a blue-coated policeman burst into the room4 ,it seemed almost no time1 in the swirl of events1 before the policeman was joined by a detective assigned by the ,central ,office to that district4 ,well1 doctor1 demanded the detective as he entered1 what's the verdict8 ,arteriosclerosis1 ,i think1 replied the young surgeon4 ,they tell me there was some kind of hypnotic seance going on4 ,one of them named ,errol struck at him with a rubber dagger1 and-- ,get out6 scoffed the ,central ,office man4 ,killed by a rubber dagger6 ,say1 what do you think we are8 ,what did you find when you entered1 sergeant8 ,the policeman handed the detective the rubber dagger which he had picked up1 forgotten1 on the floor where ,errol had dropped it when he came out from the hypnotization4 ,the detective took it gingerly and suspiciously1 with a growl4 ,i'll have the point of this analyzed4 ,it may be--well--we won't say what may be4 ,but ,i can tell you what is4 ,you1 ,doctor ,karatoff1 or whatever your name is1 and you1 ,mr4 ,errol1 are under arrest4 ,it's a good deal easier to take you now than it will be later4 ,then if you can get a judge to release you1 we'll at least know where you are4 ,this is outrageous1 preposterous6 stormed ,karatoff4 ,can't help it1 returned the officer1 coolly4 ,why1 exclaimed ,carita ,belleville1 excitedly projecting herself before the two prisoners1 it's ridiculous6 ,even the ambulance surgeon says it was arteriosclerosis1 an accident4 ,i-- ,very well1 madam1 calmed the sergeant4 ,so much the better4 ,they'll get out of our hands that much quicker4 ,just at present it is my duty4 ,errol was standing silent1 his eyes averted from the hideous form on the floor1 not by word or action betraying a feeling4 ,the police moved to the door4 ,weak and trembling still from the triple shock she had received1 ,edith ,gaines leaned heavily on the arm of her husband1 but it was1 as nearly as ,i could make out1 only for physical support4 ,i told you1 ,edith1 it was a dangerous business1 ,i heard him mutter4 ,only ,i never contemplated that they'd carry it this far4 ,now you see what such foolishness can lead to4 ,weak though she was1 she drew away and flashed a glance at him1 resenting his man's ,i-told-you-so manner4 ,the last ,i saw of them in the confusion was as they drove off in the car1 still unreconciled4 ,kennedy seemed well contented1 for the present at least1 to allow the police a free hand with ,errol and ,karatoff4 ,as for me1 ,mrs4 ,gaines and ,carita ,belleville presented a perplexing problem1 but ,i said nothing1 for he was hurrying back now to his laboratory4 ,at once he drew forth the little tube containing the few drops of tea and emptied a drop or two into a beaker of freshly distilled water as carefully as if the tea had been some elixir of life4 ,as he was examining the contents of the beaker his face clouded with thought4 ,do you find anything8 ,i asked1 eagerly4 ,kennedy shook his head4 ,there's something wrong1 he hazarded4 ,perhaps it's only fancy1 but ,i am sure that there is something with a slight odor in the tea1 something tea-like1 but with a more bitter taste1 something that would be nauseous if not concealed in the tea4 ,there's more than tannin and sugar here4 ,then you think that some one present placed something in the tea8 ,i inquired1 shuddering at the thought that we had run some unknown danger4 ,i can't just say1 without further investigation of this and the other samples ,i took4 ,still1 you have eliminated that ridiculous dagger theory1 ,i ventured4 ,the police can never appreciate the part it played1 ,craig answered1 non-committally1 laying out various chemicals preparatory to his exhaustive analysis4 ,i began to suspect something the moment ,i noticed that those notes which we all wrote were gone4 ,when we find out about this tea we may find who took them4 ,perhaps the mystery is not such a mystery after all1 then4 ,there seemed to be nothing that ,i could do1 in the mean time1 except to refrain from hindering ,kennedy in his investigations1 and ,i decided to leave him at the laboratory while ,i devoted my time to watching what the police might by chance turn up1 even if they should prove to be working on the wrong angle of the case4 ,i soon found that they were showing energy1 if nothing else4 ,although it was so soon after the death of ,marchant1 they had determined that there could not have been anything but rubber on the end of the toy dagger which had excited the doubts of the detective4 ,as for the autopsy that was performed on ,marchant1 it did1 indeed1 show that he was suffering from hardening of the arteries1 due to his manner of living1 as ,karatoff had asserted4 ,indeed1 the police succeeded in showing that it was just for that trouble that ,marchant was going to ,karatoff1 which1 to my mind1 seemed quite sufficient to establish the therapeutic hypnotist as all that ,gaines had accused him of being4 ,even to my lay mind the treatment of arteriosclerosis by mental healing seemed1 to say the least1 incongruous4 ,yet the evidence against ,karatoff and ,errol was so flimsy that they had little trouble in getting released on bail1 though1 of course1 it was fixed very high4 ,my own inquiries among the other reporters on the ,star who might know something offered a more promising lead4 ,i soon found that ,errol had none too savory a reputation4 ,his manner of life had added nothing to his slender means1 and there was a general impression among his fellow club-members that unfortunate investments had made serious inroads into the principal of his fortune4 ,still1 ,i hesitated to form even an opinion on gossip4 ,quite unsatisfied with the result of my investigation1 ,i could not restrain my impatience to get back to the laboratory to find out whether ,kennedy had made any progress in his tests of the tea4 ,if you had been five minutes earlier1 he greeted me1 you would have been surprised to find a visitor4 ,a visitor8 ,i repeated4 ,who8 ,carita ,belleville1 he replied1 enjoying my incredulity4 ,what could she want8 ,i asked1 at length4 ,that's what ,i've been wondering1 he agreed ,her excuse was plausible4 ,she said that she had just heard why ,i had come with ,gaines4 ,i suppose it was half an hour that she spent endeavoring to convince me that ,karatoff and ,errol could not possibly have had any other connection than accidental with the death of ,marchant4 ,could it have been a word for them and half an hour for herself8 ,i queried1 mystified4 ,kennedy shrugged4 ,i can't say4 ,at any rate1 ,i must see both ,karatoff and ,errol1 now that they are out4 ,perhaps they did send her1 thinking ,i might fall for her4 ,she hinted pretty broadly at using my influence with ,gaines on his report4 ,then1 again1 she may simply have been wondering how she herself stood4 ,have you found anything8 ,i asked1 noticing that his laboratory table was piled high with its usual paraphernalia4 ,yes1 he replied1 laconically1 taking a bottle of concentrated sulphuric acid and pouring a few drops in a beaker of slightly tinged water4 ,the water turned slowly to a beautiful green4 ,no sooner was the reaction complete than he took some bromine and added it4 ,slowly again the water changed1 this time from the green to a peculiar violet red4 ,adding more water restored the green color4 ,that's the ,grandeau test1 he nodded1 with satisfaction4 ,i've tried the physiological test1 too1 with frogs from the biological department1 and it shows the effect on the heart that ,i-- ,what shows the effect8 ,i interrupted1 somewhat impatiently4 ,oh1 to be sure1 he smiled4 ,i forgot ,i hadn't told you what ,i suspected4 ,why1 digitalis--foxglove1 you know4 ,i suppose it never occurred to the police that the rubber dagger might have covered up a peculiar poisoning8 ,well1 if they'll take the contents of the stomach1 in alcohol1 with a little water acidulated1 strain off the filtrate and try it on a dog1 they will see that its effect is the effect of digitalis4 ,digitalis is an accumulative poison and a powerful stimulant of arterial walls1 by experimental evidence an ideal drug for the purpose of increasing blood pressure4 ,don't you see it8 he added1 excitedly4 ,the rubber dagger was only a means to an end4 ,some one who knew the weakness of ,marchant first placed digitalis in his tea4 ,that was possible because of the taste of the tea4 ,then1 in the excitement of the act pantomimed by ,errol1 ,marchant's disease carried him off1 exactly as was to be expected under the circumstances4 ,it was clever1 diabolically clever4 ,whoever did it destroyed the note in which the act was suggested and counted that no one would ever stop to search for a poison in the tangle of events4 ,slowly but clearly ,i began to realize how certainly ,kennedy was reconstructing the strange case4 ,but who was it8 ,what was the motive back of this sinister murder that had been so carefully planned that no one would ever suspect a crime8 ,i had hardly framed the queries when our telephone rang4 ,it was the ,central ,office man4 ,the detective had anticipated my own line of inquiry1 only had gone much further with it4 ,he had found a clear record of the business relations existing between ,errol and ,marchant4 ,one episode consisted of a stock deal between them in which ,errol had invested in a stock which ,marchant was promoting and was known to be what brokers call cats and dogs4 ,that1 ,i reasoned1 must have been the basis of the gossip that ,errol had suffered financial losses that seriously impaired his little fortune4 ,it was an important item and ,kennedy accepted it gladly1 but said nothing of his own discovery4 ,the time had not arrived yet to come out into the open4 ,for a few moments after the talk with the detective ,kennedy seemed to be revolving the case1 as though in doubt whether the new information cleared it up or added to the mystery4 ,then he rose suddenly4 ,we must find ,karatoff1 he announced4 ,whatever might have been the connection of the hypnotist with this strange case1 he was far too clever to betray himself by any such misstep as seeming to avoid inquiry4 ,we found him easily at his studio apartment1 nor did we have any difficulty in gaining admittance4 ,he knew that he was watched and that frankness was his best weapon of defense4 ,of course1 opened ,kennedy1 you know that investigation has shown that you were right in your diagnosis of the trouble with ,marchant4 ,was it arteriosclerosis for which you were treating him8 ,it would be unprofessional to discuss it1 hastily parried ,karatoff1 but1 since ,mr4 ,marchant is now dead1 ,i think ,i may say that it was4 ,in fact1 few persons1 outside of those whom ,i have associated about me1 realize to what a wonderful extent hypnotism may be carried in the treatment of disease4 ,why1 ,i have even had wonderful success with such disorders as diabetes mellitus4 ,we are only on the threshold of understanding what a wonderful thing is the human mind in its effect on the material body4 ,but another patient might have known what ,marchant was being treated for8 interrupted ,kennedy1 ignoring the defense of ,karatoff1 which was proceeding along the stereotyped lines of such vagaries which seem never to be without followers4 ,karatoff looked at him a moment in surprise4 ,evidently he was doing some hasty mental calculation to determine what was ,craig's ulterior motive4 ,and1 in spite of his almost uncanny claims and performances1 ,i could see that he was able to read ,kennedy's mind no whit better than myself4 ,i suppose so1 he admitted4 ,no doctor was ever able to control his patients' tongues4 ,sometimes they boast of their diseases4 ,especially if they are women8 hinted ,kennedy1 watching the effect of the remark keenly4 ,i have just had the pleasure of a visit from ,carita ,belleville in my laboratory4 ,indeed8 returned ,karatoff1 with difficulty restraining his curiosity4 ,miss ,belleville has been very kind in introducing me to some of her friends and acquaintances1 and ,i flatter myself that ,i have been able to do them much good4 ,then she was not a patient8 pursued ,kennedy1 studiously avoiding enlightening ,karatoff on the visit4 ,rather a friend1 he replied1 quickly4 ,it was she who introduced ,mr4 ,errol4 ,they are quite intimate1 ,i believe1 put in ,kennedy at a chance4 ,really1 ,i knew very little about it1 ,karatoff avoided4 ,did she introduce ,mr4 ,marchant8 ,she introduced ,mrs4 ,gaines1 who introduced ,mr4 ,marchant1 the hypnotist replied1 with apparent frankness4 ,you were treating ,mrs4 ,gaines8 asked ,craig1 again shifting the attack unexpectedly4 ,yes1 admitted ,karatoff1 stopping4 ,i imagine her trouble was more mental than physical1 remarked ,kennedy1 in a casual tone1 as though feeling his way4 ,karatoff looked up keenly1 but was unable to read ,kennedy's face4 ,i think1 he said1 slowly1 that one trouble was that ,mrs4 ,gaines liked the social life better than the simple life4 ,your clinic1 ,mr4 ,marchant1 and the rest better than her husband and the social life at the university1 amplified ,kennedy4 ,i think you are right4 ,she had drifted away from her husband1 and when a woman does that she has hosts of admirers--of a certain sort4 ,i should say that ,mr4 ,errol was the kind who would care more for the social life than the simple life1 as you put it1 too4 ,i did not gather in what direction ,kennedy was tending1 but it was evident that ,karatoff felt more at ease4 ,was it because the quest seemed to be leading away from himself8 ,i had noticed something of the sort1 he ventured4 ,i saw that they were alike in that respect1 but1 of course1 ,mr4 ,marchant was her friend4 ,suddenly the implication flashed over me1 but before ,i could say anything ,kennedy cut in1 ,then ,mr4 ,errol might have been enacting under hypnotism what were really his own feelings and desires8 ,i cannot say that1 replied ,karatoff1 seeking to dodge the issue4 ,but under the influence of suggestion ,i suppose it is true that an evil-minded person might suggest to another the commission of a crime1 and the other1 deprived of free will1 might do it4 ,the rubber dagger has often been used for sham murders4 ,the possibility of actual murder cannot be denied4 ,in this case1 however1 there can be no question that it was an unfortunate accident4 ,no question8 demanded ,kennedy1 directly4 ,if ,karatoff was concealing anything1 he made good concealment4 ,either to protect himself or another he showed no evidence of weakening his first theory of the case4 ,no question as far as ,i know1 he reiterated4 ,i wondered whether ,kennedy planned to enlighten him on the results of his laboratory tests1 but was afraid to look at either for fear of betraying some hint4 ,i was glad ,i did not4 ,kennedy's next question carried him far afield from the subject4 ,did you know that the ,medical ,society were interested in you and your clinic before the demonstration before ,professor ,gaines was arranged8 ,i suspected some one was interested1 answered ,karatoff1 quickly1 ,but ,i had no idea who it might be4 ,as ,i think it over now1 perhaps it was ,professor ,gaines who instigated the whole inquiry4 ,he would most likely be interested4 ,my work is so far in advance of any that the conservative psychologists do that he would naturally feel hostile1 would he not8 ,especially with the added personal motive of knowing that his wife was one of your patients1 along with ,carita ,belleville1 ,marchant1 ,errol1 and the rest1 added ,kennedy4 ,karatoff smiled4 ,i would not have said that myself4 ,but since you have said it1 ,i cannot help admitting its truth4 ,don't you suppose ,i could predict the nature of any report he would make8 ,karatoff faced ,kennedy squarely4 ,there was an air almost of triumph in his eyes4 ,i think ,i had better say no more1 except under the advice of my lawyer1 he remarked1 finally4 ,when the police want me1 they can find me here4 ,quite evident to me now1 as we went out of the studio1 was the fact that ,karatoff considered himself a martyr1 that he was not only the victim of an accident1 but of persecution as well4 ,the fishing was good1 remarked ,kennedy1 tersely1 as we reached the street4 ,now before ,i see ,errol ,i should like to see ,gaines again4 ,i tried to reason it out as we walked along in silence4 ,marchant had known ,edith ,gaines intimately4 ,carita ,belleville had known ,errol as well4 ,i recalled ,errol hovering about ,mrs4 ,gaines at the tea and the incident during the seance when ,carita ,belleville had betrayed her annoyance over some remark by ,errol4 ,the dancing by ,edith ,gaines had given a flash of the jealous nature of the woman4 ,had it been interest in ,errol that had led her to visit the laboratory8 ,kennedy was weaving a web about some one1 ,i knew4 ,but about whom8 ,as we passed a corner1 he paused1 entered a drugstore and called up several numbers at a pay-station telephone booth4 ,then we turned into the campus and proceeded rapidly toward the laboratory of the psychological department4 ,gaines was there1 sitting at his desk1 writing1 as we entered4 ,i'm glad to see you1 he greeted1 laying down his work4 ,i am just finishing the draft of my report on that ,karatoff affair4 ,i have been trying to reach you by telephone to know whether you would add anything to it4 ,is there anything new8 ,yes1 returned ,kennedy1 there is something new4 ,i've just come from ,karatoff's and on the way ,i decided suddenly that it was time we did something4 ,so ,i have called up1 and the police will bring ,errol here1 as well as ,miss ,belleville4 ,karatoff will come--he won't dare stay away2 and ,i also took the liberty of calling ,mrs4 ,gaines4 ,to come here8 repeated ,gaines1 in mild surprise4 ,all of them8 ,yes4 ,i hope you will pardon me for intruding1 but ,i want to borrow some of your psychological laboratory apparatus1 and ,i thought the easiest way would be to use it here rather than take it all over to my place and set it up again4 ,i'm sure everything is at your service1 offered ,gaines4 ,it's a little unexpected1 but if the others can stand the chaotic condition of the room1 ,i guess we can4 ,kennedy had been running his eye over the various instruments which ,gaines and his students used in their studies1 and was now examining something in a corner on a little table4 ,it was a peculiar affair1 quite simple1 but conveying to me no idea of its use4 ,there seemed to be a cuff1 a glass chamber full of water into which it fitted1 tubes and wires that attached various dials and recording instruments to the chamber1 and what looked like a chronograph4 ,that is my new plethysmograph1 remarked ,gaines1 noting with some satisfaction how ,kennedy had singled it out4 ,i've heard the students talk of it1 returned ,kennedy4 ,it's an improved apparatus1 ,walter1 that records one's blood flow4 ,i nodded politely and concealed my ignorance in a discreet silence1 hoping that ,gaines would voluntarily enlighten us4 ,one of my students is preparing an exhaustive table1 went on ,gaines1 as ,i had hoped1 showing the effects on blood distribution of different stimuli--for instance1 cold1 heat1 chloroform1 arenalin1 desire1 disgust1 fear2 physical conditions1 drugs1 emotions--all sorts of things can be studied by this plethysmograph which can be set to record blood flow through the brain1 the extremities1 any part of the body4 ,when the thing is charted ,i think we shall have opened up a new field4 ,certainly a very promising one for me1 put in ,kennedy4 ,how has this machine been improved8 ,i've seen the old ones1 but this is the first time ,i've seen this4 ,how does it work8 ,well1 explained ,gaines1 with just a touch of pride1 you see1 for studying blood flow in the extremities1 ,i slip this cuff over my arm1 we'll say4 ,suppose it is the effect of pain ,i want to study4 ,just jab that needle in my other arm4 ,don't mind4 ,it's in the interest of science4 ,see1 when ,i winced then1 the plethysmograph recorded it4 ,it smarts a bit and ,i'm trying to imagine it smarts worse4 ,you'll see how pain affects blood flow4 ,as he watched the indicator1 ,kennedy asked one question after another about the working of the machine1 and the manner in which the modern psychologist was studying every emotion4 ,by the way1 ,walter1 he interrupted1 glancing at his watch1 call up and see if they've started with ,errol and the rest yet4 ,don't stop1 ,gaines4 ,i must understand this thing before they get here4 ,it's just the thing ,i want4 ,i should be glad to let you have it1 then1 replied ,gaines4 ,i think ,i'll need something new with these people1 went on ,kennedy4 ,why1 do you know what ,i've discovered8 ,no1 but ,i hope it's something ,i can add to my report8 ,perhaps4 ,we'll see4 ,in the first place1 ,i found that digitalis had been put in ,marchant's tea4 ,they'll be here directly1 ,i reported from the telephone1 hanging it up and joining them again4 ,it couldn't have been an accident1 as ,karatoff said1 went on ,kennedy1 rapidly4 ,the drug increased the blood pressure of ,marchant1 who was already suffering from hardening of the arteries4 ,in short1 it is my belief that the episode of the rubber dagger was deliberately planned1 an elaborate scheme to get ,marchant out of the way4 ,no one else seems to have noticed it1 but those slips of paper on which we all wrote have disappeared4 ,at the worst1 it would look like an accident1 ,karatoff would be blamed1 and-- ,there was a noise outside as the car pulled up4 ,here1 let me take this off before any of them see it1 whispered ,gaines1 removing the cuff1 just as the door opened and ,errol and ,karatoff1 ,carita ,belleville and ,edith ,gaines entered4 ,before even a word of greeting passed1 ,kennedy stepped forward4 ,it was ,,not an accident1 he repeated4 ,it was a deliberately planned1 apparently safe means of revenge on ,marchant1 the lover of ,mrs4 ,gaines4 ,without your new plethysmograph1 ,gaines1 you might have thrown it on an innocent person6 ,x ,,the ,,submarine ,,mine ,here's the bullet4 ,what ,i want you to do1 ,professor ,kennedy1 is to catch the crank who fired it4 ,capt4 ,lansing ,marlowe1 head of the new ,american ,shipbuilding ,trust1 had summoned us in haste to the ,belleclaire and had met us in his suite with his daughter ,marjorie4 ,only a glance was needed to see that it was she1 far more than her father1 who was worried4 ,you must catch him1 she appealed4 ,father's life is in danger4 ,oh1 you simply ,,must4 ,i knew ,captain ,marlowe to be a proverbial fire-eater1 but in this case1 at least1 he was no alarmist4 ,for1 on the table1 as he spoke1 he laid a real bullet4 ,marjorie ,marlowe shuddered at the mere sight of it and glanced apprehensively at him as if to reassure herself4 ,she was a tall1 slender girl1 scarcely out of her teens1 whose face was one of those quite as striking for its character as its beauty4 ,the death of her mother a few years before had placed on her much of the responsibility of the captain's household and with it a charm added to youth4 ,more under the spell of her plea than even ,marlowe's vigorous urging1 ,kennedy1 without a word1 picked up the bullet and examined it4 ,it was one of the modern spitzer type1 quite short1 conical in shape1 tapering gradually1 with the center of gravity back near the base4 ,i suppose you know1 went on the captain1 eagerly1 that our company is getting ready to-morrow to launch the ,usona1 the largest liner that has ever been built on this side of the water--the name is made up of the initials of the ,united ,states of ,north ,america4 ,just now1 he added1 enthusiastically1 is what ,i call the golden opportunity for ,american shipping4 ,while ,england and ,germany are crippled1 it's our chance to put the ,american flag on the sea as it was in the old days1 and we're going to do it4 ,why1 the shipyards of my company are worked beyond their capacity now4 ,somehow the captain's enthusiasm was contagious4 ,i could see that his daughter felt it1 that she was full of fire over the idea4 ,but at the same time something vastly more personal weighed on her mind4 ,but1 father1 she interrupted1 anxiously1 tell them about the ,,bullet4 ,the captain smiled indulgently as though he would say that he was a tough old bird to wing4 ,it was only a mask to hide the fighting spirit underneath4 ,we've had nothing but trouble ever since we laid the keel of that ship1 he continued1 pugnaciously1 strikes1 a fire in the yard1 delays1 about everything that could happen4 ,lately we've noticed a motor-boat hanging about the river-front of the yards4 ,so ,i've had a boat of my own patrolling the river4 ,what sort of craft is this other8 inquired ,kennedy1 interested at once4 ,a very fast one--like those express cruisers that we hear so much about now4 ,whose is it8 ,who was in it8 ,have you any idea8 ,marlowe shook his head doubtfully4 ,no idea4 ,i don't know who owns the boat or who runs it4 ,my men tell me they think they've seen a woman in it sometimes1 though4 ,i've been trying to figure it out4 ,why should it be hanging about8 ,it can't be spying4 ,there isn't any secrecy about the ,usona4 ,why is it8 ,it's a mystery4 ,and the shot8 prompted ,craig1 tapping the bullet4 ,oh yes1 let me tell you4 ,last night1 ,marjorie and ,i arrived from ,bar ,harbor on my yacht1 for the launching4 ,it's anchored off the yard now4 ,well1 early this morning1 while it was still gray and misty1 ,i was up4 ,i'll confess ,i'm worried over to-morrow4 ,i hadn't been able to forget that cruiser4 ,i was out on the deck1 peering into the mist1 when ,i'm sure ,i saw her4 ,i was just giving a signal to the boat we have patrolling1 when a shot whistled past me and the bullet buried itself in the woodwork of the main saloon back of me4 ,i dug it out of the wood with my knife--so you see ,i got it almost unflattened4 ,that's all ,i have got1 too4 ,the cruiser made a getaway1 clean4 ,i'm sure it was aimed at him1 ,marjorie exclaimed4 ,i don't think it was chance4 ,don't you see8 ,they've tried everything else4 ,now if they could get my father1 the head of the company1 that would be a blow that would cripple the trust4 ,marlowe patted his daughter's hand reassuringly and smiled again1 as though not to magnify the incident4 ,marjorie was so alarmed1 he confessed1 that nothing would satisfy her but that ,i should come ashore and stay here at the ,belleclaire1 where we always put up when we are in town4 ,the telephone rang and ,marjorie answered it4 ,i hope you'll pardon me1 she excused1 hanging up the receiver4 ,they want me very much down-stairs4 ,then appealing1 she added3 ,i'll have to leave you with father4 ,but1 please1 you must catch that crank who is threatening him4 ,i shall do my level best1 promised ,kennedy4 ,you may depend on that4 ,you see1 explained the captain as she left us1 ,i've invited quite a large party to attend the launching1 for one reason or another4 ,marjorie must play hostess4 ,they're mostly here at the hotel4 ,perhaps you saw some of them as you came in4 ,craig was still scanning the bullet4 ,it looks almost as if some one had dum-dummed it1 he remarked1 finally4 ,it's curiously done1 too4 ,just look at those grooves4 ,both the captain and ,i looked4 ,it had a hard jacket of cupro-nickel1 like the army bullet1 covering a core of softer metal4 ,some one had notched or scored the jacket as if with a sharp knife1 though not completely through it4 ,had it been done for the purpose of inflicting a more frightful wound if it struck the captain8 ,there've been other shots1 too1 went on ,marlowe4 ,one of my watchmen was wounded the night before4 ,it didn't took like a serious wound1 in the leg4 ,yet the poor fellow seems to be in a bad way1 they tell me4 ,how is that8 asked ,craig1 glancing up quickly from studying the bullet4 ,the wound seems to be all puffed up1 and very painful4 ,it won't heal1 and he seems to be weak and feverish4 ,why1 ,i'm afraid the man will die4 ,i'd like to see that case1 remarked ,kennedy1 thoughtfully4 ,very well4 ,i'll have you driven to the hospital where we have had to take him4 ,i'd like to see the yards1 too1 and the ,usona1 he added4 ,all right4 ,after you go to the hospital ,i'll meet you at the yards at noon4 ,now if you'll come down-stairs with me1 ,i'll get my car and have you taken to the hospital first4 ,we followed ,marlowe into the elevator and rode down4 ,in the large parlor we saw that ,marjorie ,marlowe had joined a group of the guests1 and the captain turned aside to introduce us4 ,among them ,i noticed a striking-looking woman1 somewhat older than ,marjorie4 ,she turned as we approached and greeted the captain cordially4 ,i'm so glad there was nothing serious this morning1 she remarked1 extending her hand to him4 ,oh1 nothing at all1 nothing at all1 he returned1 holding the hand1 ,i thought1 just a bit longer than was necessary4 ,then he turned to us1 ,miss ,alma ,hillman1 let me present ,professor ,kennedy and ,mr4 ,jameson4 ,i was not so preoccupied in taking in the group that ,i did not notice that the captain was more than ordinarily attentive to her4 ,nor can ,i say that ,i blamed him1 for1 although he might almost have been her father in age1 there was a fascination about her that youth does not often possess4 ,talking with her had been a young man1 slender1 good-looking1 with almost a military bearing4 ,mr4 ,ogilvie ,fitzhugh1 introduced ,marjorie1 seeing that her father was neglecting his duties4 ,fitzhugh bowed and shook hands1 murmured something stereotyped1 and turned again to speak to ,marjorie4 ,i watched the young people closely4 ,if ,captain ,marlowe was interested in ,alma1 it was more than evident that ,fitzhugh was absolutely captivated by ,marjorie1 and ,i fancied that ,marjorie was not averse to him1 for he had a personality and a manner which were very pleasing4 ,as the conversation ran gaily on to the launching and the gathering party of notables who were expected that night and the next day1 ,i noticed that a dark-eyed1 dark-haired1 olive-complexioned young man approached and joined us4 ,doctor ,gavira1 said ,marlowe1 turning to us1 his tone indicating that he was well acquainted about the hotel4 ,he is our house physician4 ,gavira also was welcomed in the party1 chatting with animation4 ,it was apparent that the physician also was very popular with the ladies1 and it needed only half an eye to discern that ,fitzhugh was jealous when he talked to ,marjorie1 while ,marlowe but ill concealed his restlessness when ,gavira spoke to ,alma4 ,as for ,alma1 she seemed to treat all men impartially1 except that just now it pleased her to bestow the favor of her attention on the captain4 ,just then a young lady1 all in white1 passed4 ,plainly she did not belong to the group1 though she was much interested in it4 ,as his eye roved over the parlor1 ,gavira caught her glance and bowed4 ,she returned it1 but her look did not linger4 ,for a moment she glanced sharply at ,fitzhugh1 still talking to ,marjorie1 then at ,marlowe and ,alma ,hillman4 ,she was a very pretty girl with eyes that it was impossible to control4 ,perhaps there was somewhat of the flirt in her4 ,it was not that that interested me4 ,for there was something almost akin to jealousy in the look she gave the other woman4 ,marlowe was too engrossed to see her and she passed on slowly4 ,what did it mean1 if anything8 ,the conversation1 as usual at such times1 consisted mostly of witticisms1 and just at present we had a rather serious bit of business in hand4 ,kennedy did not betray any of the impatience that ,i felt1 yet ,i knew he was glad when ,marlowe excused himself and we left the party and passed down the corridor while the captain called his car4 ,i don't know how you are going to get at this thing1 he remarked1 pausing after he had sent a boy for his driver4 ,but ,i'll have to rely on you4 ,i've told you all ,i know4 ,i'll see you at noon1 at the yards4 ,my man will take you there4 ,as he turned and left us ,i saw that he was going in the direction of the barber-shop4 ,next to it and in connection with it1 though in a separate room1 was a manicure4 ,as we passed we looked in4 ,there1 at the manicure's table1 sat the girl who had gone by us in the parlor and had looked so sharply at ,marlowe and ,alma4 ,the boy had told us that the car was waiting at a side entrance1 but ,kennedy seemed now in no haste to go1 the more so when ,marlowe1 instead of going into the barber-shop1 apparently changed his mind and entered the manicure's4 ,craig stopped and watched4 ,prom where we were we could see ,marlowe1 though his back was turned1 and neither he nor the manicure could see us4 ,for a moment the captain paused and spoke1 then sat down4 ,quite evidently he had a keen eye for a pretty face and trim figure4 ,nor was there any mistaking the pains which the manicure took to please her rich and elderly customer4 ,after watching them a moment ,kennedy lounged over to the desk in the lobby4 ,who is the little manicure girl8 he asked4 ,the clerk smiled4 ,seems as if she was a good drawing-card for the house1 doesn't it8 he returned4 ,all the men notice her4 ,why1 her name is ,rae ,melzer4 ,he turned to speak to another guest before ,kennedy could follow with another inquiry4 ,as we stood before the desk1 a postman1 with the parcel post1 arrived4 ,here's a package addressed to ,dr4 ,fernando ,gavira1 he said1 brusquely4 ,it was broken in the mail4 ,see8 ,kennedy1 waiting for the clerk to be free again1 glanced casually at the package at first1 then with a sudden1 though concealed1 interest4 ,i followed his eye4 ,in the crushed box could be seen some thin broken pieces of glass and a wadding of cotton-wool4 ,as the clerk signed for another package ,craig saw a chance1 reached over and abstracted two or three of the broken pieces of glass1 then turned with his back to the postman and clerk and examined them4 ,one ,i saw at once had a rim around it4 ,it was quite apparently the top of a test-tube4 ,the other1 to which some cotton-wool still adhered1 was part of the rounded bowl4 ,quickly ,craig dropped the pieces into one of the hotel envelopes that stood in a rack on the desk1 then1 changing his mind about asking more now about the little manicure1 strode out of the side entrance where ,marlowe's car was waiting for us4 ,hurriedly we drove across town to the ,city ,hospital1 where we had no difficulty in being admitted and finding1 in a ward1 on a white cot1 the wounded guard4 ,though his wound was one that should not have bothered him much1 it had1 as ,marlowe said1 puffed up angrily and in a most peculiar manner4 ,he was in great pain with it and was plainly in a bad way4 ,though he questioned the man1 ,craig did not get anything out of him except that the shot had come from a cruiser which had been hanging about and was much faster than the patrol boat4 ,the nurse and a young intern seemed inclined to be reticent1 as though we might imply that the mail's condition reflected on the care he had received1 which they were at pains to convince us had been perfect4 ,puzzled himself1 ,craig did not say much1 but as he pondered the case1 shook his head gravely to himself and finally walked out of the hospital abstractedly4 ,we have almost an hour before we are to meet ,marlowe at the yard1 he considered1 as we came to the car4 ,i think ,i'll go up to the laboratory first4 ,in the quiet of his own workshop1 ,kennedy carefully examined again the peculiar grooves on the bullet4 ,he was about to scrape it1 but paused4 ,instead1 he filled a tube with a soapy solution1 placed the bullet in it1 and let it stand4 ,next he did the same with the pieces of glass from the envelope4 ,then he opened a drawer and from a number of capillary pipettes selected a plain capillary tube of glass4 ,he held it in the flame of a burner until it was red hot4 ,then carefully he drew out one end of the tube until it was hair fine4 ,again he heated the other end1 but this time he let the end alone1 except that he allowed it to bend by gravity1 then cool4 ,it now had a siphon curve4 ,another tube he treated in the same way4 ,by this time he was ready to proceed with what he had in mind4 ,he took a glass slide and on it placed a drop from each of the tubes containing the bullet and the glass4 ,that done1 he placed the bent1 larger end of the capillary tubes in turn on each of the drops on the slide4 ,the liquid ascended the tubes by capillary attraction and siphoned over the curve1 running as he turned the tubes up to the finely pointed ends4 ,next in a watch glass he placed some caustic soda and in another some pyrogallic acid1 from each of which he took just a drop1 as he had done before1 inclining the tubes to let the fluid gravitate to the throttle end4 ,finally in the flame he sealed both the tip and butt of the tubes4 ,there's a bubble of air in there1 he remarked4 ,the acid and the soda will absorb the oxygen from it4 ,then ,i can tell whether ,i'm right4 ,by the way1 we'll have to hurry if we're to be on time to meet ,marlowe in the yard1 he announced1 glancing at his watch as he placed the tubes in his little electric incubator4 ,we were a little late as the chauffeur pulled in at the executive offices at the gate of the shipyard1 and ,marlowe was waiting impatiently for us4 ,evidently he wanted action1 but ,kennedy said nothing yet of what he suspected and appeared now to be interested only in the yard4 ,it was indeed something to interest any one4 ,everywhere were tokens of feverish activity1 in office1 shop1 and slip4 ,as we picked our way across1 little narrow and big wide gauge engines and trains whistled and steamed about4 ,we passed rolling-mills1 forging-machines1 and giant shearing-machines1 furnaces for heating the frames or ribs1 stone floors on which they could be pegged out and bent to shape1 places for rolling and trimming the plates1 everything needed from the keel plates to the deck4 ,in the towering superstructure of the building slip we at last came to the huge steel monster itself1 the ,usona4 ,as we approached1 above us rose her bow1 higher than a house1 with poppets both there and at the stern1 as well as bracing to support her4 ,all had been done up to the launching1 the stem and stern posts set in place1 her sides framed and plated up1 decks laid1 bulkheads and casings completed1 even much of her internal fitting done4 ,overhead and all about the huge monster was a fairy network of steel1 the vast permanent construction of columns and overhead girders4 ,suspended beneath was a series of tracks carrying traveling and revolving cranes capable of handling the heaviest pieces4 ,we climbed to the top and looked down at the vast stretch of hundreds of feet of deck4 ,it was so vast that it seemed rather the work of a superman than of the puny little humans working on her4 ,as ,i looked down the slip where the ,usona stood inclined about half an inch to the foot1 ,i appreciated as never before what a task it was merely to get her into the water4 ,below again1 ,marlowe explained to us how the launching ways were composed of the ground ways1 fastened to the ground as the name implied1 and the sliding ways that were to move over them4 ,the sliding ways1 he said1 were composed of a lower course and an upper course1 on which rested the cradle1 fitting closely the side of the ship4 ,to launch her1 she must be lifted slightly by the sliding ways and cradle from the keel blocks and bilge blocks1 and this was done by oak wedges1 hundreds of which we could see jammed between the upper and lower courses of sliding ways4 ,next he pointed out the rib-bands which were to keep the sliding ways on the ground ways1 and at the bow the points on either side where the sliding and ground ways were bolted together by two huge timbers known as sole pieces4 ,you see1 he concluded1 it is a gigantic task to lift thousands of tons of steel and literally carry it a quarter of a mile to forty feet of water in less than a minute4 ,everything has to be calculated to a nicety4 ,it's a matter of mathematics--the moment of weight1 the moment of buoyancy1 and all that4 ,this launching apparatus is strong1 but compared to the weight it has to carry it is really delicate4 ,why1 even a stray bolt in the ways would be a serious matter4 ,that's why we have to have this eternal vigilance4 ,as he spoke with a significant look at ,kennedy1 ,i felt that it was no wonder that ,marlowe was alarmed for the safety of the ship4 ,millions were at stake for just that minute of launching4 ,it was all very interesting and we talked with men whom it was a pleasure to see handling great problems so capably4 ,but none could shed any light on the problem which it was ,kennedy's to solve4 ,and yet ,i felt sure1 as ,i watched ,craig1 that unsatisfactory as it appeared to ,marlowe and to myself1 he was slowly forming some kind of theory1 or at least plan of action1 in his head4 ,you'll find me either here or at the hotel--,i imagine1 returned ,marlowe to ,kennedy's inquiry as we parted from him4 ,i've instructed all the men to keep their eyes open4 ,i hope some of us have something to report soon4 ,whether or not the remark was intended as a hint to ,kennedy1 it was unnecessary4 ,he was working as fast and as surely as he could1 going over in hours what others had failed to fathom in weeks4 ,late in the afternoon we got back to the laboratory and ,craig began immediately by taking from the little electric incubator the two crooked tubes he had left there4 ,breaking off the ends with tweezers1 he began examining on slides the two drops that exuded1 using his most powerful microscope4 ,i was forced to curb my impatience as he proceeded carefully1 but ,i knew that ,craig was making sure of his ground at each step4 ,i suppose you're bursting with curiosity1 he remarked at last1 looking up from his examination of one of the slides4 ,well1 here is a drop that shows what was in the grooves of that bullet4 ,just take a look4 ,i applied my eye to the microscope4 ,all ,i could see was some dots and rods1 sometimes something that looked like chains of dots and rods1 the rods straight with square ends1 sometimes isolated1 but more usually joined end to end in long strings4 ,what is it8 ,i asked1 not much enlightened by what he had permitted me to see4 ,anaerobic bacilli and spores1 he replied1 excitedly4 ,the things that produce the well-known 'gas gangrene' of the trenches1 the gas phlegmon bacilli--all sorts1 the bacillus aerogenes capsulatus1 bacillus proteus1 pyogenic cocci1 and others1 actively gas-forming microbes that can't live in air4 ,the method ,i took to develop and discover them was that of ,col4 ,sir ,almroth ,wright of the ,british army medical corps4 ,and that is what was on the bullet8 ,i queried4 ,the spores or seeds1 he replied4 ,in the tubes1 by excluding the air1 ,i have developed the bacilli4 ,why1 ,walter1 he went on1 seriously1 those are among the microbes most dreaded in the infection of wounds4 ,the spores live in the earth1 it has been discovered1 especially in cultivated soil1 and they are extraordinarily long-lived1 lying dormant for years1 waiting for a chance to develop4 ,these rods you saw are only from five to fifteen thousandths of a millimeter long and not more than one-thousandth of a millimeter broad4 ,you can't see them move here1 because the air has paralyzed them4 ,but these vibrios move among the corpuscles of the blood just as a snake moves through the grass1 to quote ,pasteur4 ,if ,i colored them you would see that each is covered with fine vibrating hairs three or four times as long as itself4 ,at certain times an oval mass forms in them4 ,that is the spore which lives so long and is so hard to kill4 ,it was the spores that were on the bullet4 ,they resist any temperature except comparatively high and prolonged1 and even resist antiseptics for a long time4 ,on the surface of a wound they aren't so bad2 but deep in they distil minute gas bubbles1 puff up the surrounding tissues1 and are almost impossible to combat4 ,as he explained what he had found1 ,i could only stare at him while the diabolical nature of the attack impressed itself on my mind4 ,some one had tried to murder ,marlowe in this most hideous way4 ,no need to be an accurate marksman when a mere scratch from such a bullet meant ultimate death anyhow4 ,why had it been done and where had the cultures come from8 ,i asked myself4 ,i realized fully the difficulty of trying to trace them4 ,any one could purchase germs1 ,i knew4 ,there was no law governing the sale4 ,craig was at work again over his microscope4 ,again he looked up at me4 ,here on this other film ,i find the same sort of wisp-like anaerobes1 he announced4 ,there was the same thing on those pieces of glass that ,i got4 ,in my horror at the discovery1 ,i had forgotten the broken package that had come to the hotel desk while we stood there4 ,then it was ,gavira who was receiving spores and cultures of the anaerobes6 ,i exclaimed1 excitedly4 ,but that doesn't prove that it was he who used them1 cautioned ,craig1 adding1 not yet1 at least4 ,important as the discoveries were which he had made1 ,i was not much farther along in fixing the guilt of anybody in particular in the case4 ,kennedy1 however1 did not seem to be perturbed1 though ,i wondered what theory he could have worked out4 ,i think the best thing for us to do will be to run over to the ,belleclaire1 he decided as he doffed his laboratory coat and carefully cleansed his hands in an antiseptic almost boiling hot4 ,i should like to see ,marlowe again1 and1 besides1 there we can watch some of these people around him4 ,whom he meant other than ,gavira ,i had no idea1 but ,i felt sure that with the launching now only a matter of hours something was bound to happen soon4 ,marlowe was out when we arrived2 in fact1 had not yet returned from the yard4 ,nor had many of the guests remained at the hotel during the day4 ,most of them had been out sightseeing1 though now they were returning1 and as they began to gather in the hotel parlor ,marjorie was again called on to put them at their ease4 ,fitzhugh had returned and had wasted no time dressing and getting down-stairs again to be near ,marjorie4 ,gavira also appeared1 having been out on a case4 ,i wish you would call up the shipyard1 ,walter1 asked ,kennedy1 as we stood in the lobby1 where we could see best what was going on4 ,tell him ,i would like to see him very urgently4 ,i found the number and entered a booth1 but1 as often happens1 the telephone central was overwhelmed by the rush of early-evening calls1 and after waiting some time the only satisfaction ,i got was that the line was busy4 ,meanwhile ,i decided to stick about the booth so that ,i could get the yard as soon as possible4 ,from where ,i stood ,i could see that ,kennedy was closely watching the little manicure1 ,rae ,melzer4 ,a moment later ,i saw ,alma ,hillman come out of the manicure shop1 and before any one else could get in to monopolize the fascinating little manicure ,i saw ,craig saunter over and enter4 ,i was so interested in what he was doing that for the moment ,i forgot about my call and found myself unconsciously moving over in that direction1 too4 ,as ,i looked in ,i saw that he was seated at the little white table1 in much the same position as ,marlowe had been1 deeply in conversation with the girl1 though of course ,i could not make out what they were talking about4 ,once she turned to reach something on a shelf back of her4 ,quick as a flash ,kennedy abstracted a couple of the nearest implements1 one being a nail file and the other1 ,i think1 a brush4 ,a moment later she resumed her work1 ,kennedy still talking and joking with her1 though furtively observing4 ,where is my nail file--and brush8 ,i could imagine her saying1 as she hunted for them in pretty confusion1 aided by ,kennedy who1 when he wanted to1 could act the ,fitzhugh and ,gavira as well as they4 ,the implements were not to be found and from a drawer she took another set4 ,just then ,gavira passed on his way to his office in the front of the building1 saw me1 and smiled4 ,kennedy's cut you out1 he laughed1 catching a glimpse through the door4 ,never mind4 ,i used to think ,i had some influence there myself--till the captain came along4 ,i tell you these oldsters can give us points4 ,i laughed1 too1 and joined him down the hall1 not because ,i cared what he thought1 but because his presence had reminded me of my original mission to call up ,marlowe4 ,however1 ,i decided to postpone calling another moment and take advantage of the chance to talk to the house physician4 ,yes1 ,i agreed1 as long as he had opened the subject4 ,i fancy the captain likes young people4 ,he seems to enjoy being with them--,miss ,hillman1 for instance4 ,gavira shot a sidelong glance at me4 ,the ,belleclaire's a dangerous place for a wealthy widower1 he returned4 ,i had some hopes in that direction myself--in spite of ,fitzhugh--but the captain seems to leave us all at the post4 ,still1 ,i suppose ,i may still be a brother to her--and physician4 ,so1 ,i should worry4 ,the impression ,i got of ,gavira was that he enjoyed his freedom too much ever to fall in love1 though an intimacy now and then with a clever girl like ,alma ,hillman was a welcome diversion4 ,i'm sorry ,i sha'n't be able to be with you until late to-night1 he said1 as he paused at his office door4 ,i'm in the medical corps of the ,guard and ,i promised to lecture to-night on gunshot wounds4 ,some of my material got smashed up1 but ,i have my lantern slides1 anyhow4 ,i'll try to see you all later1 though4 ,was that a clever attempt at confession and avoidance on his part8 ,i wondered4 ,but1 then1 ,i reflected he could not possibly know that we knew he had anaerobic microbes and spores in his possession4 ,i had cleared up nothing and ,i hastened to call up the shipyard1 sure that the line could not be busy still4 ,whatever it was that was the matter1 central seemed unable to get me my number4 ,instead1 ,i found myself cut right into a conversation that did not concern me1 evidently the fault of the hotel switchboard operator4 ,i was about to protest when the words ,i heard stopped me in surprise4 ,a man and a woman were talking1 though ,i could not recognize the voices and no names were used4 ,i tell you ,i won't be a party to that launching scheme1 ,i heard the man's voice4 ,i wash my hands of it4 ,i told you that all along4 ,then you're going to desert us8 came back the woman's voice1 rather tartly4 ,it's for that girl4 ,well1 you'll regret it4 ,i'll turn the whole organization on you--,i will--you--you-- ,the voices trailed off1 and1 try as ,i could to get the operator to find out who it was1 ,i could not4 ,who was it8 ,what did it mean8 ,kennedy had finished with the manicure some time before and was waiting for me impatiently4 ,i haven't been able to get ,marlowe1 ,i hastened1 but ,i've had an earful4 ,he listened keenly as ,i told him what ,i had heard1 adding also the account of my encounter with ,gavira4 ,it's just as ,i thought--,i'll wager1 he muttered1 excitedly1 under his breath1 taking a hurried turn down the corridor1 his face deeply wrinkled4 ,well6 ,anything new8 ,i expected to hear from you1 but haven't1 boomed the deep voice of ,marlowe1 who had just come in from an entrance in another direction from that which we were pacing4 ,no clue yet to my crank8 ,without a word1 ,kennedy drew ,marlowe aside into a little deserted alcove4 ,marlowe followed1 puzzled at the air of mystery4 ,alone1 ,craig leaned over toward him4 ,it's no crank1 he whispered1 in a low tone4 ,marlowe1 ,i am convinced that there is a concerted effort to destroy your plans for ,american commerce building4 ,there isn't the slightest doubt in my mind that it is more serious than you think--perhaps a powerful group of ,european steamship men opposed to you4 ,it is economic war6 ,you know they have threatened it at meetings reported in the press all along4 ,well1 it's here6 ,half doubting1 half convinced1 ,marlowe drew back4 ,one after another he shot a rapid fire of questions4 ,who1 then1 was their agent who had fired the shot8 ,who was it who had deserted1 as ,i had heard over the wire8 ,above all1 what was it they had planned for the launching8 ,the deeper he got the more the beads of perspiration came out on his sunburnt forehead4 ,the launching was only eighteen hours off1 too1 and ten of them were darkness4 ,what could be done8 ,kennedy's mind was working rapidly in the crisis as ,marlowe appealed to him1 almost helplessly4 ,may ,i have your car to-night8 asked ,craig1 pausing4 ,have it8 ,i'll give it to you if it'll do any good4 ,i'll need it only a few hours4 ,i think ,i have a scheme that will work perfectly--if you are sure you can guard the inside of the yard to-morrow4 ,i'm sure of that4 ,we spent hours to-day selecting picked men for the launching1 going over everything4 ,late as it was to start out of town1 ,craig drove across the bridge and out on ,long ,island1 never stopping until we came to a small lake1 around the shores of which he skirted1 at last pausing before a huge barn-like structure4 ,as the door swung open to his honking the horn1 the light which streamed forth shone on a sign above1 ,sprague ,aviation ,school4 ,inside ,i could make out enough to be sure that it was an aeroplane hangar4 ,hello1 ,sprague6 called ,kennedy1 as a man appeared in the light4 ,the man came closer4 ,why1 hello1 ,kennedy6 ,what brings you out here at such an hour8 ,craig had jumped from the car1 and together the two went into the hangar1 while ,i followed4 ,they talked in low tones1 but as nearly as ,i could make out ,kennedy was hiring a hydro-aeroplane for to-morrow with as much nonchalance as if it had been a taxicab4 ,as ,kennedy and his acquaintance1 ,sprague1 came to terms1 my eye fell on a peculiar gun set up in a corner4 ,it had a tremendous cylinder about the barrel1 as though it contained some device to cool it4 ,it was not a machine-gun of the type ,i had seen1 however1 yet cartridges seemed to be fed to it from a disk on which they were arranged radially rather than from a band4 ,kennedy had risen to go and looked about at me4 ,oh1 a ,lewis gun6 he exclaimed1 seeing what ,i was looking at4 ,that's an idea4 ,sprague1 can you mount that on the plane8 ,sprague nodded4 ,that's what ,i have it here for1 he returned4 ,i've been testing it4 ,why1 do you want it8 ,indeed ,i do6 ,i'll be out here early in the morning1 ,sprague4 ,i'll be ready for you1 sir1 promised the aviator4 ,speeding back to the city1 ,kennedy laid out an extensive program for me to follow on the morrow4 ,together we arranged an elaborate series of signals1 and that night1 late as it was1 ,craig returned to the laboratory1 where he continued his studies with the microscope1 though what more he expected to discover ,i did not know4 ,in spite of his late hours1 it was ,craig who wakened me in the morning1 already prepared to motor out to the aviation school to meet ,sprague4 ,hastily he rehearsed our signals1 which consisted mostly of dots and dashes in the ,morse code which ,craig was to convey with a flag and ,i to receive with the aid of a powerful glass4 ,i must admit that ,i felt somewhat lost when1 later in the morning1 ,i took my place alone on the platform that had been built for the favored few of the launching party at the bow of the huge ,usona1 without ,craig4 ,already1 however1 he had communicated at least a part of his plan to ,marlowe1 and the captain and ,marjorie were among the first to arrive4 ,marjorie never looked prettier in her life than she did now1 on the day when she was to christen the great liner1 nor1 ,i imagine1 had the captain ever been more proud of her4 ,they had scarcely greeted me when we heard a shout from the men down at the end of the slip that commanded a freer view of the river4 ,we craned our necks and in a moment saw what it was4 ,they had sighted the air-boat coming down the river4 ,i turned the glass on the mechanical bird as it soared closer4 ,already ,kennedy had made us on the platform and had begun to signal as a test4 ,at least a part of the suspense was over for me when ,i discovered that ,i could read what he sent4 ,so fixed had my attention been that ,i had not noticed that slowly the members of the elect launching party had arrived1 while other thousands of the less favored crowded into the spaces set apart for them4 ,on the stand now with us were ,fitzhugh and ,miss ,hillman1 while1 between glances at ,kennedy1 ,i noticed little ,rae ,melzer over at the right1 and ,doctor ,gavira1 quite in his element1 circulating about from one group to another4 ,every one seemed to feel that thrill that comes with a launching1 the appreciation that there is a maximum of risk in a minimum of time4 ,down the slip the men were driving home the last of the huge oak wedges which lifted the great ,usona from the blocks and transferred her weight to the launching ways as a new support4 ,all along the stationary1 or ground1 ways and those which were to glide into the water with the cradle and the ship1 trusted men were making the final examination to be as sure as human care can be that all was well4 ,as the clock neared noon1 which was high water1 approximately1 all the preparatory work was done4 ,only the sole pieces before us held the ship in place4 ,it was as though all bridges had been burned4 ,high overhead now floated the hydro-aeroplane1 on which ,i kept my eye fixed almost hypnotically4 ,there was still no signal from ,kennedy1 however4 ,what was it he was after8 ,did he expect to see the fast express cruiser1 lurking like a corsair about the islands of the river8 ,if so1 he gave no sign4 ,men were quitting now the work of giving the last touches to the preparations4 ,some were placing immense jack-screws which were to give an initial impulse if it were needed to start the ship down the ways4 ,others were smearing the last heavy dabs of tallow1 lard oil1 and soft soap on the ways1 and graphite where the ways stretched two hundred feet or so out into the water1 for the ship was to travel some hundreds of feet on the land and in the water1 and perhaps an equal distance out beyond the end of the ways4 ,late comers still crowded in4 ,men now reported that everything was ready4 ,steadily the time of high water approached4 ,saw the sole pieces6 finally rang out the order4 ,that was a thing that must be done by two gangs1 one on each side1 and evenly1 too4 ,if one gang got ahead of the other1 they must stop and let the second catch up4 ,zip--zip--zip1 came the shrill singing tone of the saws4 ,was everything all right8 ,kennedy and ,sprague were still circling overhead1 at various altitudes4 ,i redoubled my attention at the glass4 ,suddenly ,i saw ,craig's flag waving frantically4 ,a muffled exclamation came from my lips involuntarily4 ,marlowe1 who had been watching me1 leaned closer4 ,what is it--for ,god's sake8 he whispered1 hoarsely4 ,stop them6 ,i shouted as ,i caught ,kennedy's signal4 ,at a hurried order from ,marlowe the gangs quit4 ,a hush fell over the crowd4 ,kennedy was circling down now until at last the air-boat rested on the water and skimmed along toward the ways4 ,out on the ways1 as far as they were not yet submerged1 some men ran1 as if to meet him1 but ,kennedy began signaling frantically again4 ,though ,i had not been expecting it1 ,i made it out4 ,he wants them to keep back1 ,i called1 and the word was passed down the length of the ship4 ,instead of coming to rest before the slip1 the plane turned and went away1 making a complete circle1 then coming to rest4 ,to the surprise of every one1 the rapid staccato bark of the ,lewis gun broke the silence4 ,kennedy was evidently firing1 but at what8 ,there was nothing in sight4 ,suddenly there came a tremendous detonation1 which made even the launching-slip tremble1 and a huge column of water1 like a geyser1 rose in the air about eight hundred feet out in the river1 directly in front of us4 ,the truth flashed over us in an instant4 ,there1 ten feet or so in the dark water out in the river1 ,craig had seen a huge circular object1 visible only against a sandy bottom from the hydro-aeroplane above1 as the sun-rays were reflected through the water4 ,it was a contact submarine mine4 ,marlowe looked at me1 his face almost pale4 ,the moment the great hulk of the ,usona in its wild flight to the sea would have hit that mine1 tilting it1 she would have sunk in a blast of flame4 ,the air-boat now headed for the shore1 and a few moments later1 as ,craig climbed into our stand1 ,marlowe seized him in congratulation too deep for words4 ,is it all right8 sang out one of the men in the gangs1 less impressionable than the rest4 ,if there is still water enough1 nodded ,craig4 ,again the order to saw away the sole pieces was given1 and the gangs resumed4 ,zip--zip1 again went the two saws4 ,there were perhaps two inches more left1 when the hull quivered4 ,there was a crashing and rending as the timbers broke away4 ,marjorie ,marlowe1 alert1 swung the bottle of champagne in its silken net on a silken cord and it crashed on the bow as she cried1 gleefully1 ,i christen thee ,usona6 ,down the ship slid1 with a slow1 gliding motion at first1 rapidly gathering headway4 ,as her stern sank and finally the bow dipped into the water1 cheers broke forth4 ,then a cloud of smoke hid her4 ,there was an ominous silence4 ,was she wrecked1 at last1 after all8 ,a puff of wind cleared the smoke4 ,just the friction of the ways--set the grease on fire1 shouted ,marlowe4 ,it always does that4 ,wedges1 sliding ways1 and other parts of the cradle floated to the surface4 ,the tide took her and tugs crept up and pulled her to the place selected for temporary mooring4 ,a splash of a huge anchor1 and there she rode--safe6 ,in the revulsion of feeling1 every eye on the platform turned involuntarily to ,kennedy4 ,marlowe1 still holding his hand1 was speechless4 ,marjorie leaned forward1 almost hysterical4 ,just a moment1 called ,craig1 as some turned to go down4 ,there is just one thing more4 ,there was a hush as the crowd pressed close4 ,there's a conspiracy here1 rang out ,craig's voice1 boldly1 a foreign trade war4 ,from the start ,i suspected something and ,i tried to reason it out4 ,having failed to stop the work1 failed to kill ,marlowe--what was left8 ,why1 the launching4 ,how8 ,i knew of that motor-boat4 ,what else could they do with it8 ,i thought of recent tests that have been made with express cruisers as mine-planters4 ,could that be the scheme8 ,the air-boat scheme occurred to me late last night4 ,it at least was worth trying4 ,you see what has happened4 ,now for the reckoning4 ,who was their agent8 ,i have something here that will interest you4 ,kennedy was speaking rapidly4 ,it was one of those occasions in which ,kennedy's soul delighted4 ,quickly he drew a deft contrast between the infinitely large hulk of the ,usona as compared to the infinitely small bacteria which he had been studying the day before4 ,suddenly he drew forth from his pocket the bullet that had been fired at ,marlowe1 then1 to the surprise of even myself1 he quietly laid a delicate little nail file and brush in the palm of his hand beside the bullet4 ,a suppressed cry from ,rae ,melzer caused me to recollect the file and brush she had missed4 ,just a second1 raced on ,kennedy4 ,on this file and brush ,i found spores of those deadly anaerobes--dead1 killed by heat and an antiseptic1 perhaps a one-per-cent4 solution of carbolic acid at blood heat1 ninety-eight degrees--dead1 but nevertheless there4 ,i suppose the microscopic examination of finger-nail deposits is too minute a thing to appeal to most people4 ,but it has been practically applied in a number of criminal cases in ,europe4 ,ordinary washing and even cleaning doesn't alter microscope findings4 ,in this case this trifling clue is all that leads to the real brain of this plot1 literally to the hand that directed it4 ,he paused a moment4 ,yesterday ,i found that anaerobe cultures were being received by some one in the ,belleclaire1 and-- ,they were stolen from me4 ,some one must have got into my office1 where ,i was studying them4 ,doctor ,gavira had pressed forward earnestly1 but ,craig did not pause again4 ,who were these agents sent over to wage this secret war at any cost8 he repeated4 ,one of them1 ,i know now1 fell in love with the daughter of the man against whom he was to plot4 ,marjorie cast a furtive glance at ,fitzhugh4 ,love has saved him4 ,but the other8 ,to whom do these deadly germs point8 ,who dum-dummed and poisoned the bullet8 ,whose own fingers1 in spite of antiseptics and manicures1 point inexorably to a guilty self8 ,rae ,melzer could restrain herself no longer4 ,she was looking at the file and brush1 as if with a hideous fascination4 ,they are mine--you took them1 she cried1 impulsively4 ,it was she--always having her nails manicured--she who had been there just before--she--,alma ,hillman6 ,,xi ,,the ,,gun-,,runner ,with the treaty ratified1 if the deal goes through we'll all be rich4 ,something about the remark which rose over the babel of voices arrested ,kennedy's attention4 ,for one thing1 it was a woman's voice1 and it was not the sort of remark to be expected from a woman1 at least not in such a place4 ,craig had been working pretty hard and began to show the strain4 ,we had taken an evening off and now had dropped in after the theater at the ,burridge1 one of the most frequented midnight resorts on ,broadway4 ,at the table next to us--and the tables at the ,burridge were so close that one almost rubbed elbows with those at the next--sat a party of four1 two ladies in evening gowns and two men in immaculate black and white4 ,i hope you are right1 ,leontine1 returned one of the men1 with an ,english accent4 ,the natural place for the islands is under the ,american flag1 anyway4 ,yes1 put in the other2 the people have voted for it before4 ,they want it4 ,it was at the time that the ,american and ,danish governments were negotiating about the transfer of the ,danish ,west ,indies1 and quite evidently they were discussing the islands4 ,the last speaker seemed to be a ,dane1 but the woman with him1 evidently his wife1 was not4 ,it was a curious group1 worth more than a passing glance4 ,for a moment ,craig watched them closely4 ,that woman in blue1 he whispered1 is a typical promoter4 ,i recognized the type which is becoming increasingly frequent in ,wall ,street as the competition in financial affairs grows keener and women enter business and professional life4 ,there were plenty of other types in the brilliantly lighted dining-room1 and we did not dwell long on the study of our neighbors4 ,a few moments later ,kennedy left me and was visiting another table4 ,it was a habit of his1 for he had hundreds of friends and acquaintances1 and the ,burridge was the place to which every one came4 ,this time ,i saw that he had stopped before some one whom ,i recognized4 ,it was ,captain ,marlowe of the ,american ,shipping ,trust1 to whom ,kennedy had been of great assistance at the time of the launching of his great ship1 the ,usona4 ,marlowe's daughter ,marjorie was not with him1 having not yet returned from her honeymoon trip1 and he was accompanied by a man whose face was unfamiliar to me4 ,as ,i recognized who it was to whom ,kennedy was speaking1 ,i also rose and made my way over to the table4 ,as ,i approached1 the captain turned from ,kennedy and greeted me cordially4 ,mr4 ,whitson1 he introduced the man with him4 ,mr4 ,whitson is sailing to-morrow for ,st4 ,thomas on the ,arroyo4 ,we're preparing to extend our steamship lines to the islands as soon as the formalities of the purchase are completed4 ,marlowe turned again to ,kennedy and went on with the remark he had evidently been making4 ,of course1 ,i heard him say1 you know we have ,mexico practically blockaded as far as arms and munitions go4 ,yet1 ,kennedy1 through a secret channel ,i know that thousands of stands of arms and millions of rounds of ammunition are filtering in there4 ,it's shameful4 ,i can't imagine anything more traitorous4 ,whoever is at the bottom of it ought to swing4 ,it isn't over the border that they are going4 ,we know that4 ,the troops are there4 ,how is it1 then8 ,marlowe looked at us as if he expected ,kennedy to catch some one by pure reason4 ,kennedy said nothing1 but it was not because he was not interested4 ,think it over1 pursued ,marlowe1 who was a patriot above everything else4 ,perhaps it will occur to you how you can be of the greatest service to the country4 ,the thing is damnable--damnable4 ,neither ,kennedy nor ,i having anything definite to contribute to the subject1 the conversation drifted to the islands and ,whitson's mission4 ,whitson proved to be very enthusiastic about it4 ,he knew the islands well and had already made a trip there for ,marlowe4 ,a few moments later we shook hands and returned to our own table4 ,it was getting late and the only type that was left to study was the common ,broadway midnight-life genus4 ,we paid our check and were about to leave4 ,for an instant we stopped at the coat-room to watch the late arrivals and the departing throng4 ,hello6 greeted a familiar voice beside us4 ,i've been looking all over town for you4 ,they told me you had gone to the theater and ,i thought ,i might possibly find you here4 ,we turned4 ,it was our old friend ,burke1 of the ,secret ,service1 accompanied by a stranger4 ,i'd like you to meet ,mr4 ,sydney1 the new special consular agent whom the government is sending to the ,danish ,west ,indies to investigate and report on trade conditions1 he introduced4 ,we're off for ,st4 ,thomas on the ,arroyo1 which sails to-morrow noon4 ,great ,scott6 ejaculated ,kennedy4 ,is everybody daffy over those little islands8 ,what takes you down there1 ,burke8 ,burke looked about hastily1 then drew us aside into a recess in the lobby4 ,i don't suppose you know1 he explained1 lowering his voice1 but since these negotiations began1 the consular service has been keenly interested in the present state and the possibilities of the islands4 ,the government sent one special agent there1 named ,dwight4 ,well1 he died a few days ago4 ,it was very suspicious1 so much so that the authorities in the island investigated4 ,yet the doctors in the island have found no evidence of anything wrong1 no poison4 ,still1 it is very mysterious--and1 you know1 he hinted1 there are those who don't want us down there4 ,the ,secret ,service man paused as though he had put the case as briefly and pointedly as he could1 then went on3 ,i've been assigned to accompany the new consul down there and investigate4 ,i've no particular orders and the chief will honor any reasonable expense account--but-- ,he hesitated and stopped1 looking keenly at ,kennedy's face4 ,i saw what he was driving at4 ,well--to come to the point--what ,i wanted to see you about1 ,kennedy1 is to find out whether you would go with me4 ,i think1 he added1 persuasively1 it would be quite worth your while4 ,besides1 you look tired4 ,you're working too hard4 ,the change will do you good4 ,and your conscience needn't trouble you4 ,you'll be working1 all right4 ,burke had been quick to note the haggard expression on ,kennedy's face and turn it into an argument to carry his point4 ,kennedy smiled as he read the other's enthusiasm4 ,i would have added my own urging1 only ,i knew that nothing but a sense of duty would weigh with ,craig4 ,i'd like to think the proposal over1 he conceded1 much to my surprise4 ,i'll let you know in the morning4 ,mind1 wheedled ,burke1 ,i won't take no for an answer4 ,we need you4 ,the ,secret ,service man was evidently delighted by the reception ,kennedy had given his scheme4 ,just then ,i caught sight of the party of four getting their hats and wraps preparatory to leaving1 and ,kennedy eyed them sharply4 ,marlowe and ,whitson passed4 ,as they did so ,i could not help seeing ,whitson pause and shoot a quick glance at the four4 ,it was a glance of suspicion and it was not lost on ,craig4 ,did they know more of this ,mexican gun-running business than ,marlowe had hinted at8 ,i watched ,kennedy's face4 ,evidently his mind was at work on the same idea as mine4 ,burke accompanied us almost all the way home1 with ,sydney adding his urging4 ,i could tell that the whole combination of circumstances at the ,burridge had had an effect on ,kennedy4 ,i went to bed1 tired1 but through the night ,i knew ,craig was engaged on some work about which he seemed to be somewhat secretive4 ,when ,i saw him again in the laboratory1 in the morning1 he had before him a large packing-case of stout wood bound with steel bands4 ,what's that8 ,i asked1 mystified4 ,he opened the lid1 a sort of door1 on which was a strong lock1 and ,i looked inside4 ,my traveling laboratory1 he remarked1 with pride4 ,i peered in more closely4 ,it was a well-stocked armamentarium1 as the doctors would have called it4 ,i shall not make any attempt to describe its contents4 ,they were too varied and too numerous1 a little bit of everything1 it seemed4 ,in fact1 ,craig seemed to have epitomized the sciences and arts4 ,it was not that he had anything so wonderful1 or even comparable to the collection of his laboratory4 ,but as ,i ran my eye over the box ,i would have wagered that from the contents he might have made shift to duplicate in some makeshift form almost anything that he might need4 ,it was truly amazing1 representing in miniature his study of crime for years4 ,then you are going with ,burke to ,st4 ,thomas8 ,i queried1 realizing the significance of it4 ,kennedy nodded4 ,i've been thinking of what ,i would do if an important case ever called me away4 ,burke's proposal hurried me1 that's all4 ,and you are going1 also1 he added4 ,you have until noon to break the news to the ,star4 ,i did not say anything more1 fearful lest he might change his mind4 ,i knew he needed the rest1 and that no matter what the case was in the islands he could not work as hard as he was doing in ,new ,york4 ,accordingly my own arrangements with the ,star were easily made4 ,i had a sort of roving commission1 anyhow1 since my close association with ,kennedy4 ,moreover1 the possibility of turning up something good in the islands1 which were much in the news at the time1 rather appealed to the managing editor4 ,if ,kennedy could arrange his affairs1 ,i felt that the least ,i could do was to arrange my own4 ,thus it came about that ,craig and ,i found ourselves in the forenoon in a taxicab1 on the front of which was loaded the precious box as well as our other hastily packed luggage1 and we were on our way over to ,brooklyn to the dock from which the ,arroyo sailed4 ,already the clearance papers had been obtained1 and there was the usual last-moment confusion among the passengers as the hour for sailing approached4 ,it seemed as if we had scarcely boarded the ship when ,kennedy was as gay as a school-boy on an unexpected holiday4 ,i realized at once what was the cause4 ,the change of scene1 the mere fact of cutting loose1 were having their effect4 ,as we steamed slowly down the bay1 ,i ran my eye over the other passengers at the rail1 straining their eyes to catch the last glimpse of the towers of ,new ,york4 ,there were ,burke and ,sydney1 but they were not together1 and1 to all appearances1 did not know each other4 ,sydney1 of course1 could not conceal his identity1 nor did he wish to1 no matter how beset with unseen perils might be his mission4 ,but ,burke was down on the passenger-list as1 and had assumed the role of1 a traveling salesman for a mythical novelty-house in ,chicago4 ,that evidently was part of the plan they had agreed on between themselves4 ,kennedy took the cue4 ,as ,i studied the various groups1 ,i paused suddenly1 surprised4 ,there was the party which had sat at the table next to us at the ,burridge the night before4 ,kennedy had already seen them and had been watching them furtively4 ,just then ,craig jogged my elbow4 ,he had caught sight of ,whitson edging his way in our direction4 ,i saw what it was that ,craig meant4 ,he wanted purposely to avoid him4 ,i wondered why1 but soon ,i saw what he was up to4 ,he wanted introductions to come about naturally1 as they do on shipboard if one only waits4 ,on deck and in the lounging and smoking rooms it did not take long for him to contrive ways of meeting and getting acquainted with those he wished to know1 without exciting suspicion4 ,thus1 by the time we sat down to dinner in the saloon we were all getting fairly chummy4 ,we had met ,burke quite as naturally as if we were total strangers4 ,it was easy to make it appear that ,whitson and ,sydney were shipboard acquaintances4 ,nor was it difficult to secure an introduction to the other party of four4 ,the girl whom we had heard addressed as ,leontine seemed to be the leader of the group4 ,leontine ,cowell was a striking personality4 ,her clear blue eyes directed a gaze at one which tested one's mettle to meet4 ,i was never quite sure whether she remembered seeing us at the ,burridge1 whether she penetrated the parts we were playing4 ,she was none the less feminine because she had aspirations in a commercial way4 ,as ,kennedy had first observed1 she was well worth study4 ,her companion1 ,barrett ,burleigh1 was a polished1 deferential ,englishman1 one of those who seem to be citizens of the world rather than subjects of any particular country4 ,i wondered what were the real relations of the two4 ,jorgen ,erickson was1 as ,i had surmised1 a ,dane4 ,he proved to be one of the largest planters in the island1 already wealthy and destined to be wealthier if real estate advanced4 ,the other woman1 ,nanette1 was his wife4 ,she was also a peculiarly interesting type1 a ,frenchwoman from ,guadeloupe4 ,younger and more vivacious than her husband1 her snappy black eyes betokened an attractive personality4 ,leontine ,cowell1 it seemed1 had been in the islands not long before1 had secured options on some score of plantations at a low figure1 and made no secret of her business4 ,when the ,american flag at last flew over the islands she stood to win out of the increase of land values a considerable fortune4 ,erickson also1 in addition to his own holdings1 had been an agent for some other planters and thus had met ,leontine1 who had been the means of interesting some ,american capital4 ,as for ,burleigh1 it seemed that he had made the acquaintance of ,leontine in ,wall ,street4 ,he had been in the ,caribbean and the impending changes in the ,danish ,west ,indies had attracted his notice4 ,whether he had some money to invest in the speculation or hoped to profit by commissions derived from sales did not appear4 ,but at any rate some common bond had thrown the quartet together4 ,i need not dwell on the little incidents of life on ship4 ,it must have been the second day out that ,i observed ,leontine and ,sydney together on the promenade-deck4 ,they seemed to be quite interested in each other1 though ,i felt sure that ,leontine was making a play for him4 ,at any rate1 ,burleigh was jealous4 ,whatever might be the scheme1 it was apparent that the young ,englishman was head over heels in love with her4 ,what did it mean8 ,was she playing with ,sydney1 seeking to secure his influence to further her schemes8 ,or did it mask some deeper1 more sinister motive8 ,from what ,i had seen of ,sydney1 ,i could not think that he was the man to take such an affair seriously4 ,i felt that he must be merely amusing himself4 ,busy with my speculations1 ,i was astonished soon after to realize that the triangle had become a hexagon1 so to speak4 ,whitson and ,nanette ,erickson seemed to be much in each other's company4 ,but1 unlike ,burleigh1 ,erickson seemed to be either oblivious or complacent4 ,whatever it might all portend1 ,i found that it did not worry ,kennedy1 although he observed closely4 ,burke1 however1 was considerably excited and even went so far as to speak to ,sydney1 over whom he felt a sort of guardianship4 ,sydney turned the matter off lightly4 ,as for me1 ,i determined to watch both of these women closely4 ,kennedy spent much time not only in watching the passengers1 but in going about the ship1 talking to the captain and crew and every one who knew anything about the islands4 ,in fact1 he collected enough information in a few days to have satisfied any ordinary tourist for weeks4 ,even the cargo did not escape his attention1 and ,i found that he was especially interested in the rather heavy shipments of agricultural implements that were consigned to various planters in the islands4 ,so great was his interest that ,i began to suspect that it had some bearing on the gun-running plot that had been hinted at by ,marlowe4 ,it was the evening after one of ,kennedy's busy days scouting about that he quietly summoned both ,burke and ,sydney to our cabin4 ,there's something queer going on1 announced ,craig1 when he was sure that we were all together without having been observed4 ,frankly1 ,i must confess that ,i don't understand it--yet4 ,you needn't worry about me1 interrupted ,sydney1 hastily4 ,i can take care of myself4 ,kennedy smiled quietly4 ,we knew what ,sydney meant4 ,he seemed to resent ,burke's solicitude over his acquaintance with ,leontine and was evidently warning us off4 ,kennedy1 however1 avoided the subject4 ,i may as well tell you1 he resumed1 that ,i was quite as much influenced by a rumor that arms were somehow getting into ,mexican ports as ,i was by your appeal1 ,burke1 in coming down here4 ,so far ,i've found nothing that proves my case4 ,but1 as ,i said1 there is something under the surface which ,i don't understand4 ,we have all got to stick together1 trust no one but ourselves1 and1 above all1 keep our eyes open4 ,it was all that was said1 but ,i was relieved to note that ,sydney seemed greatly impressed4 ,still1 half an hour later1 ,i saw him sitting in a steamer-chair beside ,leontine again1 watching the beautiful play of the moonlight on the now almost tropical ocean after we had emerged from the ,gulf ,stream4 ,i felt that it was rather dangerous1 but at least he had had his warning4 ,seeking ,kennedy1 ,i found him at last in the smoking-room1 to my surprise talking with ,erickson4 ,i joined them1 wondering how ,i was to convey to ,craig what ,i had just seen without exciting suspicion4 ,they were discussing the commercial and agricultural future of the islands under the ,american flag1 especially the sugar industry1 which had fallen into a low estate4 ,i suppose1 remarked ,kennedy1 casually1 that you are already modernizing your plant and that others are doing the same1 getting ready for a revival4 ,erickson received the remark stolidly4 ,no1 he replied1 slowly4 ,some of us may be doing so1 but as for me1 ,i shall be quite content to sell if ,i can get my price4 ,the planters are not putting in modern machinery1 then8 queried ,kennedy1 innocently1 while there flashed over me what he had discovered about shipments of agricultural implements4 ,erickson shook his head4 ,some of them may be4 ,but for one that is1 ,i know twenty whose only thought is to sell out and take a profit4 ,the conversation trailed off on other subjects and ,i knew that ,kennedy had acquired the information which he sought4 ,as neatly as ,i could ,i drew him apart from ,erickson4 ,strange he should tell me that1 ruminated ,kennedy as we gained a quiet corner of the deck4 ,i know that there is a lot of stuff consigned to planters in the island1 some even to himself4 ,he must be lying1 then1 ,i hastened4 ,perhaps these promoters are really plotters4 ,by the way1 what ,i wanted to tell you was that ,i saw ,sydney and ,leontine together again4 ,he was about to reply when the sound of some one approaching caused us to draw back farther into the shadow4 ,it proved to be ,whitson and ,nanette4 ,then you do not like ,st4 ,thomas8 we heard ,whitson remark1 as if he were repeating something she had just said4 ,there is nothing there1 she replied4 ,why1 there aren't a hundred miles of good roads and not a dozen automobiles4 ,evidently the swiftness of life in ,new ,york of which she had tasted was having its effect4 ,st4 ,croix1 where we have the plantation1 is just as bad4 ,part of the time we live there1 part of the time at ,charlotte ,amalie in ,st4 ,thomas4 ,but there is little difference4 ,i hope ,jorgen is able to sell4 ,at least ,i should like to live a part of the year in the ,states4 ,would he like that1 too8 ,many of us would1 she replied1 quickly4 ,for many years things have been getting worse with us4 ,just now it seems a bit better because of the high price of sugar4 ,but who knows how long that will last8 ,oh1 ,i wish something would happen soon so that we might make enough money to live as ,i want to live4 ,think2 here the best years of life are slipping away4 ,unless we do something soon1 it will be too late6 ,we must make our money soon4 ,there was an air of impatience in her tone1 of restless dissatisfaction4 ,i felt also that there was an element of danger1 too1 in a woman just passing from youth making a confidant of another man4 ,it was a mixed situation with the quartet whom we were watching4 ,one thing was sufficiently evident4 ,they were all desperately engaged in the pursuit of wealth4 ,that was a common bond4 ,nor had ,i seen anything to indicate that they were over-scrupulous in that pursuit4 ,within half an hour ,i had seen ,leontine with ,sydney and ,nanette with ,whitson4 ,both ,sydney as consular agent and ,whitson through his influence with the shipping trust possessed great influence4 ,had the party thought it out and were they now playing the game with the main chance in view8 ,i looked inquiringly at ,kennedy as the voices died away while the couple walked slowly down the deck4 ,he said nothing1 but he was evidently pondering deeply on some problem1 perhaps that which the trend of affairs had raised in my own mind4 ,our delay had not been long1 but it had been sufficient to cause us to miss finding ,leontine and ,sydney4 ,we did1 however1 run across ,burke1 bent evidently on watching1 also4 ,i don't like this business1 he confessed1 as we paused to compare experiences4 ,i've been thinking of that ,mexican business you hinted at1 ,kennedy4 ,you know the islands would be an ideal out-of-the-way spot from which to start gun-running expeditions to ,mexico4 ,i don't like this ,leontine and ,burleigh4 ,they want to make money too bad4 ,kennedy smiled4 ,burleigh doesn't seem to approve of everything1 though1 he remarked4 ,perhaps not4 ,that's one reason why ,i think it may be more dangerous for ,sydney than he realizes4 ,i know she's a fascinating girl4 ,all the more reason to watch out for her4 ,but ,i can't talk to ,sydney1 he sighed4 ,it was an enigma and ,i had not solved it1 though ,i felt much as ,burke did4 ,kennedy seemed to have determined to allow events to take their course1 perhaps in the hope that developments would be quicker that way than by interfering with something which we did not understand4 ,in the smoking-room1 after we left ,burke1 ,kennedy and ,i came upon ,erickson and ,burleigh4 ,they had just finished a game of poker with some of the other passengers1 in which ,burleigh's usual run of luck and skill had been with him4 ,lucky at cards1 unlucky in love1 remarked ,burleigh as we approached4 ,he said it with an air of banter1 yet ,i could not help feeling that there was a note of seriousness at the bottom of it4 ,had he known that ,leontine had been with ,sydney on the deck8 ,his very success at poker had its effect on me4 ,i found myself eying him as if he had been one of the transatlantic card sharps1 perhaps an international crook4 ,yet when ,i considered ,i was forced to admit that ,i had nothing on which to base such a judgment4 ,erickson presented a different problem1 to my mind1 ,there was indeed something queer about him4 ,either he had not been perfectly frank with us in regard to the improvement of his properties or he was concealing something much more sinister4 ,again and again my mind reverted to the hints that had been dropped by ,marlowe1 and ,i recalled the close scrutiny ,whitson had given the four that night4 ,so far1 ,i had felt that in any such attempt we might count on ,whitson playing a lone hand and perhaps finding out something to our advantage4 ,it was the morning of the last day of the voyage that most of the passengers gathered on the deck for the first glimpse of the land to which we had been journeying4 ,before us lay the beautiful and picturesque harbor and town of ,charlotte ,amalie1 one of the finest harbors in the ,west ,indies1 deep enough to float the largest vessels1 with shipyards1 dry-docks1 and repair shops4 ,from the deck it was a strikingly beautiful picture1 formed by three spurs of mountains covered with the greenest of tropical foliage4 ,from the edge of the dancing blue waves the town itself rose on the hills1 presenting an entrancing panorama4 ,all was bustle and excitement as the anchor plunged into the water1 for not only was this the end of our journey1 but the arrival of the boat from ,new ,york was an event for the town4 ,there was much to watch1 but ,i let nothing interfere with my observation of how the affair between ,sydney and ,leontine was progressing4 ,to my surprise1 ,i saw that this morning she was bestowing the favor of her smile rather on ,burleigh4 ,it was ,sydney's turn now to feel the pangs of jealousy1 and ,i must admit that he bore them with better grace than ,burleigh1 whatever that might indicate4 ,as ,i watched the two and recalled their intimacy at the ,burridge the first night we had seen them1 ,i almost began to wonder whether ,i might not have been wrong about ,leontine4 ,had it been that ,i had distrusted the woman merely because ,i was suspicious of the type1 both male and female8 ,had ,i been finding food for suspicion because ,i was myself suspicious8 ,erickson was standing beside ,sydney1 while we were not far away4 ,evidently he had been saving up a speech for the occasion and now was prepared to deliver it4 ,mr4 ,sydney1 he began1 with a wave of his arm that seemed to include us all1 it is a pleasure to welcome you here to our island4 ,last night it occurred to me that we ought to do something to show that we appreciate it4 ,you must come to dinner to-night at my villa here in the town4 ,you are all invited1 all of us who have become so enjoyably acquainted on this voyage which ,i shall never forget4 ,believe me when ,i say that it will be even more a tribute to you personally than because of the official position you are to hold among us4 ,it was a graceful invitation1 more so than ,i had believed ,erickson capable of framing4 ,sydney could do nothing less than thank him cordially and accept1 as we all did4 ,indeed1 ,i could see that ,kennedy was delighted at the suggestion4 ,it would give him an opportunity to observe them all under circumstances different enough to show something4 ,while we were thanking ,erickson1 ,i saw that ,whitson had taken the occasion also to thank ,mrs4 ,erickson1 with whom he had been talking1 just a bit apart from the group4 ,he made no secret of his attentions1 though ,i thought she was a bit embarrassed by them at such a time4 ,indeed1 she started rather abruptly toward the group which was now intent on surveying the town1 and as she did so1 ,i noted that she had forgotten her hand-bag1 which lay on a deck-chair near where they had been sitting4 ,i picked it up to restore it4 ,some uncontrollable curiosity prompted me and ,i hesitated4 ,all were still looking at the town4 ,i opened the bag4 ,inside was a little bottle of grayish liquid4 ,what should ,i do8 ,any moment she or ,whitson might turn around4 ,hastily ,i pulled off the cap of my fountain-pen and poured into it some of the liquid1 replacing the cork in the bottle and dropping it back into the bag1 while ,i disposed of the cap as best ,i could without spilling its contents4 ,whether either she or any one else had observed me1 ,i was not going to run any chances of being seen4 ,i called a passing steward4 ,mrs4 ,erickson forgot her bag1 ,i said1 pointing hastily to it4 ,you'll find her over there with ,mr4 ,whitson4 ,then ,i mingled in the crowd to watch her4 ,she did not seem to show any anxiety when she received it4 ,i lost no time in getting back to ,kennedy and telling him what ,i had found1 and a few moments later he made an excuse to go to our state-room1 as eager as ,i was to know what had been in the little bottle4 ,first he poured out a drop of the liquid from the cap of my fountain-pen in some water4 ,it did not dissolve4 ,successively he tried alcohol1 ether1 then pepsin4 ,none of them had any effect on it4 ,finally1 however1 he managed to dissolve it in ammonia4 ,relatively high amount of sulphur1 he muttered1 after a few moments more of study4 ,keratin1 ,i believe4 ,a poison8 ,i asked4 ,kennedy shook his head4 ,no2 harmless4 ,then what is it for8 ,he shrugged his shoulders4 ,he may have had some half-formed idea1 but if he did it was still indefinite and he refused to commit himself4 ,instead1 he placed the sample in his traveling laboratory1 closed and locked it1 and1 with our luggage1 the box was ready to be taken ashore4 ,nearly every one had gone ashore by the time we returned to the deck4 ,whitson was there yet1 talking to the captain1 for the shipping at the port interested him4 ,i wondered whether he1 too1 might be suspicious of those cases consigned to ,erickson and others4 ,if so1 he said nothing of it4 ,by this time several vessels that looked as if they might be lighters1 though fairly large1 had pulled up4 ,it seemed that they had been engaged to carry shipments of goods to the other islands of ,st4 ,john and ,st4 ,croix4 ,kennedy seemed eager now to get ashore1 and we went1 accompanied by ,whitson1 and after some difficulty established ourselves in a small hotel4 ,most of the tourists were sightseeing1 and1 while we had no time for that1 still we could not help doing so1 in going about the town4 ,charlotte ,amalie1 ,i may say1 proved to be one of the most picturesque towns in the ,windward ,islands4 ,the walls of the houses were mostly of a dazzling whiteness1 though some were yellow1 others gray1 orange1 blue4 ,but the roofs were all of a generous bright red which showed up very effectively among the clumps of green trees4 ,indeed1 the town seemed to be one of gaily tinted villas and palaces4 ,there were no factories1 no slums4 ,nature had provided against that and man had not violated the provision4 ,the people whom we met on the streets were mostly negroes1 though there was a fair sprinkling of whites4 ,what pleased us most was that nearly everywhere we went ,english was spoken4 ,i had half expected ,danish4 ,but there was even very little ,spanish spoken4 ,burke was waiting for us1 and in spite of his playing the role of traveling salesman managed to direct us about so that we might as quickly as possible pick up the thread of the mysterious death of ,dwight4 ,it did not take long to gather such meager information as there was about the autopsy that had followed the strange death of ,sydney's predecessor4 ,we were able to find out little from either the authorities or the doctor who had investigated the case4 ,under the stress of suspicion1 both the stomach and the contents of the stomach of the unfortunate man had been examined4 ,no trace of anything out of the way had been found1 and there the matter had rested1 except for suspicion4 ,one of our first visits was to the ,american consulate4 ,there ,sydney1 by virtue of his special commission1 had1 with characteristic energy1 established himself with the consul4 ,naturally1 he1 too1 had been making inquiries4 ,but they had led nowhere4 ,there seemed to be no clue to the mysterious death of ,dwight1 not even a hint as to the cause4 ,all that we were able to discover1 after some hours of patient inquiry1 was that ,dwight had suffered from great prostration1 marked cyanosis1 convulsions1 and coma4 ,whether it was the result of some strange disease or of a poison no one1 not even the doctor1 was prepared to say4 ,all that was known was that the blow1 if blow it had been1 was swift1 sudden1 sure4 ,we ran across ,whitson once or twice during the day1 busily engaged renewing acquaintance with merchants and planters whom he had known before1 but ,i do not recall having seen either ,burleigh or ,leontine1 which1 at the time1 ,i thought rather strange1 for the town was small and strangers were few4 ,the more ,i thought of it the more firmly convinced ,i was that ,dwight had discovered some secret which it was extremely inconvenient for somebody to have known4 ,what was it8 ,was it connected with the rumors we had heard of gun-running to ,mexico8 ,erickson had invited us to come late in the afternoon to the dinner and we did not delay in getting there4 ,his house proved to be a veritable palace on the side of one of the hills rising abruptly back of the shore4 ,flights of massive stone steps1 quaint walls covered with creepers1 balustrades overlooking charming gardens1 arcades from which one looked out on splendid vistas and shady terraces combined to make it a veritable paradise such as can be found only in tropical and subtropical lands4 ,most wonderful of all was the picture of the other hills unfolded1 especially of the two ruined pirates' castles belonging to semi-mythical personages1 ,bluebeard and ,blackbeard4 ,the ,ericksons were proud of their home1 as well they might be1 in spite of the complaints we had heard ,nanette utter and the efforts of ,erickson to sell his holdings4 ,mrs4 ,erickson proved to be a charming hostess and the host extended a hospitality such as one rarely meets4 ,it quite made me uncomfortable to accept it at the same time that ,i knew we must view it all with suspicion4 ,nor did it make matters any better1 but rather worse1 to feel that there was some color of excuse for the suspicion4 ,burleigh arrived proudly with ,leontine1 followed closely by ,sydney4 ,at once the game was on again1 ,leontine pitting one against the other4 ,whitson came1 his attentions to ,mrs4 ,erickson a trifle restrained1 but still obvious4 ,burke and ourselves completed the party4 ,to the repeated urging of ,erickson we made ourselves quite as much at home as we politely could4 ,kennedy and ,burke1 acting under his instructions1 seemed to be ubiquitous4 ,yet1 beyond a continuation of the drama that had been unfolded on the ship it did not seem to me at first that we were getting anywhere4 ,kennedy and ,i were passing alone along a colonnade that opened off from the large dining-hall1 when ,craig paused and looked in through an open door at the massive table set for the dinner4 ,a servant had just completed setting out cocktails at the various places1 pouring them from a huge tankard1 for the purpose1 which had been standing on a sideboard4 ,guests had been walking past through the colonnade ever since we arrived1 but at the moment there was no one about1 and even the servant had disappeared4 ,kennedy stepped lightly into the dining-hall and looked about sharply4 ,instinctively ,i stepped to a window where ,i could hear any one approaching4 ,out of the corner of my eye ,i saw him narrowly scrutinizing the table4 ,finally he pulled from his pocket a clean linen handkerchief4 ,into an empty glass he poured the contents of one of the cocktail-glasses1 straining the liquid through the handkerchief4 ,then he poured the filtrate1 if ,i may call it such1 back into the original glass4 ,a second he treated in the same way1 and a third4 ,he had nearly completed the round of the table when ,i heard a light step4 ,my warning came only just in time4 ,it was ,burleigh4 ,he saw us standing now in the colonnade1 made some hasty remark1 then walked on1 as if in search for some one4 ,had it been interest in ,leontine or in the dining-room that had drawn him thither8 ,kennedy was now looking closely at the handkerchief1 and ,i looked also4 ,in the glasses had been innumerable little seeds as if from the fruit juice used in concocting the appetizer4 ,the fine meshes of the linen had extracted them4 ,what were they8 ,i took one in my fingers and crushed it between my nails4 ,there was an unmistakable odor of bitter almonds4 ,what did it mean8 ,we had no time now for speculation4 ,our prolonged absence might be noticed and we hastened to join the other guests after finishing the round of glasses in which he had been interrupted4 ,how1 in my suppressed excitement1 ,i managed to get through that dinner ,i do not know4 ,it was a brilliant affair1 yet ,i found that ,i had completely lost my appetite1 as well one might after having observed ,kennedy's sleuthing4 ,however1 the dinner progressed1 though each course that brought it nearer a conclusion afforded me an air of relief4 ,i was quite ready when1 over the coffee1 ,kennedy contrived to make some excuse for us1 promising to call again and perhaps to visit the ,erickson plantation4 ,in the secrecy of our room in the little hotel1 ,craig was soon deeply buried in making use of his traveling laboratory4 ,as he worked ,i could no longer restrain my impatience4 ,what about that little bottle of keratin8 ,i asked1 eagerly4 ,oh yes1 he replied1 not looking up from the tests he was making4 ,well1 keratin1 you know1 is also called epidermose4 ,it is a scleroprotein present largely in cuticular structures such as hair1 nails1 horn4 ,i believe it is usually prepared from pieces of horn steeped in pepsin1 hydrochloric acid1 and water for a long time4 ,then the residue is dissolved in ammonia and acetic acid4 ,but what's its use8 ,i demanded4 ,you said it was harmless4 ,why1 the pepsin of the stomach won't digest it1 he returned4 ,for that reason its chief use is for coating what are known as 'enteric capsules4' ,anything coated with keratin is carried on through the stomach into the intestines4 ,it is used much in hot countries in order to introduce drugs into the intestines in the treatment of the tropical diseases that affect the intestines4 ,he paused and devoted his entire attention to his work1 but he had told me enough to assure me that at least the bottle of keratin ,i had found had proved to be a clue4 ,i waited as long as ,i could1 then interrupted again4 ,what are the seeds8 ,i queried4 ,have you found out yet8 ,he paused as though he had not quite finished his hasty investigation1 yet had found out enough to convince him4 ,there seem to be two kinds4 ,i wish ,i had had time to keep each lot separate4 ,some of them are certainly quite harmless4 ,but there are others1 ,i find1 that have been soaked in nitro-benzol1 artificial oil of bitter almonds4 ,even a few drops1 such as might be soaked up in this way1 might be fatal4 ,the new and interesting phase1 to me1 is that they were all carefully coated with keratin4 ,really1 they are keratin-coated enteric capsules of nitro-benzol1 a deadly poison4 ,i looked at him1 aghast at what some of us had been rescued from by his prompt action4 ,you see1 he went on1 excitedly1 that is why the autopsies probably showed nothing4 ,these doctors down here sought for a poison in the stomach4 ,but if the poison had been in the stomach the odor alone would have betrayed it4 ,you smelt it when you crushed a seed4 ,but the poisoning had been devised to avoid just that chance of discovery4 ,there was no poison in the stomach4 ,death was delayed long enough1 also1 to divert suspicion from the real poisoner4 ,some one has been diabolically clever in covering up the crimes4 ,i could only gasp my amazement4 ,then1 ,i blurted out1 you think the ,ericksons-- ,our door burst open4 ,it was ,burke1 in wild excitement4 ,has anybody--died8 ,i managed to demand4 ,he seemed not to hear1 but dashed to the window and threw it open4 ,look6 he exclaimed4 ,we did4 ,in the late twilight1 through the open sash we could see the landlocked basin of the harbor4 ,but it was not that at which ,burke pointed4 ,on the horizon an ugly dark cloud rose menacingly4 ,in the strange1 unearthly murkiness1 ,i could see people of the town pouring out into the narrow streets1 wildly1 fearfully1 with frantic cries and gesticulations4 ,for a moment ,i gazed at the sight blankly4 ,then ,i realized that sweeping on us was one of those sudden1 deadly ,west-,indian hurricanes4 ,our harbor was sheltered from the north and east winds4 ,but this wind was southern born1 rare1 oncoming in a fury against which we had no protection4 ,hastily closing his armamentarium1 ,kennedy also hurried out on the street4 ,the gale had become terrific already in the few minutes that had elapsed4 ,from our terrace we could see the water1 gray and olive1 with huge white breakers1 like gnashing teeth1 coming on to rend and tear everything in their path4 ,it was as though we stood in an amphitheater provided by nature for a great spectacle1 the bold headlands standing out like the curves of a stadium4 ,i looked about4 ,the ,ericksons had just driven up with ,burleigh and ,leontine1 as well as ,whitson1 all of whom were stopping at our hotel1 and were about to take ,sydney on to the consulate when the approach of the storm warned them to stay4 ,leontine had hurried into the hotel1 evidently fearful of the loss of something she treasured1 and the rest were standing apart from the trees and buildings1 where the formation of the land offered some protection4 ,as we joined them ,i peered at the pale faces in the ghastly1 unnatural light4 ,was it1 in a sense1 retribution8 ,suddenly1 without further warning1 the storm broke4 ,trees were turned up by roots1 like weeds1 the buildings rocked as if they had been houses of cards4 ,it was a wild1 catastrophic spectacle4 ,leontine1 ,i heard a voice mutter by my side1 as a form catapulted itself past through the murkiness into the crazily swaying hotel4 ,it was ,burleigh4 ,i turned to speak to ,kennedy4 ,he was gone4 ,where to find him ,i had no idea4 ,the force of the wind was such that search was impossible4 ,all we could do was to huddle back of such protection as the earth afforded against the million needles of rain that cut into our faces4 ,the wind almost blew me flat to the earth as1 no longer able to stand the suspense1 ,i stumbled toward the hotel1 thinking perhaps he had gone to save his armamentarium1 although if ,i had stopped to think ,i should have realized that that strong box was about the safest piece of property on the island4 ,i was literally picked up and hurled against an object in the darkness--a man4 ,in the room--more keratin--more seeds4 ,it was ,kennedy4 ,he had taken advantage of the confusion to make a search which otherwise might have been more difficult4 ,together we struggled back to our shelter4 ,just then came a crash1 as the hotel crumpled under the fierce stress of the storm4 ,out of the doorway struggled a figure just in time to clear the falling walls4 ,it was ,burleigh1 a huge gash from a beam streaming blood down his forehead which the rain washed away almost as it oozed4 ,in his arms1 clinging about his neck1 was ,leontine1 no longer the sophisticated1 but in the face of this primeval danger just a woman4 ,burleigh staggered with his burden a little apart from us1 and in spite of everything ,i could fancy him blessing the storm that had given him his opportunity4 ,far from abating1 the storm seemed increasing in fury1 as though all the devils of the underworld were vexed at anything remaining undestroyed4 ,it seemed as if even the hills on which the old pirates had once had their castles must be rocking4 ,my ,god6 exclaimed a thick voice1 as an arm shot out1 pointing toward the harbor4 ,there was the ,arroyo tugging at every extra mooring that could be impressed into service4 ,the lighters had broken or been cut away and were scudding1 destruction-bent1 squarely at the shore almost below us4 ,a moment and they had crashed on the beach1 a mass of timbers and spars1 while the pounding waves tore open and flung about heavy cases as though they were mere toys4 ,then1 almost as suddenly as it had come1 the storm began to abate1 the air cleared1 and nothing remained but the fury of the waves4 ,look6 exclaimed ,kennedy1 pointing down at the strange wreckage that strewed the beach4 ,does that look like agricultural machinery8 ,we strained our eyes4 ,kennedy did not pause4 ,the moment ,i heard that arms were getting into ,mexico ,i suspected that somewhere here in the ,caribbean munitions were being transhipped4 ,perhaps they have been sent to ,atlantic ports ostensibly for the ,allies4 ,they have got down here disguised4 ,even before the storm exposed them ,i had reasoned it out4 ,from this port1 the key to the vast sweep of mainland1 ,i reasoned that they were being taken over to secret points on the coast where big ships could not safely go4 ,it was here that blockade-runners were refitted in our ,civil ,war4 ,it is here that this new gun-running plot has been laid4 ,he turned quickly to ,sydney4 ,the only obstacle between the transfer of the arms and success was the activity of an ,american consulate4 ,those lighters were not to carry goods to other islands4 ,they were really destined for ,mexico4 ,it was profitable4 ,and the scheme for removing opposition was evidently safe4 ,kennedy was holding up another bottle of keratin and some fruit seeds4 ,i found these in a room in the hotel1 he added4 ,i did not comprehend4 ,but1 ,i cut in1 the hand-bag--the dinner--what of them8 ,a plant--a despicable trespass on hospitality--all part of a scheme to throw the guilt on some one else1 worthy of a renegade and traitor4 ,craig wheeled suddenly1 then added1 with an incisive gesture1 ,i suppose you know that there is reputed to have been on one of these hills the headquarters of the old pirate1 ,teach--'the mildest manner'd man that ever scuttled ship or cut a throat6' ,kennedy paused1 then added1 quickly1 ,in respect to covering up your gun-running1 ,whitson1 you are superior even to ,teach6 ,,xii ,,the ,,sunken ,,treasure ,get story ,everson and bride yacht ,belle ,aventure seeking treasure sunk ,gulf liner ,antilles4 ,kennedy and ,i had proceeded after a few leisurely days in ,st4 ,thomas to ,porto ,rico4 ,we had no particular destination1 and ,san ,juan rather appealed to us as an objective point because it was ,american4 ,it was there that ,i found waiting for me the above message by wireless from the ,star in ,new ,york4 ,san ,juan was1 as we had anticipated1 a thoroughly ,americanized town and ,i lost no time in getting around at once to the office of the leading newspaper1 the ,colonial ,news4 ,the editor1 ,kenmore1 proved to be a former ,new ,york reporter who had come out in answer to an advertisement by the proprietors of the paper4 ,what's the big story here now8 ,i asked by way of preface1 expecting to find that colonial newspapermen were provincial4 ,what's the big story8 repeated ,kenmore1 impatiently pushing aside a long leader on native politics and regarding me thoughtfully4 ,well1 ,i'm not superstitious1 but a honeymoon spent trying to break into ,davy ,jones's locker for sunken treasure--,i guess that's a good story1 isn't it8 ,i showed him my message and he smiled4 ,you see1 ,i was right1 he exclaimed4 ,they're searching now at the ,cay d',or1 the ,golden ,key1 one of the southernmost of the ,bahamas1 ,i suppose you would call it4 ,i wish ,i was like you4 ,i'd like to get away from this political stuff long enough to get the story4 ,he puffed absently on a fragrant native cigar4 ,i met them all when they were here1 before they started1 he resumed1 reminiscently4 ,it was certainly a picturesque outfit--three college chums--one of them on his honeymoon1 and the couple chaperoning the bride's sister4 ,there was one of the college boys--a fellow named ,gage--who fairly made news4 ,how was that8 inquired ,kennedy1 who had accompanied me1 full of zest at the prospect of mixing in a story so romantic4 ,oh1 ,i don't know that it was his fault--altogether1 replied ,kenmore4 ,there's a young lady here in the city1 the daughter of a pilot1 ,dolores ,guiteras4 ,she had been a friend of some one in the expedition1 ,i believe4 ,i suppose that's how ,gage met her4 ,i don't think either of them really cared for each other4 ,perhaps she was a bit jealous of the ladies of the party4 ,i don't know anything much about it1 only ,i remember one night in the cafe of the ,palace ,hotel1 ,i thought ,gage and another fellow would fight a duel--almost--until ,everson dropped in and patched the affair up and the next day his yacht left for ,golden ,key4 ,i wish ,i'd been here to go with them1 ,i considered4 ,how do you suppose ,i'll be able to get out there1 now8 ,you might be able to hire a tug1 shrugged ,kenmore4 ,the only one ,i know is that of ,captain ,guiteras4 ,he's the father of this ,dolores ,i told you about4 ,the suggestion seemed good1 and after a few moments more of conversation1 absorbing what little ,kenmore knew1 we threaded our way across the city to the home of the redoubtable ,guiteras and his pretty daughter4 ,guiteras proved to be a man of about fifty1 a sturdy1 muscular fellow1 his face bronzed by the tropical sun4 ,i had scarcely broached the purpose of my visit when his restless brown eyes seemed literally to flash4 ,no1 sir1 he exclaimed1 emphatically4 ,you cannot get me to go on any such expedition4 ,mr4 ,everson came here first and tried to hire my tug4 ,i wouldn't do it4 ,no1 sir--he had to get one from ,havana4 ,why1 the whole thing is unlucky--hoodooed1 you call it4 ,i will not touch it4 ,but1 ,i remonstrated1 surprised at his unexpected vehemence1 ,i am not asking you to join the expedition4 ,we are only going to-- ,no1 no1 he interrupted4 ,i will not consider it4 ,i-- ,he cut short his remarks as a young woman1 radiant in her ,latin-,american beauty1 opened the door1 hesitated at sight of us1 then entered at a nod from him4 ,we did not need to be told that this was the ,dolores whom ,kenmore's rumor had credited with almost wrecking ,everson's expedition at the start4 ,she was a striking type1 her face1 full of animation and fire1 betraying more of passion than of intellect4 ,a keen glance of inquiry from her wonderful eyes at her father was followed by a momentary faraway look1 and she remained silent1 while ,guiteras paused1 as if considering something4 ,they say1 he continued1 slowly1 his features drawn sharply1 that there was loot of ,mexican churches on that ship--the jewels of ,our ,lady of the ,rosary at ,puebla4444 ,that ship was cursed1 ,i tell you6 he added1 scowling darkly4 ,no one was lost on it1 though1 ,i ventured at random4 ,i suppose you never heard the story of the ,antilles8 he inquired1 turning swiftly toward me4 ,then1 without stopping3 ,she had just sailed from ,san ,juan before she was wrecked--on her way to ,new ,york from ,vera ,cruz with several hundred ,mexican refugees4 ,treasure8 ,yes2 perhaps millions1 money that belonged to wealthy families in ,mexico--and some that had the curse on it4 ,you asked a moment ago if everybody wasn't rescued4 ,well1 everybody was rescued from the wreck except ,captain ,driggs4 ,i don't know what happened4 ,no one knows4 ,the fire had got into the engine-room and the ship was sinking fast4 ,passengers saw him1 pale1 like a ghost1 some said4 ,others say there was blood streaming from his head4 ,when the last boat-load left they couldn't find him4 ,they had to put off without him4 ,it was a miracle that no one else was lost4 ,how did the fire start8 inquired ,kennedy1 much interested4 ,no one knows that1 either1 answered ,guiteras1 shaking his head slowly4 ,i think it must have been smoldering in the hold for hours before it was discovered4 ,then the pumps either didn't work properly or it had gained too great headway for them4 ,i've heard many people talk of it and of the treasure4 ,no1 sir1 you wouldn't get me to touch it4 ,maybe you'll call it superstition4 ,but ,i won't have anything to do with it4 ,i wouldn't go with ,mr4 ,everson and ,i won't go with you4 ,perhaps you don't understand1 but ,i can't help it4 ,dolores had stood beside her father while he was speaking1 but had said nothing1 though all the time she had been regarding us from beneath her long black eyelashes4 ,arguments with the old pilot had no effect1 but ,i could not help feeling that somehow she was on our side1 that whether she shared his fears and prejudices1 her heart was really somewhere near the ,key of ,gold4 ,there seemed to be nothing for us to do but wait until some other way turned up to get out to the expedition1 or perhaps ,dolores succeeded in changing the captain's mind4 ,we bowed ourselves out1 not a little puzzled by the enigma of the obdurate old man and his pretty daughter4 ,try as ,i might among the busy shipping of the port1 ,i could find no one else willing at any reasonable price to change his plans to accommodate us4 ,it was early the next morning that a young lady1 very much perturbed1 called on us at our hotel1 scarcely waiting even the introduction of her plainly engraved card bearing the name1 ,miss ,norma ,sanford4 ,perhaps you know of my sister1 ,asta ,sanford1 ,mrs4 ,orrin ,everson1 she began1 speaking very rapidly as if under stress4 ,we're down here on ,asta's honeymoon in ,orrin's yacht1 the ,belle ,aventure4 ,craig and ,i exchanged glances1 but she did not give us a chance to interrupt4 ,it all seems so sudden1 so terrible1 she cried1 in a burst of wild1 incoherent feeling4 ,yesterday ,bertram ,traynor died1 and we've put back to ,san ,juan with his body4 ,i'm so worried for ,orrin and my sister4 ,i heard you were here1 ,professor ,kennedy1 and ,i couldn't rest until ,i saw you4 ,she was looking anxiously at ,craig4 ,i wondered whether she had heard of our visit to the ,guiterases and what she knew about that other woman4 ,i don't quite understand1 interposed ,kennedy1 with an effort to calm her4 ,why do you fear for your sister and ,mr4 ,everson8 ,was there something--suspicious--about the death of ,mr4 ,traynor8 ,indeed ,i think there was1 she replied1 quickly4 ,none of us has any idea how it happened4 ,let me tell you about our party4 ,you see1 there are three college chums1 ,orrin and two friends1 ,bertram ,traynor and ,donald ,gage4 ,they were all on a cruise down here last winter1 the year after they graduated4 ,it was in ,san ,juan that ,orrin first met ,mr4 ,dominick1 who was the purser on the ,antilles--you know1 that big steamer of the ,gulf ,line that was burned last year and went down with seven million dollars aboard8 ,kennedy nodded to the implied query1 and she went on3 ,mr4 ,dominick was among those saved1 but ,captain ,driggs was lost with his ship4 ,mr4 ,dominick had been trying to interest some one here in seeking the treasure4 ,they knew about where the ,antilles went down1 and the first thing he wanted to do was to locate the wreck exactly4 ,after that was done of course ,mr4 ,dominick knew about the location of the ship's strong room and all that4 ,that1 of course1 was common knowledge to any one interested enough to find out1 though1 suggested ,kennedy4 ,of course1 she agreed4 ,well1 a few months later ,orrin met ,mr4 ,dominick again1 in ,new ,york4 ,in the mean time he had been talking the thing over with various people and had become acquainted with a man who had once been a diver for the ,interocean ,marine ,insurance ,company--,owen ,kinsale4 ,anyhow1 so the scheme grew4 ,they incorporated a company1 the ,deep ,sea ,engineering ,company1 to search for the treasure4 ,that is how ,orrin started4 ,they are using his yacht and ,mr4 ,dominick is really in command1 though ,mr4 ,kinsale has the actual technical knowledge4 ,she paused1 but again her feelings seemed to get the better of her4 ,oh1 she cried1 ,i've been afraid all along1 lately4 ,it's dangerous work4 ,and then1 the stories that have been told of the ship and the treasure4 ,it seems ill-fated4 ,professor ,kennedy1 she appealed1 ,i wish you would come and see us4 ,we're not on the yacht just now4 ,we came ashore as soon as we arrived back1 and ,asta and ,orrin are at the ,palace ,hotel now4 ,perhaps ,orrin can tell you more4 ,if you can do nothing more than quiet my fears-- ,her eyes finished the sentence4 ,norma ,sanford was one of those girls who impress you as quite capable of taking care of themselves4 ,but in the presence of the tragedy and a danger which she felt but could not seem to define1 she felt the need of outside assistance and did not hesitate to ask it4 ,nor was ,kennedy slow in responding4 ,he seemed to welcome a chance to help some one in distress4 ,we found ,everson and his young wife at the hotel1 quite different now from the care-free adventurers who had set out only a few days before to wrest a fortune from chance4 ,i had often seen portraits of the two ,sanford sisters in the society pages of the papers in the ,states and knew that the courtship of ,orrin ,everson and ,asta ,sanford had been a true bit of modern romance4 ,asta ,everson was a unique type of girl4 ,she had begun by running fast motor cars and boats4 ,that had not satisfied her1 and she had taken up aviation4 ,once1 even1 she had tried deep-sea diving herself4 ,it seemed as if she had been born with the spirit of adventure4 ,to win her1 ,everson had done about everything from ,arctic exploration one summer when he was in college to big-game hunting in ,africa1 and mountain-climbing in the ,andes4 ,odd though the romance might seem to be1 one could not help feeling that the young couple were splendidly matched in their tastes4 ,each had that spirit of restlessness which1 at least1 sent them out playing at pioneering4 ,everson had organized the expedition quite as much in the spirit of revolt against a prosaic life of society at home as for gain4 ,it had appealed strongly to ,asta4 ,she had insisted that nothing so much as a treasure hunt would be appropriate for their wedding-trip and they had agreed on the unconventional4 ,accordingly1 she and her sister had joined ,everson and his party1 ,norma1 though a year younger1 being quite like her sister in her taste for excitement4 ,of course1 you understand1 explained ,everson1 as he hurriedly tried to give us some idea of what had happened1 we knew that the ,antilles had sunk somewhere off the ,cay d',or4 ,it was first a question of locating her4 ,that was all that we had been doing when ,bertram died4 ,it is terrible1 terrible4 ,i can't believe it4 ,i can't understand it4 ,in spite of his iron nerve1 the tragedy seemed to have shaken ,everson profoundly4 ,you had done nothing that might have been dangerous8 asked ,kennedy1 pointedly4 ,nothing1 emphasized ,everson4 ,you see1 we located the wreck in a way somewhat similar to the manner in which they sweep the seas for mines and submarines4 ,it was really very simple1 though it took us some time4 ,all we did was to drag a wire at a fixed depth between the yacht and the tug1 or rather1 ,i suppose you'd almost call it a trawler1 which ,i chartered from ,havana4 ,what we were looking for was to have the wire catch on some obstruction4 ,it did1 too1 not once1 but many times1 due to the unevenness of the ocean bed4 ,once we located a wreck1 but it was in shallow water1 a small boat1 not the one we were looking for4 ,but you succeeded finally8 ,yes1 only day before yesterday we located her4 ,we marked the spot with a buoy and were getting ready for real work4 ,it was just after that that ,bertram was taken ill and died so suddenly4 ,we've left ,dominick1 ,kinsale1 ,gage1 and the rest on the trawler there1 while ,i came here with ,traynor's body4 ,god6 but it was awful to have to send the news back to ,new ,york4 ,i don't know what to think or what to do4 ,how did he die8 asked ,kennedy1 endeavoring to gain the confidence of young ,everson4 ,do you recall any of his symptoms8 ,it came on him so suddenly1 he replied1 that we hadn't much time to think4 ,as nearly as we could make out1 it began with a faintness and difficulty in breathing4 ,we asked him how he felt--but it seemed as if he was deaf4 ,i thought it might be the 'bends'--you know1 caisson disease--and we started to put him in the medical lock which we had for the divers1 but before we could get it ready he was unconscious4 ,it was all so sudden that it stunned us4 ,i can't make it out at all4 ,neither ,asta nor ,norma seemed able to tell anything4 ,in fact1 the blow had been so swift and unexpected1 so incomprehensible1 that it had left them thoroughly alarmed4 ,the body of ,traynor had already been brought ashore and placed in a local undertaking shop4 ,with ,everson1 ,kennedy and ,i hastened to visit it4 ,traynor had been an athlete and powerfully built1 which made his sudden death seem all the more strange4 ,without a word1 ,craig set to work immediately examining his body1 while we stood aside1 watching him in anxious silence4 ,kennedy consumed the greater part of the morning in his careful investigation1 and after some time ,everson began to get restless1 wondering how his wife and sister-in-law were getting on in his absence4 ,to keep him company ,i returned to the hotel with him1 leaving ,kennedy to pursue his work alone4 ,there was nothing much that either of us could say or do1 but ,i thought ,i observed1 on closer acquaintance with ,norma1 that she had something weighing on her mind4 ,was it a suspicion of which she had not told us8 ,evidently she was not prepared to say anything yet1 but ,i determined1 rather than try to quiz her1 to tell ,kennedy1 in the hope that she might confide in him what she would not breathe to any one else4 ,it was perhaps an hour or more later that we returned to ,craig4 ,he was still at work1 though from his manner it was evident that his investigations had begun to show something1 however slight4 ,have you found anything8 asked ,everson1 eagerly4 ,i think ,i have1 returned ,craig1 measuring his words carefully4 ,of course you know the dangers of diving and the view now accepted regarding the rapid effervescence of the gases which are absorbed in the body fluids during exposure to pressure4 ,i think you know that experiment has proved that when the pressure is suddenly relieved the gas is liberated in bubbles within the body4 ,that is what seems to do the harm4 ,his symptoms1 as you described them1 seemed to indicate that4 ,it is like charged water in a bottle4 ,take out the cork and the gas inside which has been under pressure bubbles up4 ,in the human body1 air and particularly the nitrogen in the air1 literally form death bubbles4 ,everson said nothing as he regarded ,kennedy's face searchingly1 and ,craig went on3 ,set free in the spinal cord1 for instance1 such bubbles may cause partial paralysis1 or in the heart may lead to stoppage of the circulation4 ,in this case ,i am quite sure that what ,i have found indicates air in the arteries1 the heart1 and the blood vessels of the brain4 ,it must have been a case of air embolism1 insufflation4 ,though ,everson seemed all along to have suspected something of the sort1 ,kennedy's judgment left him quite as much at a loss for an explanation4 ,kennedy seemed to understand1 as he went on3 ,i have tried to consider all the ways such a thing could have happened1 he considered4 ,it is possible that air might have been introduced into the veins by a hypodermic needle or other instrument4 ,but ,i find no puncture of the skin or other evidence that would support that theory4 ,i have looked for a lesion of the lungs1 but find none4 ,then how could it have occurred8 ,had he done any real deep diving8 ,everson shook his head slowly4 ,no1 he replied4 ,as ,i said1 it wouldn't have been so incomprehensible if he had4 ,besides1 if we had been diving1 we should have been on the lookout4 ,no1 ,bertram had only tested the apparatus once1 after we located the wreck4 ,he didn't much more than go under the surface--nothing like the practice dives we all made up in ,long ,island ,sound before we came down here4 ,he was only testing the pumps and other things to see whether they had stood the voyage4 ,why1 it was nothing at all6 ,i don't see how it could have given any one the 'bends'--much less a fellow like ,traynor4 ,why1 ,i think he could have stood more than ,kinsale with a little practice4 ,kennedy1 ,i can't get it out of my mind that there's something about this that isn't ,,right4 ,craig regarded ,everson gravely4 ,frankly1 he confessed1 ,i must say that ,i don't understand it myself--at this distance4 ,would you come out to the ,key with me8 hastened ,everson1 as though grasping at a possible solution4 ,i should be delighted to help you in any manner that ,i can1 returned ,craig1 heartily4 ,everson could not find words to express his gratitude as we hurried back to the hotel4 ,in the excitement1 ,i had completely forgotten the despatch from the ,star1 but now ,i suddenly realized that here1 ready to hand1 was the only way of getting out to the ,key of ,gold and securing the story4 ,asta ,everson and ,norma1 especially1 were overjoyed at the news that ,kennedy had consented to accompany them back to the wreck4 ,evidently they had great faith in him1 from what they had heard at home4 ,accordingly1 ,everson lost no time in preparing to return to the yacht4 ,nothing more now could be done for poor ,traynor1 and delay might mean much in clearing up the mystery1 if mystery it should prove4 ,we were well on our way toward the landing place before ,i realized that we were going over much the same route that ,kennedy and ,i had taken the day before to reach the home of ,guiteras4 ,i was just about to say something about it to ,kennedy1 and of the impression that ,norma had made on me1 when suddenly a figure darted from around a corner and confronted us4 ,we stopped in surprise4 ,it was no other than ,dolores herself--not the quiet1 subdued ,dolores we had seen the day before1 but an almost wild1 passionate creature4 ,what it was that had transformed her ,i could not imagine4 ,it was not ourselves that she seemed to seek1 nor yet the ,eversons4 ,she did not pause until she had come close to ,norma herself4 ,for a moment the two women1 so different in type1 faced each other1 ,dolores fiery with the ardent beauty of her race1 ,norma pulsating with life and vigor1 yet always mistress of herself4 ,i warn you6 cried ,dolores1 unable to restrain herself4 ,you thought the other was yours--and he was not4 ,do not seek revenge4 ,he is mine--,,mine1 ,i tell you4 ,win your own back again4 ,i was only making sport of him4 ,but mine--beware6 ,for a moment ,norma gazed at her1 then1 without a word1 turned aside and walked on4 ,another instant and ,dolores was gone as suddenly as she had appeared4 ,asta looked inquiringly1 but ,norma made no attempt at explanation4 ,what did it mean8 ,had it anything to do with the dispute in the hotel which ,kenmore had witnessed8 ,at the landing we parted for a time with ,everson1 to return to our hotel and get what little we needed1 including ,kennedy's traveling laboratory1 while ,everson prepared quarters for our reception on the yacht4 ,what do you make of that ,dolores incident8 ,i hastened to ask the moment we were alone4 ,i don't know1 he replied1 except that ,i feel it has an important bearing on the case4 ,there is something that ,norma hasn't told us1 ,i fear4 ,while we waited for a wagon to transfer our goods to the dock1 ,kennedy took a moment to call up ,kenmore on the ,news4 ,as he turned to me from the telephone1 ,i saw that what he had learned had not helped him much in his idea of the case4 ,it was the ,interocean ,company which had insured the ,antilles1 was all he said4 ,instantly ,i thought of ,kinsale and his former connection4 ,was he secretly working with them still8 ,was there a plot to frustrate ,everson's plans8 ,at least the best thing to do was to get out to the wreck and answer our many questions at first hand4 ,the ,belle ,aventure was a trim yacht of perhaps seventy feet1 low1 slim1 and graceful1 driven by a powerful gas-engine and capable of going almost anywhere4 ,an hour later we were aboard and settled in a handsomely appointed room1 where ,craig lost no time in establishing his temporary traveling crime clinic4 ,it was quite late before we were able to start1 for ,everson had a number of commissions to attend to on this his first visit to port since he had set out so blithely4 ,finally1 however1 we had taken aboard all that he needed and we slipped out quietly past the castle on the point guarding the entrance to the harbor4 ,all night we plowed ahead over the brilliant1 starry1 tropical sea1 making splendid time1 for the yacht was one of the fastest that had ever been turned out by the builders4 ,now and then ,i could see that ,kennedy was furtively watching ,norma1 in the hope that she might betray whatever secret it was she was guarding so jealously4 ,though she betrayed nothing1 ,i felt sure that it had to do with some member of the expedition and that it was a more than ordinarily complicated affair of the heart4 ,the ladies had retired1 leaving us with ,everson in the easy wicker chairs on the after-deck4 ,i can't seem to get out of my mind1 ,everson1 that meeting with the ,spanish girl on the street1 suddenly remarked ,kennedy1 in the hope of getting something by surprise4 ,you see1 ,i had already heard of a little unpleasantness in a hotel cafe1 before the expedition started4 ,somehow ,i feel that there must be some connection4 ,for a moment ,everson regarded ,kennedy under the soft rays of the electric light under the awning as it swayed in the gentle air1 then looked out over the easy swell of the summer sea4 ,i don't understand it myself1 he remarked1 at length1 lowering his voice4 ,when we came down here ,dominick knew that girl1 ,dolores1 and of course ,kinsale met her right away1 too4 ,i thought ,gage was head over ears in love with ,norma--and ,i guess he is4 ,only that night in the cafe ,i just didn't like the way he proposed a toast to ,dolores4 ,he must have met her that day4 ,maybe he was a bit excited4 ,what she said to-day might mean that it was her fault4 ,i don't know4 ,but since we've been out to the ,key ,i fancy ,norma has been pretty interested in ,dominick4 ,and ,kinsale doesn't hesitate to show that he likes her4 ,it all sets ,donald crazy4 ,it's so mixed up4 ,i can't make anything of it4 ,and ,norma--well1 even ,asta can't get anything out of her4 ,i wish to ,heaven you could straighten the thing out4 ,we talked for some time1 without getting much more light than ,everson had been able at first to shed on the affair1 and finally we retired1 having concluded that only time and events would enable us to get at the truth4 ,it was early in the morning that ,i was wakened by a change in the motion of the boat4 ,there was very little vibration from the engine1 but this motion was different4 ,i looked out of the port-hole which had been very cleverly made to resemble a window and found that we had dropped anchor4 ,the ,key of ,gold was a beautiful green island1 set1 like a sparkling gem1 in a sea of deepest turquoise4 ,slender pines with a tuft of green at the top rose gracefully from the wealth of foliage below and contrasted with the immaculate white of the sandy beach that glistened in the morning sun4 ,romance seemed to breathe from the very atmosphere of the place4 ,we found that the others on the yacht were astir1 too1 and1 dressing hastily1 we went out on deck4 ,across the dancing waves1 which seemed to throw a mocking challenge to the treasure-seekers to find what they covered1 we could see the trawler4 ,already a small power-boat had put out from her and was plowing along toward us4 ,it was as the boat came alongside us that we met ,gage for the first time4 ,he was a tall1 clean-cut fellow1 but even at a glance ,i recognized that his was an unusual type4 ,i fancied that both proctors and professors had worried over him when he was in college4 ,particularly ,i tried to discover how he acted when he met ,norma4 ,it was easy to see that he was very eager to greet her1 but ,i fancied that there was some restraint on her part4 ,perhaps she felt that we were watching and was on her guard4 ,dominick greeted ,everson warmly4 ,he was a man of about thirty-five and impressed one as having seen a great deal of the world4 ,his position as purser had brought him into intimate contact with many people1 and he seemed to have absorbed much from them4 ,i could imagine that1 like many people who had knocked about a great deal1 he might prove a very fascinating person to know4 ,kinsale1 on the other hand1 was a rather silent fellow and therefore baffling4 ,in his own profession of deep-sea diving he was an expert1 but beyond that ,i do not think he had much except an ambition to get ahead1 which might be praiseworthy or not1 according as he pursued it4 ,i fancied that next to ,everson himself1 ,norma placed more confidence in ,dominick than in any of the others1 which seemed to be quite natural1 though it noticeably piqued ,gage4 ,on the part of all three1 ,gage1 ,dominick1 and ,kinsale1 it was apparent that they were overjoyed at the return of ,norma1 which also was quite natural1 for even a treasure-hunt has hours of tedium and there could be nothing tedious when she was about4 ,asta was undoubtedly the more fascinating1 but she was wrapped up in ,everson4 ,it was not long before ,kennedy and ,i also fell under the spell of ,norma's presence and personality4 ,we hurried through breakfast and lost no time in accepting ,everson's invitation to join him1 with the rest1 in the little power-boat on a visit to the trawler4 ,it was ,dominick who took upon himself the task of explaining to us the mysteries of treasure-hunting as we saw them4 ,you see1 he remarked1 pointing out to us what looked almost like a strangely developed suit of armor1 we have the most recent deep-sea diving-outfit which will enable us to go from two hundred to three hundred feet down--farther1 and establish a record if we had to do it4 ,it won't be necessary1 though4 ,the ,antilles lies in about two hundred and fifty feet of water1 we have found4 ,this armor has to be strong1 for1 with the air pressure inside1 it must resist a pressure of nearly half a pound per square inch for each foot we go--to be exact1 something like a hundred and five pounds per square inch at the depth of the wreck4 ,perhaps if ,traynor had been diving we might have thought that that was the trouble4 ,it was the first reference since we arrived to the tragedy4 ,he had only had the suit on once1 went on ,dominick1 confirming ,everson1 and that was merely to test the pumps and valves and joints4 ,even ,kinsale1 here1 hasn't been down4 ,still1 we haven't been idle4 ,i have something to report4 ,with our instruments we have discovered that the ship has heeled over and that it will be a bit harder job to get into my office and get out the safe than we hoped--but feasible4 ,kennedy showed more interest in the diving apparatus than he had shown in anything else so far4 ,the trawler was outfitted most completely as a tender1 having been anchored over the exact spot at which the descents were to be made1 held by four strong cables1 with everything in readiness for action4 ,i saw him cast a quick glance at the others4 ,for the moment ,dominick1 ,gage1 and ,kinsale seemed to have forgotten us in their interest explaining to ,norma what had been accomplished in her absence4 ,he seized the occasion to make an even closer examination of the complicated apparatus4 ,so carefully had accident been guarded against that even a device for the purification of the air had been installed in the machine which forced the fresh air down to the diver1 compressed4 ,it was this apparatus which ,i saw ,kennedy studying most1 especially one part where the air was passed through a small chamber containing a chemical for the removal of carbon dioxide4 ,as he looked up1 ,i saw a peculiar expression on his face4 ,quickly he removed the chemical1 leaving the tube through which the air passed empty4 ,i think the air will be pure enough without any such treatment1 he remarked1 glancing about to be sure no one had observed4 ,how is that8 ,i inquired1 eagerly4 ,well1 you know air is a mechanical mixture of gases1 mainly oxygen and nitrogen4 ,here's something that gives it an excess of nitrogen and a smaller percentage of oxygen4 ,nitrogen is the more dangerous gas for one under compressed air4 ,it is the more inert nitrogen that refuses to get out of the blood after one has been under pressure1 that forms the bubbles of gas which cause all the trouble1 the 'bends1' compressed-air sickness1 you know4 ,then that is how ,traynor died8 ,i whispered1 coming hastily to the conclusion4 ,some one placed the wrong salt in there--took out oxygen1 added nitrogen1 instead of removing carbon dioxide8 ,norma had turned toward us4 ,it was too early for ,kennedy to accuse anybody1 whatever might be his suspicions4 ,he could not yet come from under cover4 ,i think so1 was all he replied4 ,a moment later the group joined us4 ,no one has been down on the wreck yet8 inquired ,craig1 at which ,everson turned quickly to the three companions he had left in charge1 himself anxious to know4 ,no1 replied ,kinsale before any one else could answer4 ,mr4 ,dominick thought we'd better wait until you came back4 ,then ,i should like to be the first1 cut in ,craig1 to my utter surprise4 ,remonstrance had no effect with him4 ,neither ,norma nor ,asta could dissuade him4 ,as for the rest of us1 our objections seemed rather to confirm him in his purpose4 ,accordingly1 in spite of the danger1 which now no one no more than he knew1 all the preparations were made for the first dive4 ,with the aid of ,kinsale1 whom ,i watched closely1 though no more so than ,craig1 he donned the heavy suit of rubberized reinforced canvas1 had the leads placed on his feet and finally was fitted with the metal head and the bib--the whole weighing hardly short of three hundred pounds4 ,it was with serious misgiving that ,i saw him go over the side of the trawler and shoot down into the water with its dark mystery and tragedy4 ,the moments that he was down seemed interminable4 ,suspiciously ,i watched every move that the men made1 fearful that they might do something4 ,i longed for the technical knowledge that would have enabled me to handle the apparatus4 ,i tried to quiet my fears by reasoning that ,craig must have had perfect confidence in the value of his discovery if he were willing to risk his life on it1 yet ,i felt that at least a show of vigilance on my part might bluff any one off from an attempt to tamper again with the air-supply4 ,i stuck about closely4 ,yet1 when there came a hasty signal on the indicator from below1 although ,i felt that he had been down for ages1 ,i knew that it had been only a very short time4 ,could it be a signal of trouble8 ,had some one again tampered with the apparatus8 ,would they never bring him up8 ,it seemed as if they were working fearfully slow4 ,i remembered how quickly he had shot down4 ,what had seemed then only a matter of seconds and minutes now seemed hours4 ,it was only by sheer will power that ,i restrained myself as ,i realized that going under the air pressure might be done safely quite fast1 that he must come out slowly1 by stages1 that over the telephone that connected with his helmet he was directing the decompression in accordance with the latest knowledge that medical science had derived of how to avoid the dread caisson disease4 ,i don't know when ,i have felt more relief than ,i did at seeing his weird headgear appear at the surface4 ,the danger from the bends might not be entirely over yet1 but at least it was ,craig himself1 safe1 at last4 ,as he came over the side of the trawler ,i ran to him4 ,it was like trying to greet a giant in that outlandish suit which was so clumsy out of the water4 ,craig's back was turned to the others1 and when ,i realized the reason ,i stood aghast4 ,he had brought up a skull and had handed the gruesome thing to me with a motion of secrecy4 ,meanwhile he hastened to get out of the cumbersome suit1 and1 to my delight1 showed no evidence yet of any bad effects4 ,that he should have made the descent and returned so successfully ,i felt must be a surprise to some one4 ,who was it8 ,i could not help thinking of ,kinsale again4 ,was he working for two masters8 ,was he still employed by the insurance company8 ,was this a scheme to capture all the rich salvage of the ship instead of that percentage to which ,everson had secured an agreement with the underwriters8 ,kennedy lost no time in getting back to the ,belle ,aventure with the skull which ,i had concealed for him4 ,it was a strange burden and ,i was not loath to resign it to him4 ,none of the others1 apparently1 knew that he had brought up anything with him1 and to all questions he replied as though he had merely been testing out the apparatus and1 except in a most cursory way1 had not made an examination of the ship1 although what he had observed confirmed the investigations they had already made from the surface4 ,in our cabin1 ,kennedy set to work immediately after opening his traveling laboratory and taking from it a small kit of tools and some materials that looked almost like those for an actor's make-up4 ,i saw that he wished to be left alone and retired as gracefully as ,i could1 determined to employ the time in watching the others4 ,i found ,norma seated in one of the wicker chairs on the after-deck1 talking earnestly with ,dominick1 and1 hesitating whether ,i should interrupt them1 ,i paused between the library and the sumptuously fitted main saloon4 ,i was glad that ,i did1 for just that moment of hesitation was enough for me to surprise a man peering out at them through the curtains of a window1 with every evidence of intense dislike of the situation4 ,looking closer1 ,i saw that it was ,gage4 ,had ,i expected anything of the sort ,i should have gone even more cautiously4 ,as it was1 though ,i surprised him1 he heard me in time to conceal his real intentions by some trivial action4 ,it seemed as if our arrival had been succeeded by a growth of suspicion among the members of the little party4 ,each1 as far as ,i could make out1 was now on guard1 and1 remembering that ,kennedy had often said that that was a most fruitful time1 since it was just under such circumstances that even the cleverest could not help incriminating himself1 ,i hastened back to let ,craig know how matters were4 ,he was at work now on a most grotesque labor1 and1 as he placed on it the finishing touches1 he talked abstractedly4 ,what ,i am using1 ,walter1 he explained1 might be called a new art4 ,lately science has perfected the difficult process of reconstructing the faces of human beings of whom only the skull or a few bones1 perhaps1 are obtainable4 ,to the unskilled observer a fleshless skull presents little human likeness and certainly conveys no notion of the exact appearance in life of the person to whom it belonged4 ,but by an ingenious system of building up muscles and skin upon the bones of the skull this appearance can be reproduced with scientific accuracy4 ,the method1 ,i might say1 has been worked out independently by ,professor von ,froriep1 in ,germany1 and by ,dr4 ,henri ,martin1 in ,france4 ,its essential principle consists in ascertaining from the examination of many corpses the normal thickness of flesh that overlies a certain bone in a certain type of face4 ,from these calculations the scientists by elaborate processes build up a face on the skull4 ,i watched him1 with an uncontrollable fascination4 ,for instance1 he went on1 a certain type of bone always has nearly the same thickness of muscle over it4 ,a very fine needle with graduations of hundredths of an inch is used in these measurements4 ,as ,i have done here1 a great number of tiny plaster pyramids varying in height according to the measurements obtained by these researches are built up over the skull1 representing the thickness of the muscles4 ,the next step will be to connect them together by a layer of clay the surface of which is flush with the tips of the pyramids4 ,then wax and grease paint and a little hair will complete it4 ,you see1 it is really scientific restoration of the face4 ,i must finish it4 ,meanwhile1 ,i wish you would watch ,norma4 ,i'll join you in a short time4 ,norma was not on deck when ,i returned1 nor did ,i see any one else for some time4 ,i walked forward1 and paused at the door to the little wireless-room on the yacht1 intending to ask the operator if he had seen her4 ,where's ,mr4 ,kennedy8 he inquired1 before ,i had a chance to put my own question4 ,some one has been in this wireless-room this morning and must have been sending messages4 ,things aren't as ,i left them4 ,i think he ought to know4 ,just then ,everson himself came up from below1 his face almost as white as the paint on the sides of his yacht4 ,without a word1 he drew me aside1 looking about fearfully as though he were afraid of being overheard4 ,i've just discovered half a dozen sticks of dynamite in the hold1 he whispered1 hoarsely1 staring wide-eyed at me4 ,there was a timing device1 set for to-night4 ,i've severed it4 ,where's ,kennedy8 ,your wireless has been tampered with1 too1 ,i blurted out1 telling what ,i had just learned4 ,we looked at each other blankly4 ,clearly some one had plotted to blow up the yacht and all of us on board4 ,without another word1 ,i took his arm and we walked toward our state-room1 where ,kennedy was at work4 ,as we entered the narrow passage to it ,i heard low voices4 ,some one was there before us4 ,kennedy had shut the door and was talking in the hall4 ,as we turned the corner ,i saw that it was ,norma1 whom ,i had forgotten in the surprise of the two discoveries that had been so suddenly made4 ,as we approached she glanced significantly at ,kennedy as if appealing to him to tell something4 ,before he could speak1 ,everson himself interrupted1 telling of his discovery of the dynamite and of what the wireless operator had found4 ,there was a low exclamation from ,norma4 ,it's a plot to kidnap me6 she cried1 in a smothered voice4 ,professor ,kennedy--,i told you ,i thought so6 ,everson and ,i could only look our inquiries at the startling new turn of events4 ,miss ,sanford has just been to her state-room1 hastily explained ,craig4 ,there she found that some one had carefully packed up a number of her things and hidden them1 as if waiting a chance to get them off safely4 ,i think her intuition is correct4 ,there would be no motive for robbery--here4 ,vainly ,i tried to reason it out4 ,as ,i thought1 ,i recalled that ,gage had seemed insanely jealous of both ,dominick and ,kinsale1 whenever he saw either with ,norma4 ,did ,gage know more about these mysterious happenings than appeared8 ,why had he so persistently sought her8 ,had ,norma instinctively fled from his attentions8 ,where are the others8 asked ,craig1 quickly4 ,i turned to ,everson4 ,i had not yet had time to find out4 ,gone back to the trawler1 he replied4 ,signal them to come aboard here directly1 ordered ,craig4 ,it seemed an interminable time as the message was broken out in flags to the trawler1 which was not equipped with the wireless4 ,even the hasty explanation which ,kennedy had to give to ,asta ,everson1 as she came out of her cabin1 wondering where ,orrin had gone1 served only to increase the suspense4 ,it was as though we were living over a powder-magazine that threatened to explode at any moment4 ,what did the treachery of one member of the expedition mean8 ,above all1 who was it8 ,we had been so intent watching from the deck the all too slow approach of the little power-boat from the trawler that we had paid no attention to what was on our other quarter4 ,a tug approaching1 sir1 reported the man on watch to ,everson4 ,seems to be heading for us1 sir4 ,we turned to look4 ,who was she1 friend or foe8 ,we knew not what to expect4 ,everson1 pale but with a firm grip on his nerves1 did not move from the deck as the power-boat came alongside1 and ,dominick1 ,gage1 and ,kinsale swung themselves up the ladder to us4 ,it's the tug of that pilot1 ,guiteras1 sir1 interposed the man who had spoken before4 ,not a word was spoken1 though ,i fancied that a quiet smile flitted over ,kennedy's face as we waited4 ,the tug ranged up alongside us4 ,to my utter astonishment1 ,i saw ,dolores1 her black eyes eagerly scanning our faces4 ,was she looking for ,gage1 ,i wondered8 ,it was only a moment when the party that had put out from the tug also came tumbling aboard4 ,i got your message1 ,kennedy1 and brought ,guiteras4 ,he wouldn't join the expedition1 but he thought more of his daughter than of anything else4 ,it was ,kenmore1 who had at last achieved his wish to get on the treasure-hunt story4 ,everson looked inquiringly at ,craig4 ,message8 repeated ,kennedy4 ,i sent no message4 ,it was ,kenmore's turn to stare4 ,had some one hoaxed him into a wild-goose chase1 after all8 ,nothing8 ,about ,dolores being deserted1 and-- ,he shall marry my daughter6 boomed a gruff voice as ,guiteras shouldered his way through the little group1 his hand shooting back to a pocket where bulged a huge ,colt4 ,like a flash ,kennedy1 who had been watching1 caught his wrist4 ,just a second1 ,captain1 he shouted1 then turned to us1 speaking rapidly and excitedly4 ,this thing has all been carefully1 diabolically laid out4 ,all who stood in the way of the whole of the treasure were to be eliminated4 ,one person has sought to get it all--at any cost4 ,in ,craig's own hand now gleamed a deadly automatic while with the other he held ,guiteras's wrist4 ,but1 he added1 tensely1 an insane passion has wrecked the desperate scheme4 ,a woman has been playing a part--leading the man on to his own destruction in order to save the man she really loves4 ,i looked over at ,norma4 ,she was pale and agitated1 then burning and nervous by turns4 ,it was only by a most heroic effort that she seemed able to restrain herself1 her eyes riveted on ,kennedy's face1 weighing every word to see whether it balanced with a feeling in her own heart4 ,the ,antilles1 shot out ,kennedy1 suddenly1 was burned and sunk1 not by accident1 but with a purpose4 ,that purpose has run through all the events ,i have seen--the use of ,mr4 ,everson1 his yacht1 his money1 his influence4 ,come6 ,he strode down the passage to our state-room1 and we followed in awed silence4 ,it is a vast1 dastardly crime--to get the ,mexican millions1 he went on1 pausing1 his hand on the knob of the door while we crowded the narrow passage4 ,i have brought up from the wreck a skull which ,i found near a safe1 unlocked so that entrance would be easy4 ,the skull shows plainly that the man had been hit on the head by some blunt instrument1 crushing him4 ,had he discovered something that it was inconvenient to know8 ,you have heard the stories of the ill-fated ship-- ,craig flung open the door suddenly4 ,we saw a weird face--the head apparently streaming blood from a ghastly wound4 ,there was a shrill cry beside me4 ,it's his ghost--,captain ,driggs6 ,god save me--it's his ghost come to haunt me and claim the treasure6 ,i turned quickly4 ,dominick had broken down4 ,you were--just leading him on--tell me--,norma4 ,i turned again quickly4 ,it was ,gage1 who had taken ,norma's hand1 quivering with excitement4 ,you never cared for her8 she asked1 with the anxiety that showed how in her heart she loved him4 ,never4 ,it was part of the plot4 ,i sent the message to get her here to show you4 ,i didn't know you were playing a game-- ,suddenly the sharp crack of a pistol almost deafened us in the close passageway4 ,as the smoke cleared1 ,i saw ,dolores1 her eyes blazing with hatred1 jealousy1 revenge4 ,in her hand was the pistol she had wrenched from her father4 ,on the floor across the door-sill sprawled a figure4 ,dominick had paid the price of his faithlessness to her also4 ,,the ,,end