,,the ,,adventuress ,,books ,,by ,,arthur ,b4 ,,reeve ,craig ,kennedy ,detective ,stories ,,the ,,adventuress ,,the ,,treasure-,,train ,,the ,,silent ,,bullet ,,the ,,poisoned ,,pen ,,the ,,dream ,,doctor ,,the ,,exploits ,,of ,,elaine ,,the ,,romance ,,of ,,elaine ,,the ,,ear ,,in ,,the ,,wall ,,the ,,war ,,terror ,,gold ,,of ,,the ,,gods ,,the ,,social ,,gangster ,other ,detective ,stories ,,guy ,,garrick ,,constance ,,dunlap ,,harper ,,brothers1 ,,new ,,york ,,established #ahag ,illustration3 ,,craig ,,kennedy ,,in ,,his ,,laboratory ,,the ,,adventuress ,a ,,craig ,,kennedy ,,detective ,,story ,,by ,,arthur ,b4 ,,reeve ,,author ,,of 8,the ,treasure ,train0 and other ,craig ,kennedy ,scientific ,detective ,stories ,,frontispiece ,,by ,,will ,,foster ,illustration ,,harper ,,brothers ,,publishers ,,new ,,york ,,and ,,london ,,the ,,adventuress ,copyright1 #aiag1 by ,harper ,brothers ,printed in the ,united ,states of ,america ,published ,november1 #aiag ,,contents ,,chap4 ,,page ,i4 ,,the ,,mystery ,,of ,,the 8,,sybarite0 #a ,,ii4 ,,the ,,secret ,,service #ae ,,iii4 ,,the ,,cabaret ,,dancer #ca ,,iv4 ,,the ,,burglar',s ,,microphone #dd ,v4 ,,the ,,white ,,light ,,caf #ee ,,vi4 ,,the ,,poison ,,gas #fi ,,vii4 ,,the ,,divorce ,,detective #hj ,,viii4 ,,the ,,pulmotor #ig ,,ix4 ,,the ,,trailing ,,of ,,paquita #aji ,x4 ,,the ,,detectaphone ,,detector #abd ,,xi4 ,,the ,,frame-,,up #ace ,,xii4 ,,the ,,eavesdroppers #adi ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,serpent',s ,,tooth #afj ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,geophone #aga ,,xv4 ,,the ,,night ,,of ,,terror #ahc ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,invisible ,,ink #aif ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,cipher ,,letter #baa ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,radio ,,detective #bbf ,,xix4 ,,the ,,wireless ,,wiretapper #bdb ,,xx4 ,,the ,,speed ,,demon #bef ,,xxi4 ,,the ,,submarine ,,ear #bgj ,,xxii4 ,,the ,,telautomaton #bhe ,,xxiii4 ,,the ,,curb ,,market #cjj ,,xxiv4 ,,the ,,phantom ,,circuit #cae ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,adventuress #cbi ,,the ,,adventuress ,,the ,,adventuress ,i ,,the ,,mystery ,,of ,,the 8,,sybarite0 ,a revolver-shot followed by the crash of glass sounded in our hall4 ,at the same instant the laboratory door burst open and an elderly1 distinguished-looking man stumbled in on us1 his hat now off1 his coat and collar awry1 his hair rumpled1 and his face wearing a dazed1 uncertain expression1 as though he did not yet comprehend what had so suddenly taken place4 8,my ,god60 he exclaimed1 gazing about in a vain effort to restore his dignity and equilibrium4 8,what was that8 ,i hardly had my hand on the knob when it happened40 ,a glance was enough to assure ,kennedy that the man was unhurt1 except for the shock1 and in a moment he dashed out into the hall4 ,the front door of the ,chemistry ,building had been shattered by a revolver-shot4 ,but not even the trace of a skulking figure could be seen on the campus4 ,pursuit was useless4 ,there was1 apparently1 no one to pursue4 ,pale and agitated still1 the man sank limply into a chair as ,i forced a stimulant into his trembling lips4 ,kennedy closed the door and stood there a moment1 a look of inquiry on his face1 but without a word4 8,some onemust haveshadowed meall the way10 gasped the man as he gulped hard1 8must have seen me come intried to shoot me before ,i had a chance to tell you my story40 ,it was some minutes before our strange visitor regained his poise1 and ,craig refrained from questioning him1 though ,i was consumed with curiosity to know the reason of his sudden entrance4 ,when at last he did speak1 his first words were so different from anything ,i had expected that ,i could hardly believe him to be the same person4 ,in spite of his nervousness1 his tone was that of a hard1 practical man of business4 8,i suppose you know something of ,maddox ,munitions1 ,incorporated80 he inquired1 somewhat brusquely4 ,i did not quite understand a man who could be himself so soon after an episode such as he had been through1 nor do ,i think ,kennedy did1 either4 8,i have no interest in #8war brides1'0 returned ,craig1 coldly4 8,nor have ,ias such10 the man agreed1 apparently rather pleased than otherwise at the stand-off attitude ,kennedy had assumed4 8,but ,i happen to be ,maxwell ,hastings1 attorney for ,marshall ,maddox1 who was0 ,kennedy wheeled about suddenly1 interrupting4 8,whose body was found floating in ,westport ,bay this morning4 ,yes1 ,mr4 ,jameson and ,i have read the little five-line despatch in the papers this morning4 ,i thought there was something back of it40 ,as for me1 ,i was even more excited now than ,kennedy and ,i could see a smile of satisfaction flit over the face of ,hastings4 ,in a few sentences the clever lawyer had extracted from us what others took all manner of time and art to discover4 ,he knew that we were interested1 that he could depend on ,kennedy's taking the case4 ,kennedy and ,i exchanged a significant glance4 ,we had discussed the thing cursorily at the breakfast-table as we did any odd bit of news that interested us4 ,already ,i knew1 or fancied ,i knew1 something of the affair4 ,for it was at the time when explosions in munitions plants had furnished many thrilling chapters of news4 ,all the explosions had not been confined to the plants1 however4 ,there had been and still were going on explosions less sanguinary but quite as interesting in the ,maddox family itself4 ,there was a hundred million dollars as the apple of discord1 and a most deadly feud had divided the heirs4 ,together they had made money so fast that one might think they would not feel even annoyance over a stray million here and there4 ,but1 as so often happens1 jealousy had crept in4 ,sudden wealth seemed to have turned the heads of the whole family4 ,marshall ,maddox was reported to have been making efforts to oust the others and make himself master of the big concern4 8,maddox had had some trouble with his wife1 hadn't he80 ,i asked1 recalling scattered paragraphs lately in the papers4 ,hastings nodded4 8,they were separated4 ,that1 too1 was part of the family disagreement4 ,his sister1 ,frances1 took the part of his wife1 ,irene1 ,i believe40 ,hastings considered a moment1 as though debating how far he should go in exposing the private affairs of his client1 then caught the eye of ,kennedy1 and seemed to realize that as long as he had called ,craig into the case he must be frank1 at least with us4 8,at the ,westport ,harbor ,house10 he added1 deliberately1 8we know that there was a little ,mexican dancer1 ,paquita4 ,perhaps you have heard of her on the stage and in the cabarets of ,new ,york4 ,marshall ,maddox knew her in the city40 ,he paused4 ,evidently he had something more to say and was considering the best way to say it4 ,finally ,hastings leaned over and whispered1 8,we know1 too1 that ,shelby ,maddox1 his brother1 had met ,paquita at the ,harbor ,house just before the family conference which brought them all together40 ,it was evident that1 at least to ,hastings1 there was something in the affair that looked ugly to him as far as ,shelby was concerned4 8,it's not at all strange10 he added1 8that two men as unlike as ,marshall and ,shelby should disagree4 ,marshall was the dominating type1 eager for power2 ,shelby easy-going1 more interested in having a good time4 ,in this affair of ,paquitawhatever it amounted to,i'm not at all surprised at ,shelby4 ,he is younger than ,marshall wasand inclined to be a sport4 ,still1 there was a vein of susceptibility in ,marshall1 too4 ,there must have been40 ,hastings paused4 ,human frailties were out of his ken as a lawyer4 ,property he understood2 passions1 no4 ,with him the law had been a jealous mistress and had brooked no rival4 8,it was on ,shelby's yacht1 the ,sybarite1 was it not1 that the tragedy occurred80 ventured ,kennedy4 ,it was a leading question and ,hastings knew it4 ,he drew in a long1 contemplative breath as he decided whether he should consent to be led4 8,yesand no10 he answered1 finally4 8,they were there on the yacht1 of course1 to agree to disagree and to divide the family fortune4 ,shelby ,maddox went to ,westport on the yacht1 and it was so hot at the ,harbor ,house that they decided to hold the conference on the ,sybarite4 ,marshall ,maddox and ,i had motored out from town4 ,the sister1 ,frances1 and her husband1 ,johnson ,walcott1 live on the other side of the island4 ,they motored over1 also bringing with them ,johnson ,walcott's sister1 ,winifred1 who stayed at the ,harbor ,house4 ,johnson ,walcott himself went ashore from the yacht early in the evening1 having to go to the city on business4 ,that was all right1 for there was ,bruce1 the lawyer who represented ,frances ,maddox,i mean ,mrs4 ,walcott1 of course4 ,you see1 ,i've known the family so long that ,i often forget that she is married4 ,shelby had his lawyer1 also1 ,mr4 ,harvey4 ,that was the party4 ,as for the tragedy1 ,i can't say that we know positively that it took place on the yacht4 ,no4 ,we don't know anything40 8,don't know anything80 hastened ,kennedy4 8,how's that8 ,wasn't the conference amicable80 8,well10 temporized ,hastings1 8,i can't say that it was especially4 ,the division was made4 ,marshall won control of the companyor at least would have done so if the terms agreed on had been signed in the morning4 ,he agreed to form a syndicate to buy the others out1 and the price at which the stock was to be sold was fixed40 8,but did they dispute about anything80 persisted ,kennedy1 seeing how the lawyer had evaded his question4 ,hastings seemed rather to appreciate the insistence than to be annoyed by it4 ,so far1 ,i could see that the great corporation lawyer was taking ,kennedy's measure quite as much as ,craig was doing the same by him4 8,yes10 he answered1 8there was one thing that occasioned more dispute than anything else4 ,maddox ,munitions have purchased a wonderful new war invention1 the telautomatonwireless control of submarines1 torpedoes1 ships1 vehicles1 aeroplanes1 everything1the last word in the new science of telautomatics40 ,an exclamation of surprise escaped ,kennedy4 ,often he and ,i had discussed the subject and he had even done some work on it4 8,of course10 resumed ,hastings1 8we have had to acquire certain rights and the basic1 pioneer patents are not ours4 ,but the manner in which this telautomaton has been perfected over everything yet devised by inventors renders it the most valuable single piece of property we have4 ,at last we have an efficient electric arm that we can stretch out through space to do our work and fight our battles4 ,our system will revolutionize industry as well as warfare40 ,it was not difficult to catch the enthusiasm which ,hastings showed over the telautomaton4 ,there was something fascinating about the very idea4 ,kennedy1 however1 shook his head gravely4 8,too big a secret to be in the hands of a corporation10 he objected4 8,in warfare it should only be possessed by the ,government1 and in industry it iswell1 it is a public service in itself4 ,so that went to ,marshall ,maddox also80 ,hastings nodded4 8,there will be trouble over that10 warned ,kennedy4 8,mark my words4 ,it is too big a secret40 ,for a moment he pondered1 then changed the subject4 8,what happened after the conference80 8,it was so late when we finished10 continued ,hastings1 8and there were still some minor details to be cleared up in the morning4 ,we all decided to stay on the yacht rather than go ashore to the ,harbor ,house4 ,the ,sybarite is a large yacht1 and we each had a cabin1 so that we all turned in4 ,there wasn't much sociability in a crowd like that to keep them up later than was necessary40 8,yes10 prompted ,kennedy as ,hastings paused4 8,marshall ,maddox seemed all right when he retired80 8,perfectly4 ,i went into his cabin and we chatted a few moments before ,i went to mine1 planning some steps we would take in the morning to clear things up1 especially to release all claims on the telautomaton4 ,i remember that ,maddox seemed in very good spirits over the way things had been going1 though very tired4 ,to my mind1 that removes the possibility of its having been suicide40 8,nothing is impossible until it is proved so10 corrected ,kennedy4 8,go on4 ,tell me how it was discovered40 8,i slept later than usual10 replied ,hastings1 seeking to get everything in order4 8,the first thing ,i heard was ,shelby's ,jap1 ,mito1 rapping on all the doors to make sure that we were awake4 ,we had agreed to that4 ,well1 we gathered on the deck1 all except ,mr4 ,maddox4 ,we waited1 no one thinking much about it except myself4 ,i can't say why it was1 but ,i felt uneasy4 ,mr4 ,maddox had always been so punctual and ,i had known him so long4 ,it was not like him to be the last on an occasion like this4 8,finally some one1 ,i think it was ,shelby1 suggested that inasmuch as ,i was in a sense his representative1 ,i might go and hurry him up4 ,i was only too glad to go4 ,i walked forward to the cabin he occupied and rapped on the door4 ,no answer4 ,i tried the handle4 ,to my surprise it turned and ,i pushed the door open40 8,don't stop10 urged ,kennedy1 eagerly4 8,what did you see80 8,nothing10 replied ,hastings4 8,there was nothing there4 ,the bed had been slept in4 ,but ,mr4 ,maddox was gone60 8,how about his clothes80 8,just as he had left them40 8,what did you do next80 8,i shouted an alarm and they all came running to me4 ,shelby called the crew1 ,mito1 the steward1 every one4 ,we questioned them all4 ,no one had seen or heard anything out of the way40 8,at least that's what everybody said10 observed ,craig4 8,what then80 8,no one knew what to do4 ,just about that time1 however1 we heard a horn on a small boat tooting shrilly1 as though for help4 ,it was an oysterman on his way to the oyster beds4 ,his kicker had stopped and he was signaling1 apparently for help4 ,i don't know why it was1 but ,mrs4 ,walcott must have thought something was wrong4 ,even before one of the crew could find out what was the matter she picked up a marine glass lying on a wicker chair4 8#8,itit's a body6' she cried1 dropping the glasses to the deck4 8,that was enough for us4 ,like a flash it went through my mind that it could be no other than ,mr4 ,maddox40 8,what did you do then80 8,the most natural thing4 ,we did not wait for the oysterman to come to us4 ,we piled into one of ,shelby's tenders and went to him4 ,sure enough1 the oysterman had found the body1 floating in the bay40 ,there was a trace of a tear in ,hastings's eye1 and his voice faltered a bit4 ,i rather liked him better for it4 ,except for fear at the revolver-shot1 ,i had almost begun to think him devoid of feeling4 8,so far as we could see10 he resumed1 as though ashamed to show weakness even over one whom he had known so long1 8there was nothing to show whether he might not have got up1 fallen overboard in some way1 and have been drowned1 or might have been the victim of foul playexcept one thing40 8,what was that80 inquired ,kennedy1 eagerly4 8,maddox and ,i had taken out with us1 in a brief-case which he carried1 the plans of the telautomaton4 ,the model is in the company's safe here in ,new ,york4 ,this morning when we went back to ,maddox's room ,i found that the brief-case was missing4 ,the plans are gone6 ,you were right4 ,there has been trouble over them40 ,kennedy eyed ,hastings keenly4 8,you found nothing in the room that would give a hint80 8,i didn't look10 returned ,hastings4 8,i sealed the door and windowor port-holewhatever you call ithad them locked and placed a wax seal bearing the impression of my ring1 so that if it is broken1 ,i will know by whom4 ,everything there is just as it was4 ,i wanted it that way1 for ,i had heard of you1 and determined to come to town myself and get you40 8,the body80 8,i had the oysterman take it to an undertaking establishment in the town so that we would have witnesses of everything that happened after its discovery40 8,did any of them suggest a theory80 asked ,kennedy1 after a moment's thought4 8,or say anything80 ,hastings nodded negatively4 8,i think we were all too busy watching one another to talk10 he ventured4 8,i was the only one who acted1 and they let me go ahead4 ,perhaps none of them dared stop me40 8,you don't mean that there was a conspiracy80 ,i put in4 8,oh no10 smiled ,hastings1 indulgently4 8,they could never have agreed long enough1 even against ,marshall ,maddox1 to conspire4 ,no1 indeed4 ,i mean that if one had objected1 he would immediately have laid himself open to suspicion from the rest4 ,we all went ashore together4 ,and now ,i must get back to ,westport immediately4 ,i'm not even going to take time to go down to the office4 ,kennedy1 will you come80 8,an unnecessary question10 returned ,craig1 rising4 8,a mystery like this is the breath of my life4 ,you could scarcely keep me away40 8,thank you10 said ,hastings4 8,you won't regret it1 financially or otherwise40 ,we went out into the hall1 and ,kennedy started to lock the laboratory door1 when ,hastings drew back4 8,you'll pardon me80 he explained4 8,the shot was fired at me out here4 ,i naturally can't forget it40 ,with ,kennedy on one side and myself on the other1 all three of us on the alert1 we hurried out and into a taxicab to go down to the station4 ,as we jolted along ,kennedy plied the lawyer with a rapid fire of questions4 ,even he could furnish no clue as to who had fired the shot at him or why4 ,,ii ,,the ,,secret ,,service ,half an hour later we were on our way by train to ,westport with ,hastings4 ,as the train whisked us along ,craig leaned back in his chair and surveyed the glimpses of water and countryside through the window4 ,now and then1 as we got farther out from the city1 through a break in the trees one could catch glimpses of the deep-blue salt water of bay and ,sound1 and the dazzling whiteness of sand4 ,now and then ,kennedy would break in with a question to ,hastings1 showing that his mind was actively at work on the case1 but by his manner ,i could see that he was eager to get on the spot before all that he considered important had been messed up by others4 ,hastings hurried us directly from the train to the little undertaking establishment to which the body of ,marshall ,maddox had been taken4 ,a crowd of the curious had already gathered1 and we pushed our way in through them4 ,there lay the body4 ,it had a peculiar1 bloated appearance and the face was cyanosed and blue4 ,maddox had been a large man and well set up4 ,in death he was still a striking figure4 ,what was the secret behind those saturnine features8 8,not a scratch or a bruise on him1 except those made in handling the body10 remarked the coroner1 who was also a doctor1 as he greeted ,kennedy4 ,craig nodded1 then began his own long and careful investigation4 ,he was so busily engaged1 and ,i knew that it was so important to keep him from being interrupted1 that ,i placed myself between him and those who crowded into the little room back of the shop4 ,but before ,i knew it a heavily veiled woman had brushed past me and stood before the body4 8,irene ,maddox60 ,i heard ,hastings whisper in ,kennedy's ear as ,craig straightened up in surprise4 ,as she stood there there could be no doubt that ,irene ,maddox had been very bitter toward her husband4 ,the wound to her pride had been deep4 ,but the tragedy had softened her4 ,she stood tearless1 however1 before the body1 and as well as ,i could do so through her veil ,i studied her face4 ,what did his death mean to her1 aside from the dower rights that came to her in his fortune8 ,it was impossible to say4 ,she stood there several minutes1 then turned and walked deliberately out through the crowd1 looking neither to the right nor to the left4 ,i found myself wondering at the action4 ,yet why should she have shown more emotion8 ,he had been nothing to her but a namea hateful namefor years4 ,my speculation was cut short by the peculiar action of a dark-skinned1 ,latin-,american-looking man whose face ,i had not noticed in the crowd before the arrival of ,mrs4 ,maddox4 ,as she left he followed her out4 ,curious1 ,i turned and went out also4 ,i reached the street door just in time to see ,irene ,maddox climb into a car with two other people4 8,who are they80 ,i asked a boy standing by the door4 8,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,walcott10 he replied4 ,even in death the family feud persisted4 ,the ,walcotts had not even entered4 8,did you know that the ,walcotts brought ,mrs4 ,maddox here80 ,i asked ,hastings as ,i returned to ,kennedy4 8,no1 but ,i'm not surprised10 he returned4 8,you remember ,i told you ,frances took ,irene's part4 ,walcott must have returned from the city as soon as he heard of the tragedy40 8,who was that sallow-faced individual who followed her out80 ,i asked4 8,did you notice him80 8,yes1 ,i saw him1 but ,i don't know who he can be10 replied ,hastings4 8,i don't think ,i ever saw him before40 8,that ,latin-,american80 interposed ,kennedy1 who had completed his first investigation and made arrangements to co-operate with the coroner in carrying on the autopsy in his own laboratory4 8,i was wondering myself whether he could have any connection with ,paquita4 ,where is she now80 8,at the ,harbor ,house1 ,i suppose10 answered ,hastings8that is1 if she is in town40 ,kennedy hurried out of the establishment ahead of us and we looked down the street in time to see our man headed in the direction the ,walcott automobile had taken4 ,he had too good a start of us1 however1 and before we could overtake him he had reached the ,harbor ,house and entered4 ,we had gained considerably on him1 but not enough to find out where he went in the big hotel4 ,the ,harbor ,house was a most attractive1 fashionable hostelry1 a favorite run for motor parties out from the city4 ,on the water-front stood a large1 red-roofed1 stucco building known as the ,casino1 entirely given over to amusements4 ,its wide porch of red tiles1 contrasting with the innumerable white tables on it1 looked out over the sheltered mouth of ,westport ,bay and on into the ,sound1 where1 faintly outlined on the horizon1 one saw the ,connecticut shore4 ,back of the ,casino1 and on a hill so that it looked directly over the roof of the lower building1 was the hotel itself1 commonly known as the ,lodge1 a new1 up-to-date1 shingle-sheathed building with every convenience that money and an expensive architect could provide4 ,the place was ideal for summer sportsgolf1 tennis1 motoring1 bathing1 boating1 practically everything one could wish4 ,as we walked through the ,lodge we could almost feel in the air the excited gossip that the death of ,maddox had created in the little summer colony at ,westport4 ,vainly seeking our dark-skinned man1 we crossed to the ,casino4 ,as we approached the porch ,hastings took ,kennedy's arm4 8,there are ,shelby ,maddox and ,winifred ,walcott10 he whispered4 8,i should like to meet them10 said ,kennedy1 glancing at the couple whom ,hastings had indicated at the far end of the porch4 ,following the lawyer1 we approached them4 ,shelby ,maddox was a tall young chap1 rather good-looking1 inclined to the athletic1 and with that deferential1 interested manner which women find almost irresistible4 ,as we approached he was talking earnestly1 oblivious to everything else4 ,i could not blame him4 ,winifred was a slender1 vivacious girl1 whose gray-blue eyes caught and held yours even while you admired her well-rounded cheeks1 innocent of make-up4 ,her high forehead denoted an intellect which the feminine masses of puffy light-brown hair made all the more charming4 ,one felt her personality in every action4 ,she was not afraid of sun and air4 ,a pile of the more serious magazines near her indicated that she was quite as much alive to the great movements that are stirring the world to-day as she was to the outdoor life that glowed in her face4 ,it was easy to see that ,shelby ,maddox was having a new experience4 8,good morning10 greeted ,hastings4 ,winifred smiled1 but ,shelby was plainly annoyed at the intrusion of the lawyer4 ,i could not make out whether there was an aversion to ,hastings behind the annoyance or not4 ,the introductions over1 we sat down for a moment4 ,hastings had been careful not to say that ,kennedy was a detective1 but to hint that he was a friend and1 by implication1 a lawyer4 8,it must have been a severe shock when you heard what had happened10 he began1 speaking to ,winifred4 8,it was indeed10 she replied1 gravely4 8,you see1 ,i stayed here at the ,harbor ,house while my brother and sister-in-law were on the yacht4 ,johnson came off early because he had to go to the city1 and telephoned up to the room that they were going to be late and ,frances would stay out on the yacht4 ,then when ,i came down this morning they were just bringing the body ashore40 ,she shuddered at the recollection and ,shelby flashed a look at ,kennedy as though he could knife him for bringing up the distasteful subject4 ,it seemed as though ,shelby ,maddox was pretty unconcerned about his brother's death4 8,strange that you heard nothing on the yacht10 switched ,kennedy1 looking full at ,shelby4 8,we didn't10 returned the young man1 but in a tone that showed his attention was somewhere else4 ,i followed the direction of his eyes4 ,a petite1 frilly1 voluptuous figure stood in the doorway4 ,she had an almost orchid beauty that more than suggested the parasite4 ,of a type quite the opposite of ,winifred1 she had nevertheless something interesting about her4 ,for the born adventuress is always a baffling study4 ,even before ,hastings whispered ,i knew it must be ,paquita4 ,she passed across the porch toward a flight of steps that led down to the shore1 and as she did so nodded to ,shelby with a smile1 at the same time casting a look at ,winifred such as only one woman can when she is taking in another at a glance4 ,winifred was first of all a woman4 ,her face flushed almost imperceptibly1 but her own glance of estimation never faltered4 ,i felt that there was a silent clash4 ,winifred was the antithesis of ,paquita4 ,shelby failed even with his cigarette to cover up his confusion4 ,but as ,i searched his face ,i thought ,i saw one thing at least4 ,whatever might or might not have been the truth in ,hastings's story of ,shelby's acquaintance with ,paquita once1 it was evident now that ,winifred ,walcott quite filled his eye4 ,as she paused before going down the steps ,paquita darted back one more look at ,shelby4 ,had he once felt the lure8 ,at least now he made no move4 ,and ,paquita was insanely jealous4 8,i should like to have ,mr4 ,kennedy look over the ,sybarite1 especially the room which ,i sealed10 suggested ,hastings in a tone which was not peremptory1 but nevertheless was final4 ,shelby looked from ,hastings to ,winifred4 ,the passing of ,paquita seemed to have thrown a cloud over the sunshine which had brightened the moments before4 ,he was torn between two emotions4 ,there was no denying the request of ,hastings4 ,yet this was no time to leave ,winifred suspicious4 8,i think you had better go10 she said1 finally1 as ,shelby hesitated4 8,would you not be one of the party80 he asked1 eagerly4 8,i don't think ,i could stand it10 she replied1 hastily4 ,it was perfectly natural4 ,yet ,i could see that it left ,shelby uncertain of her real reason4 ,reluctantly he said good-by and we four made our way down the dock to the float where was moored a fast tender of the yacht4 ,we climbed aboard1 and the man in charge started the humming1 many-cylindered engine4 ,we darted off in a cloud of spray4 ,once ,i saw ,kennedy looking back1 and ,i looked back also4 ,in the far corner of the ,casino stood the sallow-faced man1 watching us intently4 ,who and what could he be8 ,westport ,bay is one of those fjords1 as they almost might be called1 which run in among the beautifully wooded hills of the north shore of ,long ,island4 ,the ,sybarite was lying at anchor a mile or so offshore4 ,as we approached her we saw that she was a #aej-;foot1 long1 low-lying craft of the new type1 fitted with gas-engines1 and built quite as much for comfort as for speed4 ,she was an elaborately built craft1 with all the latest conveniences1 having a main saloon1 dining-room1 library1 and many state-rooms1 all artistically decorated4 ,in fact1 it must have cost a small fortune merely to run the yacht4 ,as we boarded it ,shelby led the way to the sheltered deck aft1 and we sat down for a moment to become acquainted4 8,mito10 he called to a ,japanese servant1 8take the gentlemen's hats4 ,and bring us cigars40 ,the servant obeyed silently4 ,evidently ,shelby spared nothing that made for comfort4 8,first of all10 began ,craig1 8,i want to see the state-room where ,marshall ,maddox slept40 ,shelby arose1 apparently willingly enough1 and led the way to the lower berth deck4 ,hastings carefully examined the seal which he had left on the door and1 finding it intact1 broke it and unlocked the door for us4 ,it was a bedroom rather than a state-room4 ,the walls were paneled in wood and the port-hole was finished inside to look like a window4 ,it was toward this port-hole that ,kennedy first directed his attention1 opening it and peering out at the water below4 8,quite large enough for a man to get throughor throw a body through10 he commented1 turning to me4 ,i looked out also4 8,it's a long way to the water10 ,i remarked1 thinking perhaps he meant that a boat might have nosed up alongside and some one have entered that way4 8,still1 if one had a good-sized cruiser1 one might reach it by standing on the roof of the cabin10 he observed4 8,at any rate1 there'd be difficulty in disposing of a body that way40 ,he turned4 ,the wind had swung the yacht around so that the sun streamed in through the open port4 ,kennedy bent down and picked up some little bright slivers of thin metal that lay scattered here and there on the carpet4 ,he looked about at the furniture1 then bent down and examined the side of the bedstead4 ,it seemed to be pitted with little marks4 ,he rose1 and as he did so his gaze fell on one of the brass fittings of the cabin4 ,it seemed to have turned green1 almost to be corroded4 ,with his penknife he scraped off some of the corrosion and placed it on a piece of paper1 which he folded up4 ,the examination of the state-room completed1 ,shelby took us about the boat4 ,first of all1 he showed us the handsomely furnished main saloon opening into a little library1 almost as if it were an apartment4 8,it was here10 he volunteered1 8that we held the conference last night40 ,for the first time ,i became aware1 although ,kennedy had noticed it before1 that when we boarded the ,sybarite ,mito had been about4 ,he had passed twice down the hall while we were in the state-room occupied by ,marshall ,maddox4 ,he was now busy in the library1 but on our entrance had withdrawn deferentially1 as though not wishing to intrude4 ,henceforth ,i watched the ,japanese keenly as he padded about the boat4 ,everywhere we went ,i fancied that he turned up4 ,he seemed ubiquitous4 ,was it that he was solicitous of the wants of his master8 ,had he received instructions from him8 ,did the slant-eyed ,oriental have something hidden behind that inscrutable face of his8 ,there did not seem to be anything else that we could discover aboard the yacht4 ,though we interviewed the officer and those of the crew who had been on watch1 we were unable to find out from them that anything unusual had been observed1 either as far as any other boat was concerned or on the ,sybarite itself4 ,in spite of them1 the affair was as completely shrouded in mystery as ever4 ,having looked the yacht over1 ,kennedy seemed now to be eager to get ashore again4 8,i hope you are satisfied1 gentlemen80 asked ,shelby at last as our tour brought us to the mahogany steps that led from the outside of the white hull to the tender which had brought us out4 8,very wellso far10 returned ,kennedy4 ,maddox looked up quickly1 but did not ask what he meant4 8,if there is any way in which ,i can be of service to you10 he continued1 8you have only to command me4 ,i have as much reason as any one to clear up the mystery in this unfortunate affair4 ,i believe ,i will go ashore with you40 ,he did not need to say that he was eager to get back to see ,winifred ,walcott1 any more than ,kennedy needed to tell me that he would like to see our sallow-faced friend again4 ,the tender skimmed over the waves1 throwing the spray gaily as we sped back to the ,harbor ,house dock4 ,we landed and ,maddox excused himself1 repeating his desire to aid us4 ,down the beach toward the bath-houses ,i could make out the frilly ,paquita1 surrounded now by several of the bathers1 all men4 ,maddox saw her1 but paid no attention4 ,he was headed for the veranda of the ,lodge4 ,the day was growing older and the ,casino was beginning to liven up4 ,in the exquisitely appointed ballroom1 which was used also for morning and afternoon dances1 strains of the one-step attracted some dozen couples4 ,kennedy sauntered along1 searching the faces we passed in the hope of seeing some one who might be of value to know on the case1 now and then reminding ,hastings not to neglect to point out any one who might lend aid4 ,hastings saw no one1 however1 and as we mounted the steps to the ,lodge excused himself for a minute to send some telegrams to those of the family whom he had forgotten4 ,we had promised to meet him in the lobby by the desk1 and thither ,kennedy bent his steps4 8,i think ,i'll look over the register10 he remarked1 as we approached the busiest part of the hotel4 8,perhaps1 too1 some of the clerks may know something40 ,there was nothing on the register1 apparently1 for after turning it around and running through it he merely laid his finger on the name 8,seorita ,paquita ,gonzales1 ,maid and ,chauffeur1 ,new ,york10 written under the date of the day before the arrival of the ,maddoxes for the conference1 and among the last of the day1 showing that she had arrived late4 ,as we were looking over the names we were startled by a voice softly speaking behind us4 8,well1 ,i should have known you fellows would be out here before long4 ,it's a big case4 ,don't notice me here4 ,i'll see you in the writing-room4 ,it's empty now40 ,we turned in surprise4 ,it was our old friend ,burke1 of the ,secret ,service4 ,he had already lounged off1 and we followed without seeming to do so1 stopping only for a moment at the news-stand4 8,why are you here80 demanded ,craig1 pointedly1 as we three settled ourselves in an angle of the deserted writing-room4 8,for the same reason that you are10 ,burke returned1 with a smile2 then added1 gravely1 8,i can trust you1 ,kennedy40 ,craig was evidently much impressed by the low tone and the manner of the detective1 but said nothing4 8,they tell me ,hastings was in town this morning1 at your laboratory10 went on ,burke4 8,too bad he didn't take the time to call up his office4 ,but he knows something nowthat is1 if he has that note ,i left for him40 8,why1 what is that80 chorused both ,craig and ,i4 ,just then ,hastings himself almost ran into the room as if his life depended on finding us4 ,as he saw us he darted over to our corner4 8,you are ,mr4 ,burke1 of the ,secret ,service80 he queried as ,burke nodded4 8,kennedy1 the safe in the office of ,maddox ,munitions in ,new ,york was robbed late last night or early this morning1 and the model of the telautomaton is stolen60 ,,iii ,,the ,,cabaret ,,dancer ,we could only stare from ,burke to ,hastings1 startled at the magnitude of the affair as it developed so rapidly4 ,for a moment ,hastings was at a loss1 then darted quickly into a telephone-booth to call up his office on long distance for confirmation of the news4 ,as we waited ,i happened to glance out into the lobby4 ,at the far end1 in an angle1 to my surprise ,i saw ,shelby and ,paquita4 ,evidently she had hovered about1 waiting for a chance to find him alone1 and had at last succeeded4 ,already ,kennedy and ,burke had seen them4 ,paquita was talking earnestly4 ,of course1 we could not overhear what was said1 and they were so placed that even if we moved closer to them they would be likely to see us4 ,still1 from our corner we could observe without being observed4 ,it seemed as if ,paquita were making a desperate effort to attract ,shelby1 while1 on his part1 it was quite evident that he was endeavoring to get away4 ,paquita was indeed a fascinating figure4 ,from what ,i had already observed1 a score of the young fellows about the ,harbor ,house would have given their eyes to have been in ,shelby's place4 ,why was he seeking so to avoid her8 ,was it that he did not dare to trust himself with the little dancer8 ,or was there some hold that she had over him which he feared8 ,the interview had not proceeded long when ,shelby deliberately seemed to excuse himself and walked away4 ,paquita looked after him as he hurried off1 and ,i would have given much to have been close enough to observe her expression4 ,was it one of fury1 of a woman scorned8 ,at any rate1 ,i would have wagered that it boded no good for ,shelby4 ,i turned to say something to ,kennedy and found that he was looking in another direction4 ,we were not the only observers4 ,from a window outside on the porch the sallow-faced man was also watching4 ,as ,shelby walked away the man seemed to be very angry4 ,was it the anger of jealousy because ,paquita was with ,shelby or was it anger because ,shelby had repulsed her advances8 ,who was the fellow and why was he so interested in the little dancer and the young millionaire8 ,hastings rejoined us from the telephone-booth1 his face almost pale4 8,it's a fact10 he groaned4 8,they have been trying to reach me all day1 but could not4 ,the secret of the telautomaton stolenthe secret that is too terrible to be in the hands of any one except the ,government4 ,how did you hear of it80 he asked ,burke4 ,burke answered slowly1 watching the expression on ,hastings's face4 8,when the cashier of the company arrived at the office this morning he found the safe had been rifled4 ,it seems an almost incomprehensible thingas you will understand when you see it for yourself4 ,the cashier telephoned at once to the ,secret ,service in the ,custom-,house1 and ,i jumped out on the case4 ,you did not go to your own office4 ,i did a little hasty deductionguessed that you might have gone to see ,kennedy4 ,at any rate1 ,i wanted to see him myself40 ,kennedy interrupted long enough to tell about the revolver-shot and the attack on ,hastings at our very door4 8,whew60 exclaimed ,burke1 8just missed you4 ,well10 he added1 with a dry sort of humor1 8,i missed you1 too1 and decided to come out here on the train4 ,kennedy1 you must go back to town with me and look at that safe4 ,how anybody could get into it is a mystery beyond me4 ,but the telautomaton is gone4 ,my orders are simpleget it back60 ,for a moment neither ,kennedy nor ,hastings spoke4 ,it was most peculiarthe plans gone in ,westport1 the model gone in ,new ,york4 8,who could have stolen the model80 ,i asked1 finally4 8,have you any theory1 ,burke80 8,a theory1 yes10 he replied1 slowly1 8but no facts to back it4 ,i suppose you know that the war has driven out some of the most clever and astute crooks that ,paris1 ,vienna1 ,london1 and other capitals ever produced4 ,the fact is that we are at present in the hands of the largest collection of high-grade foreign criminals that has ever visited this country4 ,i think it is safe to say that at present there are more foreign criminals of high degree in ,new ,york and at the fashionable summer resorts than could be found in all the capitals of ,europe combined4 ,they have evaded military service because at heart they are cowards and hate work4 ,war is hard work4 ,then1 there is little chance of plying their trade1 for their life is the gay life of the cafs and boulevards4 ,besides1 ,america is the only part of the world where prosperity is reigning4 ,so they are here1 preying on ,american wealth4 ,suppose some onesome foreign agentwanted the telautomaton4 ,there are plenty of tools he could use for his purpose in obtaining it40 ,the countenance of the sallow-faced man recurred to me4 ,it was an alarming possibility that ,burke's speculation raised4 ,were we really not involved in a pure murder case1 but in the intricacies of the machinations of some unknown power8 ,burke looked at his watch1 then again at ,kennedy4 8,really1 ,i think you ought to go back to town10 he reiterated1 8and take the case up there40 8,and leave these people all here to do as they please1 cover up what they will80 objected ,hastings1 who had tried to prevent just that sort of thing by bringing ,kennedy out post-haste4 8,my men are perfectly competent to watch anything that goes on at ,westport10 returned ,burke4 8,i have them posted all about and ,i'm digging up some good stuff4 ,already ,i know just what happened the night before the conference4 ,that cabaret dancer1 ,paquita1 motored out here and arrived about the time the ,sybarite cast anchor4 ,she met ,shelby ,maddox at the ,casino and they had a gay supper party4 ,but it ended early4 ,she knew that ,marshall ,maddox was coming the next day4 ,i know he had known her in the city4 ,as to ,shelby we don't know yet4 ,the meeting may have been chance or it may have been prearranged40 ,i recalled not only the little incident we had just seen1 but the glance of jealousy ,paquita had given ,shelby when she saw him with ,winifred4 ,what did it mean8 ,had ,shelby ,maddox been using ,paquita against his brother1 and now was he trying to cast her off8 ,or was ,burke's theory correct8 ,was she a member of a clever band of super-criminals1 playing one brother against the other for some ulterior end8 ,was the jealousy feigned or was it real1 after all8 8,what ,i am endeavoring to do now10 went on ,burke1 8is to trace the doings of ,paquita the night of the murder4 ,i cannot find out whether she came out at the invitation of ,marshall ,maddox or not4 ,perhaps it was ,shelby4 ,i don't know4 ,if it was ,marshall1 what about his former wife8 ,did he suppose that she would not be here8 ,or didn't he care80 8,perhapsblackmail10 suggested ,hastings1 who1 as a lawyer1 had had more or less to do with such attempts4 ,burke shook his head4 8,it might have been1 of course1 but in that case don't you think you1 as ,maddox's lawyer1 would have heard something of it8 ,you have nothave you8 ,you don't know anything about her80 ,burke regarded the lawyer keenly1 as though he might be concealing something4 ,but ,hastings merely shook his head4 8,mr4 ,maddox did not confide his weaknesses to me10 ,hastings remarked1 coldly4 8,if we are going back to the city10 returned ,burke1 cheerfully changing the subject1 to the evident surprise of ,hastings1 8,i must find my operative1 ,riley1 and let him know what to do while we are gone40 8,look10 muttered ,kennedy under his breath to us and nodding down the lobby4 ,shelby ,maddox had sought and found ,winifred1 and was chatting as animatedly as if there had been no ,paquita in the world less than five minutes before4 ,as we watched1 ,hastings remarked3 8,it was only the day before the murder that ,shelby first met ,winifred ,walcott4 ,i believe he had never seen his brother-in-law's sister before4 ,she had been away in the ,west ever since ,frances ,maddox married ,walcott4 ,winifred seems to have made a quick conquest40 ,remembering what had happened before1 ,i took a quick look about to see whether any one else was as interested as ourselves4 ,seeing no one1 ,kennedy and ,i strolled down the corridor quietly4 ,we had not gone far before we stopped simultaneously4 ,nestled in the protecting wings of a big wicker chair was ,paquita1 and as we watched her she never took her eyes from the couple ahead4 ,what did this constant espionage of ,shelby mean8 ,for one thing1 we must place this little adventuress in the drama of the ,maddox house of hate4 ,we moved back a bit where we could see them all4 ,a light footfall beside us caused us to turn suddenly4 ,it was ,mito1 padding along on some errand to his master4 ,as he passed ,i saw that his beady eyes had noted that we were watching ,shelby4 ,there was no use to retreat now4 ,we had been observed4 ,mito passed1 bestowing a quick sidewise glance on ,paquita as he did so4 ,a moment later he approached ,shelby deferentially and stood waiting a few feet away4 ,shelby looked up and saw his valet1 bowed an excuse to ,winifred1 and strode over to where ,mito was standing4 ,the conversation was brief4 ,what it was about we had no means of determining1 but of one thing we were certain4 ,mito had not neglected a hasty word to his master that he was watched4 ,for1 an instant later when ,mito had been dismissed1 ,shelby returned to ,winifred and they walked deliberately out of the hotel across a wide stretch of open lawn in the direction of the tennis-courts4 ,to follow him was a confession that we were watching4 ,evidently1 too1 that had been ,shelby's purpose1 for as he chatted he turned half-way1 now and then1 to see if they were observed4 ,again ,mito padded by and ,i fancied ,i caught a subtle smile on his saturnine face4 ,if we were watching1 we were ourselves no less watched4 ,there was nothing to be gained in this blind game of hide-and-seek1 and ,kennedy was evidently not yet prepared to come out into the open4 ,paquita1 too1 seemed to relinquish the espionage for the moment1 for she rose and walked slowly toward the ,casino1 where she was quickly joined by some of her more ardent admirers4 ,i glanced at ,kennedy4 8,i think we had better go back to ,burke and ,hastings10 he decided4 8,burke is right4 ,his men can do almost as much here as we could at present4 ,besides1 if we go away the mice may play4 ,they will think we have been caught napping4 ,that telautomaton robbery is surely our next big point of attack4 ,here it is first of all the mystery of ,marshall ,maddox's death1 and ,i cannot do anything more until the coroner sends me1 as he has promised1 the materials from the autopsy4 ,even then ,i shall need to be in my laboratory if ,i am to discover anything40 8,your sallow-faced friend seemed quite interested in you10 commented ,burke as we rejoined him4 8,how's that80 inquired ,kennedy4 8,from here ,i could see him1 following every move you made10 explained the ,secret ,service man4 ,kennedy bit his lip4 ,not only had ,mito seen us and conveyed a warning to ,shelby1 but the dark-skinned man of mystery had been watching us all4 ,evidently the situation was considerably mixed4 ,perhaps if we went away it would really clear itself up and we might place these people more accurately with reference to one another4 ,burke looked at his watch hurriedly4 8,there's a train that leaves in twenty minutes10 he announced4 8,we can make the station in a car in fifteen40 ,kennedy and ,i followed him to the door1 while ,hastings trailed along reluctantly1 not yet assured that it would be safe to leave ,westport so soon4 ,at the door a man stepped up deferentially to ,burke1 with a glance of inquiry at us4 8,it's all right1 ,riley10 reassured ,burke4 8,you can talk before them4 ,one of my best operatives1 ,riley1 gentlemen4 ,i shall leave this end in your charge1 ,val40 8,all right1 sir10 returned the ,secret ,service operative4 8,i was just going to say1 about that dark fellow we saw gum-shoeing it about4 ,we're watching him4 ,we picked him up on the beach during the bathing hour4 ,do you know who he is8 ,he's the private detective whom ,mrs4 ,maddox had watching her husband and that ,paquita woman4 ,i don't know what he's watching her yet for1 sir1 but10 ,riley lowered his voice for emphasis1 8once one of the men saw him talking to ,paquita4 ,between you and me1 ,i wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to double-cross ,mrs4 ,maddox40 ,hastings opened his eyes in wonder at the news4 ,as for me1 ,i began to wonder if ,i had not been quite mistaken in my estimate of ,irene ,maddox4 ,was she the victim1 the cat's-paw of some one8 ,riley was not finished1 however4 8,another thing before you leave1 ,mr4 ,burke10 he added4 8,the night watchman at the ,harbor ,house tells me that he saw that ,japanese servant of ,shelby ,maddox last night1 or1 rather1 early this morning4 ,he didn't go down to the dock and the watchman thought that perhaps he had been left ashore by mistake and couldn't get out on the ,sybarite40 8,that's impossible10 cut in ,hastings1 quickly4 8,he was on the yacht last night when we went to bed and he woke me up this morning40 8,i know it10 nodded ,riley4 8,you see1 ,i figure that he might have come off the yacht in a rowboat and landed down the shore on the beach4 ,then he might have got back4 ,but what for80 ,the question was unanswered1 but not1 we felt1 unanswerable4 8,very well1 ,riley10 approved ,burke4 8,keep right after anything that turns up4 ,and don't let that ,paquita out of sight of some of the men a minute4 ,good-by4 ,we've just time to catch the train40 ,hastings was still unreconciled to the idea of leaving town1 in spite of the urgency of the developments in ,new ,york4 8,i think it's all right10 reassured ,kennedy4 8,you see1 if ,i stayed ,i'd have to call on an agency1 anyhow4 ,besides1 ,i got all ,i could and the only thing left would be to watch them4 ,perhaps if ,i go away they may do something they wouldn't dare otherwise4 ,in that case we have planted a fine trap4 ,you can depend on it that ,burke's men will do more for us1 now1 than any private agency40 ,hastings agreed reluctantly1 and as we hurried back to ,new ,york on the train ,kennedy quizzed ,burke as he had ,hastings on the journey out4 ,there was not much that ,burke could add to what he had already told us4 ,the robbery of the safe in the ,maddox office had been so cleverly executed that ,i felt that it would rank along with the historic cases4 ,no ordinary yeggs or petermen had performed this operation1 and as the train neared the city we were all on edge to learn what possibly might have been uncovered during the hours that we had been working on the other end of the case out at ,westport4 ,,iv ,,the ,,burglar',s ,,microphone ,as we crossed the city ,hastings1 remembering the sudden attack that had been made on him on the occasion of his last visit1 looked about nervously in the crowds4 ,sometimes ,i wondered whether the lawyer had been frank with us and told all he knew4 ,however1 no one seemed to be following him and we lost no time in hustling from the railroad terminal to the office of ,maddox ,munitions4 ,the office was on the top floor of the new ,maddox ,building1 ,i knew1 one of the recent tower skyscrapers down-town4 ,as we turned into the building and were passing down the corridor to the express elevator a man stepped out from behind a pillar4 ,hastings drew back nervously4 ,but it was ,burke that the man wanted to see4 ,he dropped back and we halted1 catching only the first whispered sentence4 8,we've been watching ,randall1 sir10 ,i overheard the man say1 8but he hasn't done anythingyet40 ,there was a hasty conference between the man and ,burke1 who rejoined us in a few seconds1 while the man went back to his post of watching1 apparently1 every face of the crowd that thronged forward to the elevators or bustled away from them4 8,my men have been at work ever since ,i was called in on the case10 explained ,burke to ,kennedy4 8,you see1 ,i had only time to map out a first campaign for them1 and then ,i decided to hurry off to find you and later to look over the ground at ,westport4 ,randall is the cashier4 ,i can't say that ,i had anything on himreallybut then you never can tell1 you know40 ,we rode up in the elevator and entered the imposing offices of the great munitions corporation1 where the executive business was conducted for the score or more plants owned or controlled by the company in various parts of the country4 ,hastings led the way familiarly past the girl sitting at a desk in the outside office and we soon found ourselves in the section that was set apart for the accounting department1 over which ,randall had charge4 ,it seemed that the lawyer was well acquainted with the cashier as he introduced him to us1 and we noted that ,randall was a man approaching middle age1 at least outwardly1 with that solid appearance that seems to come to men who deal with numbers and handle large sums of money4 ,while we talked ,i looked about curiously4 ,randall had an inner office1 though in the outer office stood the huge safe which was evidently the one which had been rifled4 ,the cashier himself seemed to have lost1 for the time1 some of his customary poise4 ,trying to make him out1 ,i fancied that he was nearly frantic with fear lest he might be suspected1 not so much1 perhaps1 of having had anything to do with the loss of the telautomaton as of being remiss in his duties1 which included the guardianship of the safe4 ,the very anxiety of the man seemed to be a pretty good guarantee of his honesty4 ,there could be no doubt of how deeply he felt the loss1 not only because it was of such vital importance1 but from the mere fact that it might reflect on his own management of his department4 8,it seems almost incredible10 ,randall exclaimed as we stood talking4 8,the most careful search has failed to reveal any clue that would show even how access to the office was gained4 ,not a lock on any of the doors has been tampered with1 not a scratch indicates the use of a jimmy on them or on the windows4 ,in fact1 entrance by the windows at such a height above the surrounding buildings is almost beyond the range of possibility as well as probability4 ,how could it have been accomplished8 ,i am forced to come back to the explanation that the outer office doors had been opened by a key60 8,there were keysin the hands of several people1 ,i suppose80 inquired ,kennedy4 8,oh yes6 ,there are in every large office like this10 hastened ,randall4 8,mr4 ,maddox had a key1 of course80 8,yes40 8,and you80 8,certainly40 8,who else80 8,the agent of the building40 8,i mean who else in the office80 8,my assistantoh1 several4 ,still1 ,i am sure that no one had a key except those whom we could trust40 8,did ,shelby ,maddox ever have a key80 cut in ,hastings4 ,the cashier nodded in the negative1 for the moment surprised1 apparently1 at the very idea that ,shelby would ever have had interest enough in business to have such a thing4 ,i saw ,burke looking in covert surprise at ,hastings as he asked the question4 ,for the moment ,i wondered why he asked it4 ,had he really thought that ,shelby might have a key8 ,or was he trying hard to make a case8 ,what was his own connection with the affair8 ,kennedy had been looking keenly about4 8,is that the safe over there80 he indicated4 8,i should like to examine it40 8,yes1 that's it1 and that's the strangest part of it10 hastened ,randall1 as though eager to satisfy us on all points1 leading the way to a modern chrome-steel strong-box of a size almost to suggest a miniature bank vault surely a most formidable thing to tackle4 8,you see10 he went on1 nervously1 as though eager to convince us1 8there is not a mark on it to show that it has been tampered with4 ,yet the telautomaton is gone4 ,i know that it was there last night1 all right1 for ,i looked in the compartment where we keep the little model1 as well as the papers relating to it4 ,it is a small model1 and of course was not charged with explosive4 ,but it is quite sufficient for its purpose1 and if its war-head were actually filled with a high explosive it would be sufficiently deadly against any ordinary ship in spite of its miniature size40 ,kennedy had already begun his examination1 first of all assuring himself that it was useless to try to look for finger-prints1 inasmuch as nearly everybody had touched the safe since the robbery and any such clue1 had it once existed1 must have been rendered valueless4 8,how did you discover the loss80 ,i ventured as ,craig bent to his work4 8,did anything excite your suspicion80 8,n-no10 returned the cashier4 8,only ,i have been very methodical about the safe4 ,the model was kept in that compartment at the bottom4 ,i make it a practice in opening and closing the safe to see that that and several other valuable things we keep in it are there4 ,this morning nothing about the office and certainly nothing about the safe suggested that there was anything wrong until ,i worked the combination4 ,the door swung open and ,i looked through it4 ,i could scarcely believe my own eyes when ,i saw that that model was gone4 ,i couldn't have been more astonished if ,i had come in and found the door open4 ,i am the only one who knows the combinationexcept for a copy kept in a safety deposit box known only to ,marshall ,maddox and ,mr4 ,hastings40 ,before any of us could say a word ,kennedy had completed his first examination and was facing us4 8,i can't find a mark on it10 he confessed4 8,no #8soup' has been used to blow it4 ,nitroglycerin enough might have wrecked the building4 ,the old #8can-opener' is of course out of the question with a safe like this4 ,no instrument could possibly rip a plate off this safe unless you gave the ripper unlimited time4 ,there's not a hint that thermit or the oxy-acetylene blowpipe have been used4 ,not a spot on the safe indicates the presence of anything that can produce those high temperatures40 8,yet the telautomaton is gone60 persisted ,hastings4 ,kennedy was looking about1 making a quick search of the office4 ,as his eye traveled over the floor he took a step or two forward and bent down4 ,under a sanitary desk1 near a window1 he picked up what looked like a small piece of rubber tubing4 ,he looked at it with interest1 though it conveyed no idea to me4 ,it was simply a piece of rubber tubing4 ,then he took another step to the window and raised it1 looking out4 ,far below1 some hundred or more feet1 was the roof of the next building1 itself no mean structure for height4 8,have you searched the roof below80 he asked1 turning to ,burke4 ,burke shook his head4 8,how could any one get in that way80 he negatived4 8,wellsearch the roof below10 repeated ,kennedy4 ,even though he did not understand what good might come of such a strange request1 ,burke had known ,kennedy long enough not to question his actions4 ,he moved away1 seeking one of his men whom he could send on the errand4 ,while we waited ,kennedy continued to question ,randall4 8,mr4 ,maddox was very careful of his key1 ,i suppose80 he ventured4 8,yes1 sir1 very careful4 ,so we all were of the combination1 too4 ,not even my assistant knows that4 ,if ,i should drop dead1 there would be only one way to get itto open that safety deposit box1 and that must be done by some one with the proper authority4 ,it has all been carefully safeguarded40 8,you know of no one intimate with ,mr4 ,maddoxwho might have obtained the keyor the combination80 ,i wondered at what ,kennedy was driving4 ,had he the little dancer1 ,paquita1 in mind8 ,did he suspect that she might have wormed from ,maddox the secret8 ,or was he1 too1 thinking of ,shelby8 ,randall shook his head1 and ,kennedy continued his quick examination of the office1 questioning the assistant1 who was unable to add anything of value4 ,so far there had been nothing to show that the robbery might not have been an inside job4 ,as ,kennedy was still pondering on the new mystery that confronted us ,burke approached with the man whom he had sent to make the search4 ,his face indicated that he was puzzled4 ,in his hand he was holding a disk that was something like the flat telephone receivers one sees often on interior office telephones4 ,to it was attached a rubber tube like that which ,kennedy had picked up in the office a few minutes before4 8,my man found this thing on the roof below10 explained ,burke1 with a look of inquiry4 8,what do you suppose it is8 ,how did it get there80 ,kennedy took the disk and began examining it carefully1 fitting on the other rubber tube4 8,perhaps it had served its purposewas no longer of use10 he meditated4 8,at any rate1 if some one had to get away with that telautomaton he would not want to burden himself with anything else that was unnecessary4 ,he might very well have discarded this40 ,what the thing was ,i could not imagine4 ,we all crowded about1 examining it1 not even ,burke offering an explanation4 ,suddenly ,craig's face lightened up4 ,he thrust the tubes into his ears and walked over to a smaller safe that was still locked4 ,as he turned the combination handle he held the black disk up close to the safe4 ,the intent look on his face caused us all to watch without a word4 ,around and around he turned the handle slowly4 ,finally he stopped4 ,then1 with a few quick turns1 he gave the door a pull and it swung open on its oiled hinges4 ,we fairly gasped4 8,what is it80 ,i demanded4 8,magic80 ,kennedy smiled4 8,not magic1 but black science10 he replied4 8,this is a burglar's microphone40 8,a burglar's microphone80 ,i repeated4 8,what's that80 8,well10 he explained1 8the microphone is now used by burglars for picking combination locks4 ,when you turn the lock a slight sound is made when the proper number comes opposite the working part4 ,it can be heard by a sensitive ear1 sometimes1 ,i am told4 ,however1 it is imperceptible to most persons4 ,but by using a microphone it is an easy matter to hear the sounds4 ,having listened to the fall of the tumblers1 the expert can determine what are the real numbers of the combination and open the safe4 ,that is what happened in this case40 ,we followed ,kennedy1 speechless4 ,what was there to say8 ,we had already seen him open a safe with it himself4 ,though we were thus far on our way1 we had not even a clue as to the identity of the criminal or criminals4 ,i recalled ,burke's own theory as he had expressed it4 ,could it be that some one had betrayed to a foreign government agent the priceless secret of the telautomaton8 ,v ,,the ,,white ,,light ,,caf 8,as long as ,i am back in the city10 continued ,kennedy1 while we stared at one another1 wondering what next move to make1 8,i think that ,i had better take the opportunity to make some investigations in my laboratory which would be impossible out at ,westport40 ,in the mean time ,burke had been examining the burglar's microphone1 turning it over and over thoughtfully1 as if in the hope that it might furnish some clue4 8,it might have been possible10 he ruminated1 8for some one to get into the building at night if the night watchman was off his guard and he had a key to the building4 ,i suppose he might get out again1 too1 under the same circumstances40 8,a good lead10 agreed ,kennedy4 8,while you are finding the night watchman and getting anything else along that line of reconstructing what actually did take place it will give me just the chance ,i need4 ,let us meet in two or three hourssay1 at ,mr4 ,hastings's office4 ,let me see1 ,i believe your firm is ,hastings ,halsey1 isn't it80 8,hastings ,halsey10 repeated the lawyer4 8,you are quite welcome to meet again there4 ,you know where it is1 on ,wall ,street80 ,we noted the number and ,kennedy and ,i hurried up-town to the laboratory which we had left only a few short hours before4 ,already there were waiting for him1 by special messenger1 the materials from the autopsy which had been promised by the ,westport coroner1 who for once had appreciated the importance of a case and had acted with speed and decision4 ,kennedy lost no time in throwing off his coat and donning his acid-stained smock4 ,for some minutes ,i watched him in silence as he arranged his jars and beakers and test-tubes for the study which he had in mind4 ,he had taken some of the material and placed it over a ,bunsen burner in an apparatus which looked like a miniature still4 ,another apparatus which he took from a cabinet was disposed on a table4 ,it seemed to consist primarily of three tubes4 ,in one was a slit1 and through the slit evidently rays of light were caused to stream4 ,inside ,i saw a lens4 ,each of the tubes seemed to radiate from a triangular prism of some substance that looked like glass4 ,two of the radiating tubes had an eye-piece and on one was a sort of scale4 ,as ,kennedy made these rapid preparations he paused now and then to study carefully the slivers of bright metal he had picked up from the carpet in the state-room1 while on a porcelain plate he placed the powder which he had scraped from the brass fittings4 8,i'm not doing you a bit of good here1 ,craig10 ,i remarked1 at length4 8,isn't there something ,i can do while you are working8 ,i can come back here in time to go down and meet ,hastings and ,burke with you40 ,he paused a moment4 8,yes10 he replied1 8there is something that you might be doing4 ,i have been wondering just how intimate that little ,mexican dancer was with ,marshall ,maddox and whether ,shelby actually knew her in ,new ,york before he met her out at ,westport the other night4 ,i think you might make some inquiries along that line1 and by the time you find anything you may find me more interesting also40 ,glad of the opportunity to be of service1 for anything was better than to sit about idle in the present high-keyed state of my nerves1 ,i started out4 ,my first impulse was to visit the ,new ,amsterdam ,club1 one of the oldest clubs in the city1 of which ,i knew that ,maddox had been a member4 ,i knew several men who were members1 and ,i was sure that among them ,i might find some one at the club at that time1 and perhaps either from him learn something of ,maddox or at least obtain an introduction to some one who did know4 ,i found that ,i had not acted without reason4 ,in the big window that overlooked ,fifth ,avenue1 ensconced in the deep leather chairs1 looking out on the fashionable throng of shoppers who passed up and down the ,avenue1 ,i found several men1 among whom was ,conigsby1 whom ,i had known for some time as assiduous first-nighter and man about town4 ,conigsby welcomed me and ,i soon saw that the topic of conversation was the reports that all had been reading in the papers about the mystery that shrouded the death of ,marshall ,maddox4 8,peculiar fellow1 ,maddox10 commented ,conigsby4 8,what do the boys down on the ,star have to say about the case1 ,jameson80 ,i had no desire to commit myself1 yet ,i wanted to glean as much as ,i could4 ,for although we are prone to accuse the ladies of gossip1 ,i think most men will back me up when ,i say that there is no place for the genuine article that cannot be beaten by a comfortable window in a club where congenial spirits have gathered over a succession of brandies and soda4 8,it promises to be the great case of the year10 ,i returned1 guardedly4 8,so far1 ,i understand there is much more in the life of ,maddox than even some of his friends suspect40 ,at the mere suggestion of scandal all eyes were fixed on me4 ,yet ,i was determined to speak in riddles and betray nothing1 in the hope that some of them might open up a rich vein of inquiry4 ,conigsby laughed4 8,perhaps more than some of his friends imaginedyes10 he repeated4 8,why1 what was it80 inquired one of the group4 8,is there another woman in the case8 ,i thought ,maddox was divorced40 8,so he was10 returned the clubman4 8,i knew his wife1 ,irene1 before they were married4 ,really1 it was a shame the way that man treated her4 ,i can claim no special virtue10 he added1 with a shrug1 8but then ,i haven't a wifenot so much as a friend who would care whether ,i was here or in ,no ,man's ,land4 ,but ,maddoxwell1 he was one of those men who have worked hard all their lives1 but in middle age seem to begin sowing the wild oats they failed to sow in youth4 ,you know the kind4 ,i guess he must have reached the dangerous age for men1 if there is such a thing40 8,what was itchorus girls80 chimed in the other1 ever ready for a spicy bit of gossip4 8,yeslately cabaret dancersone in particularat ,the ,white ,lighta little ,mexican,paquita40 8,what,paquita80 chorused the group1 and ,i could see by the inflection that she was not unknown to several of them4 8,you don't say4 ,well1 you must admit he was a good picker40 8,i rather suspect that his acquaintance cost him high1 though10 persisted ,conigsby4 8,paquita has a scale of prices4 ,it costs so much to take dinner with her4 ,she'll drive out of an afternoon with youbut you must pay4 ,there's a union scale40 8,it takes dough to make tarts10 frivolously suggested another of the group1 forgetful of the tragedy that they were discussing4 ,indeed1 ,i was amazed at the nonchalant attitude they took4 ,yet1 on analysis1 ,i concluded that it also might be significant4 ,no doubt the estimate of ,maddox by his club members was more accurate than that of the world at large4 8,if it had been ,shelby10 put in another man1 8,i wouldn't have been surprised40 8,don't worry10 interposed ,conigsby4 8,shelby ,maddox is clever4 ,remember1 ,shelby is young4 ,underneath his wildness there is ambition4 ,i think you'll hear more of that boy before we are through4 ,i know him1 and he's likely to prove a chip off the old ,maddox block4 ,nothing that ,shelby does would surprise me40 8,how about the other sister1 ,frances80 inquired another4 8,do you know her husband1 ,walcott80 8,not very well4 ,you're more likely to find him on ,broad ,street than ,broadway4 ,you know what ,i care for ,broad ,street4 ,i'd never visit it if my bankers were not down there4 ,walcott has a deuced pretty little sister1 though4 ,i hear that ,shelby is quite smitten40 8,well1 whatever you may think of him1 ,i have seen ,shelby ,maddox with ,paquita1 too4 ,i'll lay you a little bet that that little baggage knows something about the case4 ,remember1 the murder was on ,shelby's yacht40 ,conigsby shrugged4 8,quite possibleanother case of notoriety for ,the ,white ,light40 8,notoriety for ,paquita1 you mean10 corrected another4 8,i hear she plans to get back into musical comedy this fall4 ,she's not at ,the ,white ,light any longer40 8,well1 ,i think she'll make good10 agreed ,conigsby4 8,i wonder who the angel is for her new show80 ,the conversation was now hopelessly drifting1 and ,i excused myself4 ,at least ,i had learned enough to give me an insight into another phase of the life of ,marshall ,maddox4 ,pondering what ,i had just heard1 ,i decided to wander over toward the caf and theater district1 and drop into the cabaret which they had mentioned,the ,white ,light4 ,as ,i entered the place in broad daylight ,i was struck by the sordidness of it4 ,deserted except by those who were cleaning up for the coming late afternoon and evening1 it was positively tawdry4 ,it needed the glamour of bright faces and night life1 and even then it must be viewed through the bottom of a glass to wear even the semblance of attraction4 ,in the main dining-room of the caf1 grouped about the little dancing floor before the platform on which sat the orchestra when things were in full swing1 stood innumerable little white tables4 ,just now there seemed to be no one there except a man at the piano and a girl who was evidently rehearsing her dance steps4 ,i paused for a moment and a waiter who had been arranging the tables for the coming crowd moved over to tell me that the place was not yet open4 ,i satisfied him that it was on other business that ,i had come1 then asked him whether ,paquita was at ,the ,white ,light any more4 8,no1 sir10 he replied1 brusquely4 8,she hasn't been here for several days4 ,i've heard that she has gone away to the countryhas another contract4 ,it is a rehearsal for the girl who is to do her number that is going on now4 ,is there anything ,i can do for you80 ,i thanked him4 ,it was not the waiter ,i wanted1 but the proprietor1 ,henri4 ,in a little office in the rear ,i at last discovered him1 a rather stout1 genial ,frenchman who had made a reputation as one of ,new ,york's restaurateurs to the risqu4 ,i had known ,henri once when ,i had the assignment on the ,star that covered the theater and hotel district1 and ,i had no fear that he would not talk4 8,well1 ,henri10 ,i began cautiously1 8,i suppose you saw in the papers this morning about your friend1 ,marshall ,maddox80 ,henri1 who was matching up checks showing the business done up to an early hour of the morning1 shrugged4 8,monsieur was more the friend of ,la ,paquita than of me10 he returned1 still matching checks4 8,still1 he came here a great deal10 ,i asserted1 taking a chance4 8,oui10 he agreed1 8but it was not to see us4 ,always ,la ,paquita1 ,la ,paquita4 ,so different from his brother40 8,indeed80 ,i queried1 quite overjoyed at the turn the conversation was taking4 8,then you know ,shelby1 too80 8,ver' well4 ,oh yes4 ,he has been here4 ,a fine fellow1 butit is all right4 ,business is not for him4 ,he is always ready for the good timea sport1 you call it80 ,i smiled4 8,was he a friend of ,paquita's1 too80 ,i hazarded1 watching ,henri's face4 ,he lifted his eyebrows a fraction of an inch4 8,no more than of the rest10 he returned1 with a deprecating gesture4 8,pretty faces and figures all look good to ,shelby10 he added1 with a smile2 then1 seriously3 8,but he will settle down4 ,we will see him here no more1 some day4 ,also ,i know his brother-in-law1 ,messtair ,walcott4 ,i do not like him40 8,why80 ,i asked1 somewhat amused at getting his point of view4 8,too quiet4 ,he will come in1 not often1 perhaps1 bow1 maybe speak1 then go away40 ,i thought ,i 8got0 him4 ,one must be a good spender to appeal to ,henri4 ,i could not imagine ,johnson ,walcott as such4 ,in fact1 ,i could scarcely imagine him coming to ,henri's at all4 8,paquita was quite intimate with ,marshall ,maddox1 wasn't she80 ,i ventured again4 ,henri brought into play his ready shrug4 ,it was not for him to say anything about his patrons1 much less about the dead4 ,still1 his very manner gave the impression that his lips would not frame4 8,did any one ever seem to be watching him here80 ,i asked1 the thought of the sallow-faced man at ,westport recurring to my mind4 ,henri stopped matching his checks and looked up4 ,was he growing suspicious of my disinterestedness8 8,such things are not unusual10 he answered1 showing a fine assortment of ivory beneath his black mustache4 ,i met his eye frankly4 ,he seemed to understand4 8,not for the ,star1 you understand80 he nodded1 still looking at me fixedly4 8,oh1 no1 no60 ,i hastened1 truthfully4 8,i am not playing reporter now1 ,henri40 ,he appeared to be satisfied1 and it did not occur to him to inquire why else ,i should be interested4 8,yes10 he went on1 slowly1 8he has been watched4 ,i have seen it myself4 ,several times there was a man who came in1 ,spanish-looking40 8,did ,mr4 ,maddox know it80 ,i inquired1 more eager than ever4 ,henri shook his head negatively4 8,not until one day when ,la ,paquita was talking to the man4 ,monsieur came in unexpectedly40 ,the manager laughed a little to himself4 8,why do you laugh80 ,i asked4 8,what happened80 8,nothing10 he returned4 8,it was not what happened4 ,it was what she told him4 ,so clever1 too4 ,she said it was a detective set to trail him by ,mrs4 ,maddox1 that she had flirted with the man and found out40 8,then you do not think he was a detective80 ,i asked1 puzzled4 8,how should ,i know80 replied ,henri1 with another question4 8,it might have been4 ,it might not have been4 ,she is clever40 8,what did ,maddox do80 ,i persisted4 8,was he more cautious80 ,again ,henri shook his head4 8,he gave orders that the man was not to be admitted4 ,and we8 ,he was a ver' wealthy man1 ,mr4 ,maddox4 ,we could not afford to lose him40 8,but this ,spaniard10 ,i reiterated1 convinced it was the same man whom we had seen at ,westport1 8isn't it possible that ,mrs4 ,maddox really did pick him out as a detective in the hope that he might get acquainted with ,paquita and so report on her husband80 8,we are just guessing1 monsieur10 dodged ,henri4 8,i speak only of the things ,i knowand not all of them40 ,he had evidently told me in substance about all that he was sure of4 ,i knew him of old4 ,even after he had told his story he liked to leave a sort of 8continued in our next0 at the close of it1 just so that you would not think he was not what ,broadway calls a 8live one40 ,i had absorbed about all that he had at first hand4 ,it was enough4 ,it gave me a view of the characters of the chief actors1 from an angle which others did not know4 ,i rose nonchalantly1 thanked ,henri1 and sauntered out as ,i had in the old days when the ,star picked on me to expose some new society scandal4 ,the visit to ,henri's ,white ,light cabaret had shown me one very important thing1 however4 ,shelby ,maddox had known ,paquita before the night of the gay dinner party preceding the arrival of the ,maddox family for the conference on the yacht4 ,what that might indicate ,i did not yet venture to guess4 ,and yet ,i felt sure that it must prove significant4 ,else why had ,paquita arrived at ,westport at just that particular time8 ,it seemed as though it must have something to do with the calling of the family conference4 ,above all1 however1 stood forth the strange coincidence of the murder of ,marshall ,maddox1 head of the family1 and the stealing of the telautomaton1 the most valuable single piece of property that the family owned4 ,there was mystery enough in this case to satisfy even ,kennedy4 ,,vi ,,the ,,poison ,,gas ,a glance at my watch was sufficient to assure me that ,i should have no time for further inquiries if ,i wanted to meet ,kennedy before going down to the office of ,hastings4 ,i wanted to do that1 too1 for ,i felt sure that ,craig would talk more freely to me than to the rest1 and my interest in the affair had by this time become insatiable4 ,accordingly1 ,i retraced my steps to the laboratory4 ,kennedy was still at work1 partly over some reactions in test-tubes1 but mostly using the strange three-tubed instrument ,i had noted4 ,as ,i outlined to him rapidly what ,i had discovered and the plain inferences to be drawn from it1 he listened attentively1 still working4 8,very good10 was ,kennedy's sole comment as ,i concluded my story4 8,that's very interestingpossibly very important4 ,it begins to look as though ,maddox had been in some one's way and that that some one was taking no chances in order to #8get' him40 8,what have you discovered so far80 ,i hesitated1 not sure yet whether he was willing to talk1 for ,kennedy never said anything1 even to me1 until he was perfectly sure of his ground4 8,marshall ,maddox was not drowned1 at least10 he vouchsafed4 8,not drowned80 ,i repeated1 more to lead him on than because ,i was surprised4 8,no4 ,whatever was the cause of his death1 he was not killed by drowning4 ,the lungs and stomach show that4 ,in fact1 ,i knew at ,westport that he might have died a natural death or might even have been a suicide4 ,but he certainly did not die of drowning4 ,only more careful tests than either the coroner or ,i could make at ,westport were necessary40 8,how did it happen1 then80 ,i continued1 emboldened by his apparent readiness to talk4 ,kennedy took a bottle with a ground-glass stopper and held it up so that ,i could see its greenish-yellow contents4 ,then he pulled out the stopper1 covered with vaseline1 for an instant and shoved it back again4 ,the instant was enough4 ,a most unpleasant odor filled the laboratory4 ,i felt a sense of suffocation in the chest1 an irritation in the nose and throat1 as though by the corrosive action of some gas on the air passages4 8,if we could only have seen him before he died10 continued ,kennedy1 8,i suspect we should have found his face as blue as it was when we did see him1 his lips violet1 his pulse growing weaker until it was imperceptible1 and perhaps he would have been raising blood4 ,it would have been like an acute bronchitis1 only worse4 ,look40 ,from a little pin prick which he made on his own thumb ,craig squeezed out a drop of blood into a beaker containing some distilled water4 8,this is a spectroscope10 he explained1 touching the instrument ,i had noticed4 8,i think you are acquainted with it in a general way4 ,blood in water1 diluted1 shows the well-known dark bands between what we call #8,d' and #8,e4' ,these are the dark bands of oxyhemoglobin absorption4 ,now1 ,i add to this1 drop by drop1 the water from that bottle which ,i uncorked4 ,seethe bands gradually fade in intensity and finally disappear1 leaving a complete and brilliant spectrum devoid of any bands whatever4 ,in other words1 here is a substance that actually affects the red coloring matter in the blood1 bleaches it out1 and does moredestroys it40 ,i listened in amazement at the fiendish nature of his discovery4 8,marshall ,maddox was overcome by the poison gas contained in a thin-shelled bomb that was thrown through his state-room window4 ,the corrosion of the metal in the room gave me a clue to that4 ,then0 8,but what is this poison gas80 ,i demanded1 horrified4 ,kennedy looked at me fixedly a moment4 8,chlorine10 he replied1 simply2 adding1 8the spectroscope shows that there is a total absence of pigment in the blood4 ,you can readily see that it is no wonder1 if it has this action1 that death is sometimes so rapid as to be almost instantaneous4 ,why1 man alive1 this thing destroys without the possibility of reconstitution6 ,it is devilish in the quantity he inhaled it40 ,i could only gasp with surprise at the discovery4 8,but how was it done80 ,i repeated4 8,you think a bomb was thrown through the open port80 8,without a doubt4 ,perhaps1 as you guessed1 from a boat outside1 the roof of a cruiser1 anything1 as far as that end of it goes4 ,whoever did it might also have entered the room in the same way40 8,entered the room80 ,i asked4 8,yes1 wearing a mask composed of several layers of gauze impregnated with glycerinated solution of sodium hypophosphate4 ,that is one of many substances used4 ,all that was necessary was to wet the mask with water and adjust it4 ,it would have served a double purposeto protect the wearer's life as well as his identity40 ,amazed at ,kennedy's powers of reconstruction from evidence that looked so slender1 ,i merely waited for him to proceed4 8,then whoever it was probably rifled his clothes and so obtained the keys to the building and the office4 ,from the brief-case they must have extracted the copies of the telautomaton plans4 ,after that it was a simple matter to throw the body overboard in the hope that the affair might possibly be covered up as an accident or suicide4 ,in the course of the night the wind cleared the room of the gas4 ,they did not reckon1 however1 on what science can discoveror if they did1 cared little4 ,after that1 ,i suppose1 some one went to ,new ,york1 perhaps in a high-powered car40 8,mito couldn't have gone to ,new ,yorkand got back again10 ,i exclaimed1 impulsively1 recalling that ,mito had been seen ashore that night without apparent reason4 8,mito may or may not have played his part10 was all that ,kennedy would comment4 ,he left me wildly speculating4 ,was ,mito a cog in the wheel1 of which ,paquita and the gang suspected by ,burke were other cogs8 ,was ,shelby ,maddox also a cog1 willingly or unwillingly8 ,could he have got away from the yacht and got back again8 ,a host of unanswered questions raced through my mind4 ,but ,kennedy had said all that he was prepared to say now4 8,we had better be going10 he remarked1 calmly1 8if we are to keep that appointment with ,hastings and ,burke40 ,he was evidently much more interested in what ,burke might turn up than in his own investigation1 which was quite natural1 for what he had told me was already an old story to him1 and his restless mind craved to be speeding toward the solution of the mystery4 ,half an hour later ,kennedy and ,i entered the office of ,hastings4 ,i looked about curiously4 ,there were1 as in many lawyers' offices1 two private offices for the members of the firm1 while outside was a large room for the clerks1 the stenographers1 and the telephone girl4 ,as we were welcomed by ,hastings in his own office ,i wondered what the walls might have heard4 ,marshall ,maddox and his lawyer must have had many conferences there during the time that ,maddox was planning his great coup in the munitions company4 8,burke hasn't arrived yet10 remarked ,hastings1 nervously4 8,i've been expecting him any moment4 ,i wonder what is keeping him80 ,there was no way of finding out1 and we were forced to sit impatiently4 ,a few moments later we heard hurried footsteps down the hall and ,burke burst in1 his face flushed with excitement4 8,this thing is devilish10 he exclaimed1 looking keenly at ,hastings4 8,i must be in your class40 8,how's that8 ,did some one shoot at you80 queried the lawyer4 8,no1 but ,i came within an ace of being poisoned40 8,poisoned80 we inquired1 incredulously4 8,yes4 ,you know ,i started to find that night watchman4 ,well1 ,i found him4 ,he knows nothingand ,i think he is telling the truth4 ,but after ,i had questioned him ,i made him admit that sometimes he takes a meal in the middle of the night4 ,of course he has to leave the front hall of the ground floor unguarded to do so4 ,i figured that the robber might have got in and got away during that time4 ,and ,i guess ,i'm right4 8,after that ,i saw the policeman who walks the beat at night4 ,i thought he was going to prove a better witness4 ,he remembers1 under questioning1 seeing a speedster that stopped around the next corner and was left there standing some timeabout the time that the robbery must have taken place1 if ,i am right4 ,he thought it was strange and hung about4 8,when the fellow who drove the car came back the policeman walked over4 ,the fellow offered no explanation of leaving his car on the street at such an hour1 except that he had stopped to shift a shoe that had blown4 ,then he asked where there was an all-night lunch-room4 ,the policeman directed him and the fellow thanked him and drove off in that direction40 8,but the poisoning10 prompted ,craig4 8,how did that happen80 8,i'm coming to it4 ,well1 ,i thought at once of going to the lunch-room and inquiring4 ,you see1 ,i thought ,i might check up both the night watchman's story and the cop's4 ,so ,i went in and it happened that the night man was just going to work4 ,i hadn't had anything to eat since this morning and ,i ordered a sandwich and a cup of coffee4 ,i left the coffee standing on a little table while ,i talked to the man behind the counter4 8,i found out from him that the night watchman had been there1 all right4 ,but he didn't remember any one in a speedster4 ,in fact1 ,i hadn't expected that he would4 ,i don't believe the fellow went there4 8,anyhow1 when ,i went to look for my coffee ,i noticed something on the lip of the cup4 ,it looked like sugar1 and ,i recollected that ,i hadn't put any sugar in the coffee4 ,besides1 this looked like powdered sugar1 and ,i wouldn't have put powdered sugar in when there was lump sugar4 ,i tasted a bit of it4 ,it was bittervery bitter4 ,here's some of it40 ,kennedy took from ,burke a few particles of a white powder which he had carefully preserved in a piece of paper and began examining the particles closely4 8,there were lots of people coming and going at the lunch-room10 went on ,burke1 8but ,i didn't pay much attention to any of them40 ,kennedy had placed just a particle of the powder on his tongue1 and was now making a wry face4 ,as he turned toward us he exclaimed1 8,strychnine60 8,see80 nodded ,burke1 excitedly4 8,i thought it was some poison4 ,i knew there was something wrong40 ,burke looked at ,kennedy fixedly4 ,there could be no doubt now that we were watched4 ,some one was evidently desperate to prevent discovery4 ,first the attack had been leveled at ,hastings4 ,now it was ,burke4 ,who would be next8 ,i think we all realized that we were marked1 though none of us said anything at the time4 ,burke looked over questioningly at ,kennedy4 8,i've found out how ,maddox was killed10 volunteered ,craig1 understanding the query implied in his glance4 8,indeedalready80 interrupted ,hastings1 to whom ,kennedy was already frankly incomprehensible4 8,how80 demanded ,burke1 checking himself in time to protect himself from setting forth a theory of his own1 for ,burke was like all other police detectivesfirst forming a theory and then seeking facts that confirmed it4 ,eagerly both ,burke and ,hastings listened as ,kennedy repeated briefly his discoveries of the spectroscopic tests which he had already told me4 8,gassed1 by ,george60 muttered ,burke1 more puzzled than ever4 8,i may as well admit that ,i thought he had been thrown overboard and drowned4 ,the shot at ,mr4 ,hastings rather confirmed me in the rough-neck methods of the criminal4 ,but this burglar's microphone and the strychnine have shaken my theory4 ,this fellow is clever beyond anything ,i had ever suspected4 ,and to think of his using gas6 ,i tell you1 ,kennedy1 we don't know what to expect of criminals these days40 ,burke shook his head sagely4 ,at least he had one saving grace4 ,he realized his own shortcomings4 8,how about the speedster80 reverted ,kennedy1 passing over the subject1 for both ,craig and ,i had a high regard for ,burke1 whatever might be his limitations4 8,what did the patrolman say the fellow in the speedster looked like80 ,burke threw up his hands in mock resignation4 8,as nearly as ,i could make out1 he looked like a linen duster and a pair of goggles4 ,you know that kind of copdoomed always to pound pavements4 ,why1 it might have been anybodya woman1 for all he knew40 8,i think we've been away from ,westport long enough10 concluded ,kennedy4 8,perhaps our unexpected return may result in something4 ,a speedsterh'm4 ,at least we can look over the garage of the ,harbor ,house40 ,i remember that ,i thought the words of little consequence at the moment4 ,yet1 as it proved1 it was a fateful statement made at this time and place4 ,,vii ,,the ,,divorce ,,detective ,at the ,westport station1 when our train pulled in1 there was the usual gathering of cars to meet the late afternoon express from the city4 ,as we four were searching for a jitney 'bus to take us down to the ,harbor ,house ,i caught sight in the press of cars of the ,walcott car4 ,sitting in the back were ,winifred and her sister-in-law1 ,mrs4 ,walcott1 sister of the murdered man4 ,they had come up to meet her husband1 ,johnson ,walcott1 who now came down the platform from the club car1 which had been well forward4 ,the train was pulling out1 clearing the road across the track1 and as it did so there flashed past a speedster with a cream-colored body1 a shining aluminium hood1 and dainty upholstery4 ,no one could have failed to notice it4 ,as if the mere appearance of the car was not loud enough1 the muffler cut-out was allowing the motor to growl a further demand for attention4 ,in the speedster sat ,paquita1 and as we looked across from our jitney ,i caught sight of ,winifred eying her critically1 turning at the same time to say something to ,mrs4 ,walcott4 ,paquita saw it1 too1 and shot a glance of defiance as she stepped her dainty toe on the gas and leaped ahead of all the cars that were pulling out with passengers whom they had met4 8,did you get that80 whispered ,kennedy to me4 8,not only have we a mystery on our hands1 but we have something much harder to followconflict between those two women4 ,shelby may think he is a principal in the game1 but one or the other of them is going to show him that he is a mere miserable pawn40 8,i wonder where she could have been80 ,i speculated4 8,that road up past the station leads to the turnpike to the city4 ,could she have been there1 or just out for a spin80 ,kennedy shook his head4 8,if we are going to follow that color-scheme about the country we'll need to get a car that can travel up to the limit40 8,well10 snorted ,burke1 8it does beat all how these dancers can sport cars with special bodies and engines that would drown out the hammers of hell2 but,i suppose it would cut down the work of us detectives by half if it weren't so40 ,hastings said nothing4 ,perhaps he was calculating the cost of the outfit that had just passed1 and wondering whether the bill had been paid by his clientor some one else4 ,the ,walcott car had got away and we were now jolting along in our more modest flivver1 eager to get back to the scene of our labors and learn what had taken place in our absence4 ,back at the ,harbor ,house ,burke's man1 ,riley1 was waiting1 sure enough1 with a full budget of news as we entered quietly by another than the main entrance and drew him off in a corner4 8,what's happened80 demanded ,burke4 8,plenty10 returned ,riley1 his reticence before us now overcome4 8,you remember that dark-skinned fellow80 he asked1 excitedly4 8,an unnecessary question10 returned ,burke4 8,he has not been out of my thoughts since ,i left4 ,i hope you've watched him closely4 ,we saw ,paquita4 ,she must have slipped through your fingers4 ,you'll have to get a car that can keep up with her1 ,riley1 if we are going to handle this affair successfully40 8,yes1 sir10 agreed ,riley1 evidently relieved that his chief had not administered a severer rebuke4 8,i was about to tell you of how she slips away from us in that car1 sir4 ,well10 he graced on1 as though eager to change the subject1 8we have not only found out who that spiggoty chap is1 but that he has reported to ,mrs4 ,maddox finally1 to-day4 ,it seems as though she has paid him for his work of watching her husband1 and now that ,mr4 ,maddox is dead has no further use for him40 8,and he has gone away80 asked ,craig4 8,no10 replied ,riley1 quickly1 8that's just the point4 ,even though she has discharged himat least that is what it looks likehe is sticking around4 ,at first ,i thought he was watching ,paquitaand he is4 ,but twice ,i have caught him talking to her4 ,it may be that it's all right4 ,i don't get it at all4 ,i can't make out yet whether he is with her or against her40 8,that's strange10 agreed ,burke1 turning to ,kennedy4 8,i don't understand that4 ,do you8 ,do you suppose the fellow has been double crossing ,irene ,maddox all the time8 ,these divorce sleuths are an unprincipled lot1 usually40 ,kennedy shook his head non-commitally4 8,i think it will be worth looking into10 he considered4 8,has anything else happened80 8,plenty10 replied ,riley cheerfully4 8,since you went away ,shelby ,maddox has given up living out on the ,sybarite1 ,i understand4 ,he is to live at the ,harbor ,house all the time1 and has brought his stuff ashore1 although he hasn't been about much4 ,he is another one who has a speedster that can do some traveling40 8,what do you make of that move80 encouraged ,hastings4 ,riley shrugged4 8,sometimes10 he remarked1 slowly1 8,i think he is watching the others4 ,i don't know yet whether he does it because he suspects something of them1 or because he thinks they suspect something of him4 ,anyhow1 he has brought that ,jap1 ,mito1 ashore1 too4 ,is he afraid of him8 ,has ,mito something that gives him a leverage on ,shelby ,maddox8 ,i don't know4 ,only1 it's mighty strange40 8,has ,mito done anything suspicious80 asked ,kennedy4 8,his whole conduct is suspicious10 asserted ,riley1 positively4 8,why was he in town so late last night8 ,besides1 the fellow is well educatedtoo well educated to be a servant4 ,no1 sir1 you can't make me believe that he is here for any good4 ,he's clever1 too4 ,they tell me he can run a motor-boat or a car as well as the best4 ,and he's quiet4 ,there's something deep about him4 ,why1 you can see that he knows that he is being watched40 8,but what has he done80 emphasized ,kennedy4 8,n-nothing4 ,only1 he acts as though he was covering up something4 ,i know the symptoms40 ,i tried to analyze our feelings toward ,mito4 ,was it merely that ,riley and the rest of us did not understand the subtle ,oriental1 and that hence we suspected everything we did not understand8 ,there was no denying that ,mito's actions out on the ,sybarite1 for instance1 had been open to question4 ,yet1 as far as ,i knew1 there was nothing on which one could place his finger and accuse the little man1 except his alleged presence in town so late the night before4 ,from the corner in which we were sitting we could see through an open window the porte-cochre beside the hotel at which guests were arriving and departing4 8,look60 pointed out ,riley4 8,there's ,shelby ,maddox now40 ,his motor had purred up silently around the corner of the road that led about the shore1 and as he pulled up before the door the omnipresent ,mito appeared from nowhere4 ,shelby crawled out from under the steering-wheel and turned the car over to ,mito to run around to the hotel garage4 ,for a moment he stood talking to the ,jap1 giving him some parting instructions1 when another car tooted its horn and came up to the steps4 ,it was the ,walcott car4 ,evidently they had not come directly from the station1 but had taken a little ride along the shore to get the stuffy air of the railroad train out of ,johnson ,walcott's lungs4 ,it was just the opportunity ,shelby wanted4 ,he quickly waved to ,mito to pull away and turned to the new arrival1 opening the rear door before the officious starter could get to it1 and handing out ,winifred ,walcott most attentivelyso much so that he forgot all about his own sister and ,johnson ,walcott4 ,he and ,winifred stood talking1 evidently about ,shelby's own departing roadster1 for they were looking after ,mito as he shot up the road to the garage4 8,do you guess what they are talking about80 queried ,kennedy to me4 8,i would be willing to wager that ,i can reproduce at least a part of the conversation4 ,as they watched the speedster get away she spoke first1 and he nodded his head in the negative as he replied4 ,she spoke again1 and he nodded in the affirmativeand smiled40 8,what was it80 ,i asked4 8,remember ,paquita8 ,so does ,winifred4 ,first she asked ,shelby if his roadster was hard to driveor something of the sort4 ,he said it was not4 ,then she asked whether he would show her some of the fine points of driving it,i am sure that ,winifred ,walcott can drive1 for she looks like that sort of a girl4 ,shelby fairly leaped ahead like his motor does when he feeds it gas4 ,that was easy long-distance eavesdropping40 8,what are they talking about now80 ,i demanded1 rather spoofing him than serious1 for ,shelby was standing on the steps yet1 quite oblivious to everything about him except ,winifred4 8,i don't know10 he confessed1 8but ,i can predict that something will happen in thirty seconds4 ,look up the road40 ,i glanced away4 ,paquita in her speedster was shooting down as though she had a fourth speed4 ,a second1 and she had pulled up1 leaping lightly to the ground4 ,she nodded gaily to the starter to take her car for her to the garage1 and bounded up the steps1 not neglecting to display a generous vision of a trim ankle that almost caused the starter to turn the car up the steps instead of wide from the ,walcott car4 ,deliberately she passed close to ,shelby1 as though to show him the contrast between the fluffy little girl of the morning and the motor girl of the afternoon4 ,she smiled sweetly at ,shelby1 not neglecting a quick glance of superciliousness at ,winifred1 such as only a true actress can give4 ,at that moment ,irene ,maddox appeared in the door1 to greet ,johnson and ,mrs4 ,walcott4 ,paquita had not seen her1 nor if she had would she probably have avoided the dramatic meeting4 ,for an instant the two women were face to face4 ,men would have been at each other's throats in a brutal grip4 ,paquita was no less brutal4 ,without turning an eyelash she looked steadily into the face of the woman who had been so grievously wronged1 and for all the surprise or emotion she displayed she might have been gazing at a bisque ornament4 ,irene ,maddox1 stately in her black suit of mourning1 drew herself to her full height and the color in her cheeks deepened as her eyes flashed at the other woman4 ,paquita swept on gaily4 ,she was supremely happy4 ,she had gone up-stage and had thrown two bombs4 ,from our coign of vantage ,i saw that another was watching4 ,it was our sallow-faced friend1 who smiled darkly to himself as he watched1 then1 a moment later1 was gone1 observed by none of them4 ,paquita had passed4 ,one might have easily paraphrased 8,pippa ,passes10 and it was not ,god who was in his heaven1 either1 nor was all right with the world4 ,the group at the porte-cochre glanced at one another1 and for the moment each was reminded of his own particular hate and rivalry4 ,shelby was plainly chagrined4 ,he had been getting along famously with ,winifred1 when a cold shower had been plunged over him4 ,irene ,maddox had received a sharp reminder of her trying position4 ,frances ,walcott was again a ,maddox1 unsoftened by the tragedy4 ,winifred listened while ,shelby tried to finish what he had been saying1 but nothing was the same as before4 ,only ,johnson ,walcott seemed able to remain the unconcerned outsider4 ,all turned into the hotel now1 and as they separated and disappeared ,i wondered whether ,paquita had been trailing about and had deliberately framed the little incident4 ,what was the meaning of the continued observation by the man of the sallow face8 ,just then one of the boys came through the lobby1 where we were sitting in the angle1 calling 8,mr4 ,sanchez6 ,mr4 ,sanchez60 ,from around the angle1 where he could not have seen us1 appeared the sallow-faced individual who had so disturbed our thoughts4 ,he took the telegram which the boy carried1 tore it open1 and read it4 ,as he did so his face1 lined with anger1 happened to turn in our direction and he saw us4 ,without appearing to notice us1 he slowly tore the telegram as well as the envelope and stuffed the pieces into his pocket4 ,then he turned and coolly sat down again as though nothing had occurred4 8,at least we know that one of his names is ,sanchez10 commented ,kennedy4 8,i'd like to see that message40 8,you're not likely to see it now1 unless we can pick his pocket10 returned ,burke4 8,don't look around4 ,there comes ,mito40 ,the ,japanese padded silently past1 unconcerned1 casting no look at either our party or ,sanchez4 ,but ,i knew that his beady eyes had already taken us in4 ,i felt that he was watching us4 ,but was it for his own or some one else's benefit8 ,i determined that1 given an opportunity1 ,i would try to find out two thingswhat the telegram contained and why ,mito had been in town the night before4 ,it was the dinner hour1 and the guests of the ,harbor ,house1 either singly or in groups1 were stringing into the brilliantly lighted dining-room1 where the orchestra had already tuned up4 ,we moved over1 nearer the door1 as ,shelby ,maddox1 all alone1 placed his hat on the rack and entered1 allowing the head waiter to seat him4 8,let us go in and observe them10 decided ,kennedy4 8,hastings1 you brought us out here4 ,it will look queer if we all go in together4 ,so ,i think that you1 ,burke1 and ,riley had better sit at another table in another part of the room2 then we won't appear to be all together and we may get more1 too40 ,accordingly1 ,hastings1 ,kennedy1 and ,i entered1 and by a little manuvering managed to get ourselves placed by a window where we could see pretty much everything that went on4 ,winifred ,walcott was already there1 at a table with her brother1 her sister-in-law1 and ,irene ,maddox4 ,they did not seem to be talking much4 ,i wondered what could be the matter4 ,perhaps it was fancy1 but it seemed as if the two older women were not quite so friendly as they had been when ,i saw them in the automobile in the morning4 ,johnson ,walcott also said little1 but appeared to be engrossed in reading the despatches from ,westport in the papers4 ,none of them ate as though they enjoyed it1 and all seemed preoccupied1 especially ,winifred1 who let dish after dish go untasted4 ,what had she on her mind8 ,was it solely ,paquita8 ,i looked over at a table on the other side of the room where there was a lone diner1 ,shelby ,maddox4 ,he1 too1 was preoccupied4 ,he had placed himself so that he could catch the eye of ,winifred whenever she chose to cast it his way4 ,but though he was never off guard1 she did not choose4 ,something1 too1 was seriously affecting his appetite4 ,as far as food was concerned1 his presence was a mere formality4 8,there's something strange going on in that family10 ,i commented at length4 ,hastings smiled dryly4 8,they can't agree1 even on a tragedy10 he returned4 8,what you have seen so far to-day was merely a lull in the storm4 ,and now1 if that is complicated by outsiderswell1 we shall need all ,mr4 ,kennedy's acumen if we are to untangle the snarl40 ,kennedy appeared oblivious to the compliment1 which was something for ,hastings to pay1 for very little in this mundane sphere met the approval of his legal mind4 ,craig was studying a large mirror at the end of the dining-hall thoughtfully4 ,i turned and placed myself as nearly as possible in the same angle of vision4 8,please1 ,walter10 he cautioned1 8your head is opaque,i mean to the human eye1 old man40 ,my one glance had been sufficient to whet my curiosity4 ,by means of the mirror he could see around an 8,l0 in the dining-room1 and there1 at a little table1 alone1 was seated ,paquita4 ,she had chosen the coign of vantage quite apparently because it put her in range of ,shelby1 without its being apparent to the other guests4 ,but ,shelby was busy4 ,he had not even noticed ,paquita1 in his eagerness to catch the crumb of a glance from ,winifred's table4 ,not being able to watch ,paquita without interfering with ,kennedy1 and finding the strained relations of the others rather tiresome1 ,i glanced out on the veranda by the window where our table stood4 ,some one was pacing quietly up and down4 ,almost with a feeling of certainty ,i strained my eyes in the darkness4 8,that ,sanchez is outside1 watching everything10 ,i called ,craig's attention4 ,he nodded4 ,at the other end of the dining-room ,burke and ,riley were quite as busy as we were1 observing how those whom we were watching acted when they were all together4 ,the ,walcott party finished dinner first and soon afterward rose and left the room4 ,down in the ,casino there was dancing every night1 but1 of course1 they did not go there4 ,instead1 they chose a secluded corner of the porch at the ,lodge4 ,though there was no lost cordiality1 apparently they did not want to separate4 ,at least they had their conflicting interests in common4 ,shelby needed nothing but a finger-bowl in order to finish his dinner1 and left hurriedly1 much to the astonishment of the waiter4 ,burke and ,riley had already gone out and had disappeared when we followed shortly4 ,prompted by ,kennedy1 ,hastings sauntered around to the end of the porch which the ,walcotts and ,mrs4 ,maddox had occupied4 ,shelby ,maddox had already joined them1 unable to keep away from ,winifred longer4 ,one could feel the constraint of the party1 although to an outsider it might readily have been accounted for by the tragedy4 ,however1 we knew by this time that there was something deeper4 ,shelby was apparently endeavoring to overcome the impression which the appearance and smile of ,paquita had produced1 but ,i could see that ,winifred was not yet entirely mollified4 ,the ,maddox party welcomed usnot cordially1 but at least not coldly1 for it was no part of their character ever to betray their real feelings before one another4 ,as we drew up chairs ,i could feel the close scrutiny to which we were being subjected4 8,well80 queried ,shelby at length1 after we had talked about several inconsequential things1 8what have you found out1 ,hastings80 ,he said it in a tone that was meant to imply that he knew that some kind of investigation was on4 ,was it bravado8 8,oh1 several things10 returned ,hastings1 turning to ,kennedy as if to leave the answer to him4 8,for one thing10 shot out ,kennedy1 taking advantage of the opportunity1 8we have determined that your brother died from the effects of a poisonous gas,i won't say yet what it was or how administered40 ,the light from a window was shining full on ,shelby's face as ,craig said it1 and he knew that we were all watching intently the effect it would have4 8,is that so80 he replied1 with an interest this time unfeigned4 8,i suppose you know who did it80 8,i have an idea10 replied ,kennedy1 8a theory on which ,i am proceeding4 ,but it is too early to talk about it yet40 ,if ,shelby had been trying to 8pump0 us he was getting something to think about1 at least4 ,i felt sure that ,craig was telling the family this much in the hope that it would spur them to some action1 or at least reach ears that would be affected4 ,it was while ,kennedy was talking that ,i noticed that ,winifred showed her first real interest in what was going on about her4 ,she was about to ask a question when the sound of footsteps on the veranda interrupted4 ,if ,i had wondered what the cause of the coolness between ,shelby and ,winifred was ,i had here a partial answer at least4 ,again1 as though to foment trouble1 ,paquita crossed the veranda and walked slowly down the steps to the ,casino1 whence floated the rhythmic strains of the orchestra4 ,though she did not know it1 she produced the result she sought4 ,a few minutes later ,winifred excused herself to retire to her room1 her question still unasked and unanswered4 ,shelby bowed a reluctant good-night1 but ,i could see that inwardly he was furious4 ,and ,i felt impelled to ask myself1 also1 why ,paquita was so apparently dogging ,shelby's every step4 ,could it be that the notorious little heart-breaker was actually in love with himor had she some darker motive8 ,,viii ,,the ,,pulmotor ,shelby was plainly angry and disconcerted4 ,for the moment he seemed to hesitate between hurrying after ,winifred and striding down the steps toward ,paquita1 as though to demand an explanation of her haunting appearances and disappearances4 ,in the moment that elapsed during his indecision he seemed to think a second time and to check both impulses4 ,better1 he evidently considered1 to affect to ignore the matter altogether4 ,still1 he could not conceal his chagrin4 ,nor was it lost on the others4 ,the ,maddox family were watching one another like hawks4 ,each knew that the other knew somethingthough not how much4 ,winifred's desertion seemed to throw a damper on the entire group4 ,as for ,shelby1 life had lost its attraction for him with ,winifred ,walcott gone4 ,he was about to make some excuse to leave the party1 then decided that perhaps he might better stay4 ,if anything was going to be said or to happen1 at least he would learn it4 ,meanwhile ,i noticed that ,johnson ,walcott was covertly observing ,shelby1 who seemed to be aware of the scrutiny of the brother of the girl with whom he was in love4 ,i felt that ,shelby would not antagonize ,walcott at least4 8,then you are getting closer to the truth of the death of my brother80 inquired ,shelby4 8,step by step10 replied ,kennedy4 8,i am trying now to reconstruct what might have been hidden in his private life40 ,irene ,maddox gave a quick glance at ,kennedy4 ,the others were silent4 ,it was a queer family4 ,there was no word of grief for ,marshall ,maddox4 ,each seemed merely to consider what bearing the tragedy might have on his own fortune4 ,a moment later ,walcott excused himself1 pleading that he had some letters to write1 and passed slowly down the porch in the direction of the office and writing-room4 ,his wife1 however1 and ,irene ,maddox showed no disposition to move4 ,none of us said anything about the incident1 but ,i know that ,i did a lot of wondering why the mere appearance of ,paquita seemed to break up the party each time as though a shell had burst4 ,was there something lying back which neither ,kennedy nor myself knew anything about8 ,was it more than revenge or jealousy8 ,as for myself1 somehow ,i had become mightily interested in the drama of the little ,mexican dancer and ,shelby1 whatever it might be4 ,how did ,sanchez complicate it8 ,could it be that ,burke was right and that he was an international crook8 ,besides1 ,mito was on my mind now more than any of the ,maddoxes in the group1 anyhow4 ,accordingly1 ,i leaned over and whispered to ,kennedy4 8,i'd like to follow that girl ,paquita and watch her a bit40 8,very good1 ,walter10 he whispered back4 8,see if you can find her4 ,i want to stay here with ,hastings and talk to them4 ,molasses will catch more flies than vinegar4 ,i will stick along until there is an open break40 ,glad of the release he had given me1 ,i made some excuse to the party1 and without seeming to do so wandered off from the ,lodge toward the ,casino in the direction taken by ,paquita4 ,as ,i approached the ,casino1 which was now ablaze with lights and gaiety1 ,i paused outside in the shadow to survey the long line of snowy white tables on a balcony whose outlook was directly on the dark-blue waters of the bay and out between the two necks of land into the ,sound4 ,it seemed a veritable fairy-land4 ,one after another1 ,i scanned the faces of the parties at the tables in the hope of catching a glimpse of ,paquita1 but she was at none of them4 ,as ,i stood in the shadow of a clump of shrubbery ,i was suddenly aware that some one had crossed the thick grassy carpet and was standing almost directly behind me4 ,i turned to find ,burke4 8,i don't suppose you have seen that ,jap1 ,mito1 about80 he asked1 modulating his voice4 8,no10 ,i replied4 8,i just came down here4 ,kennedy and ,hastings are on the porch with the ,maddoxes and ,i thought ,i might do some investigating on my own account4 ,why8 ,what has ,mito been doing80 ,burke shrugged4 8,perhaps nothingperhaps much4 ,riley and ,i have been strolling about the outside1 on a chance4 ,once we found ,mito sitting apart1 apparently looking out over the harbor1 although ,i am sure that that was not all he was doing4 ,for when he saw ,paquita coming down the path1 almost before we knew it he had given us the slip in the darkness4 ,i think he had been waiting for her to appear40 8,where is she80 ,i asked4 8,it was really to follow her that ,i came down here40 ,burke nodded toward the dancing-floor of the ,casino4 8,i suppose she is in there10 he replied4 8,at least she was a moment ago4 ,i would feel a great deal safer in putting my finger on her than on that ,jap4 ,he is eely4 ,every time ,i think ,i have caught him he gets through my grasp4 ,it may be that he is only a faithful servant to his master1 although ,i would like to be convinced of it4 ,all the time that you and ,kennedy were up there on the veranda he was watching4 ,i don't know what ,paquita did1 but when she walked down he spotted her in a momentand was gone40 8,that's just the point10 ,i hastened4 8,she didn't do a thing except pass near us and bestow a sweet smile on ,shelby4 ,it's the second time since we got back from the city4 ,i can't make out what she is up to1 unless it is to separate the lovers40 8,i think ,i shall try to see ,kennedy10 concluded ,burke4 8,all right10 ,i agreed as he turned away4 8,you'll find him at the ,lodge on the porch4 ,i am going to stay here awhile and see what ,paquita does4 ,how about ,sanchez80 ,i recollected4 8,nothing at all10 imparted ,burke as he left me4 8,since dinner he seems to have dropped out of sight entirely40 ,burke having left me1 ,i sauntered into the light1 and1 being alone1 chose a table from which ,i could see both the dancers and the gay parties at the other little round tables4 ,intently my gaze wandered in toward the dancing4 ,the lively strains of a fox-trot were sending the crowded couples ricocheting over the polished floor4 ,it was a brilliant sightthe myriad lights1 the swaying couples1 the musical rhythm pervading all4 ,sure enough1 there was ,paquita4 ,i could pick her out from among them all1 for there was none1 even among these seasoned dancers1 who could equal the pretty professional4 ,dancing with her was a young man whom ,i did not recognize4 ,nor did it seem to matter1 for even in the encore ,i found that she had another partner4 ,without a doubt they were of the group of the younger set to whom ,paquita was a fascinating creature4 ,what1 if anything1 her partners might have to do with the ,maddox mystery ,i was unable to determine1 though ,i inclined to the belief that it was nothing4 ,sophisticated though they may have thought themselves1 they were mere children in the hands of ,paquita4 ,she was quite apparently using her very popularity as a mask4 ,from my table on the terrace over the bay ,i caught sight of a face1 all alone1 which amazed me4 ,johnson ,walcott was quite as much interested in ,paquita as any of the younger set4 ,it was too late for me to move4 ,walcott caught sight of me and soon had planted himself in the chair opposite4 8,what do you make of that girl80 he asked1 finally1 as though frankly confessing the object of his visit to the ,casino4 ,i was on guard4 ,i did not want to admit to any of the family that neither ,kennedy nor myself had fathomed her4 8,i don't know10 ,i replied1 carefully avoiding the appearance of having come down solely to watch her4 8,she seems to be quite interested in the ,maddox family40 ,walcott laughed as though to indicate to me that he understood that ,i knew the scandal4 ,just then ,paquita caught sight of us together4 ,i thought she seemed distrait4 ,she rose and a moment later disappeared through the ,french window4 ,inwardly ,i cursed ,walcott for his intrusion at that moment1 for under the circumstances ,i could not abruptly jump up and leave him to follow her4 ,yet it was just that second in which she was gone4 ,the dancing seemed to have no attraction for her to-night4 ,evidently there was something lying back in her strange actions4 ,more than likely she had come down to the ,casino for the sole purpose of passing ,shelby again when ,winifred was present4 ,as soon as ,i conveniently could ,i managed to detach myself from ,walcott1 but1 as ,i had expected1 by the time ,i got around to the ,french window through which ,paquita had gone she was nowhere about4 ,what of ,sanchez8 ,where was he8 ,i loitered about for a moment1 then slowly mounted the steps that led back to the ,lodge1 intending to rejoin ,kennedy and ,hastings4 ,when ,i reached the porch again all were gone4 ,shelby had got away1 and the others had either gone to their rooms or to the more lively corridor of the hotel4 ,i looked about1 but could see neither ,kennedy nor ,hastings4 ,they1 too1 seemed to have disappeared on some mission4 ,what ,i would do next ,i did not know4 ,suddenly there flashed through my mind the thought of the high-powered car that the policeman had told ,burke of seeing near the ,maddox ,building the night before4 ,i wondered whether there might not be some clue that ,i might obtain from the garage back of the ,lodge4 ,there must be at least two speedsters there1 ,paquita's and ,shelby's4 ,perhaps there were others4 ,at least ,i might find out whether either of them had been out the night of the murder4 ,having nothing better to do1 ,i determined to make a little tour of investigation in that direction myself4 ,as ,i made my way to the rear of the hotel ,i saw that there were indeed two garages1 one large one that was most generally used and a smaller one that looked as though it might have been built as an afterthought to accommodate an overflow of cars4 ,the smaller one was near and ,i determined to examine it first4 ,it was dark1 too1 as though not being used except over week-ends1 when the hotel was crowded4 ,almost before ,i was aware of it it seemed as if ,i saw a figure flit past a window4 ,perhaps it was my imagination4 ,at any rate ,i would not have conscientiously sworn to it1 for my attention at the time was directed at the other1 lighted1 garage4 ,the impression was enough1 however4 ,i quickened my pace until ,i came to the dark building4 ,mechanically ,i tried the door1 fully expecting that it would be locked4 ,to my surprise1 it was open1 and before ,i realized it ,i had swung the door and my foot was on the threshold4 8,who's0 ,the words were scarcely out of my lips when a spit of fire in the blackness of the interior replied4 ,for a moment my head seemed in a whirl4 ,sight and hearing left me4 ,that is all ,i remember4 ,an hour later1 vaguely1 indistinctly1 as though far away1 ,i heard a familiar voice calling me4 ,it seemed to be far off1 and ,i struggled after it1 blindly groping4 ,there seemed to be something over my face1 something that covered my eyes4 ,i felt that if ,i could only get it off ,i would be all right4 ,but try as ,i would1 ,i had not the strength4 ,still1 ,i was encouraged4 ,the voice seemed nearer1 more distinct4 ,was it ,kennedy's8 ,it sounded strangely like it4 ,i clawed again at the thing that seemed to keep me from him4 ,to my surprise it came off itself1 leaving me blinking in a flood of light4 8,walterare you all right80 ,i now heard the voice distinctly4 8,wh-where am ,i8 ,what happened80 ,i gasped1 feeling still a suffocating sensation in the throat and chest1 my mouth parched1 dry and irritated1 and my nose tingling as though afire4 8,here in the garage10 replied ,craig1 holding a peculiar rubber face mask in one hand1 while ,burke stood beside a sort of box about the size of a suit-case from which rubber tubes ran to the mask4 8,i thought the pulmotor would do the trick40 8,it's lucky you are that there was a gas company in town that's up-to-date and has one of the things10 returned ,burke1 breaking back into a vernacular more natural than that veneered on his honest tongue4 8,praise be that he's all right4 ,a night's sleep will do him good1 don't you say1 ,mr4 ,kennedy80 8,butbut what is it all about80 ,i choked1 striving to get my feet1 but finding myself still a bit weak4 ,my eye caught the motors and pumps and tubes in the pulmotor1 but that conveyed no idea to me4 8,tell me,craigwho was it80 8,i wish ,i could1 old fellow10 replied ,craig1 smoothing back my hair4 8,we were just a bit late for thatheard the shotdashed in1 and found you1 of all people4 ,how did you come here80 ,propped up gently by ,craig1 ,i told what ,i could of the story1 though there was next to nothing to tell4 8,whoever it was10 ,i concluded1 pressing my aching temples ruefully1 8he had just time to get away4 ,you heard a shot8 ,am ,i wounded8 ,what's that pulmotor for80 8,not wounded10 ,craig returned4 8,but you can be thankful we had that thing and that the gas in this asphyxiating pistol was not chlorine4 ,i don't know what it waspossibly sabadilla veratrine1 some of those things they're using abroad in asphyxiating bombs40 8,whoever it was1 he was prepared for us here10 called ,burke1 who1 now that ,i was out of danger1 had turned his attention to the garage itself4 8,he's removed whatever might be incriminating4 ,it's all as clean as a whistle here4 ,some one expected us40 8,i knew that all along10 returned ,craig1 quietly4 8,walter blundered into a trap that was set for me40 ,i felt the pressure of his hand on mine4 ,it was worth it all to know that ,i had at least saved ,kennedy something1 even if ,i had accomplished nothing4 8,but who could have known that we were going to the garage80 ,i asked4 ,kennedy was silent a moment4 8,some one is spying on usknows our movements1 must know even what we talk about10 he said1 slowly4 ,we looked at one another blankly4 ,it was uncanny4 ,what could we do8 ,were we in the hands of a power greater than any of us had imagined8 ,,ix ,,the ,,trailing ,,of ,,paquita ,rapidly recovering now from the effects of the asphyxiating gun1 thanks to the prompt aid of ,kennedy1 ,i was soon able to sit up in my improvised bed on the garage floor4 ,as well can be imagined1 however1 ,i did not feel like engaging in very strenuous activity4 ,even the simple investigation of ,burke1 as he explored the garage1 seemed like a wonderful exhibition of energy to me4 8,well1 there certainly is no car here now10 he remarked as he surveyed the obvious emptiness of the place4 8,which is not to say that there has not been one here recently10 added ,kennedy1 who was now dividing his attention between me and the building4 8,some one has been here with a car10 he added1 pointing to some fresh oil spots on the floor1 and bending down beside them4 8,jameson's inhospitable host has evidently taken the pains to remove all traces that might be of any value4 ,seehe has obliterated even the tire tracks by which the car might have been identified40 8,must have had great respect for your ability10 remarked ,burke1 also examining the marks that showed how carefully the floor had been gone over to guard against leaving a clue4 8,whoever it was was clever enough to keep just a jump ahead of us4 ,not a single trace was left4 ,i wonder who it could be80 8,i've narrowed it down to two theories10 interposed ,burke's ,secret ,service man1 ,riley1 always fertile with conjectures1 8but ,i can't say which ,i prefer4 ,to my way of thinking1 either the presence of ,mito in the town last night would explain everything1 or else this all has something to do with the telegram that we saw the sallow-faced ,sanchez receive40 ,either conjecture was plausible enough1 on the face of it4 ,kennedy listened1 but said nothing4 ,there seemed to be no reason for remaining longer in the garage4 8,how do you feel now1 ,walter80 asked ,craig4 8,do you think you could stand being moved to the hotel80 ,an oppressive dizziness still affected me1 but ,i knew that ,i could not continue to lie on the damp floor4 ,with ,kennedy's aid1 ,i struggled to my feet4 ,barely able to walk1 and leaning heavily on his arm1 ,i managed to make my way from the garage and across the bit of lawn to the side veranda of the ,harbor ,house4 ,still weak1 ,i was forced to drop into a wicker chair to recover my strength4 8,why1 ,mr4 ,jameson1 what is the matter80 asked a woman's voice beside us4 ,i looked up to see ,winifred ,walcott4 ,evidently when she left us she had not gone to her room4 ,as ,craig told her briefly what had happened1 she was instantly sympathetic4 8,that's strange10 she murmured4 8,i felt restless and ,i was strolling about the paths back of the ,lodge4 ,i heard the shotthought it was an automobile tire or a back-fire4 ,why1 not ten minutes before1 ,i am sure ,i saw ,paquita with ,shelby's valet1 ,mito40 ,burke whispered to ,riley1 who nodded and disappeared with alacrity4 ,i thought of the cordiality ,i had often observed between ,mexicans and ,japanese4 ,was that the case in this instance8 ,could it be that ,paquita knew something about the attack on me8 ,was ,mito the mysterious attacker8 ,it was scarcely a moment later that ,johnson ,walcott appeared around the corner1 evidently seeking his sister4 ,just then ,riley returned1 dragging the reluctant ,mito4 8,where have you been80 bellowed ,burke4 ,the little ,jap's face was impassive4 8,i was sitting just outside the servants' quarters1 sir1 most of the evening10 he returned1 in bland surprise4 8,think a moment10 shouted ,burke1 advancing close to him and peering into his face4 8,who have you been talking to8 ,tell me1 and mind you tell the truthor it'll go hard with you40 8,with no one1 sir10 asserted ,mito1 positively4 ,burke was by this time red in the face with rage as all that he had ever learned in his third-degree days came to the surface4 8,you lie60 he exclaimed4 8,i saw you with0 8,well10 demanded a voice1 interrupting1 8what's all this8 ,what has ,mito been doing80 ,it was ,shelby ,maddox1 who had been attracted from the lobby by the loud voices4 8,doing enough10 returned ,burke4 8,some one's taken a shot at ,mr4 ,jameson in the garage4 ,now1 look here1 you little brown brother4 ,do you mean to tell me that you haven't been with any one all the evening8 ,thinkthink hard40 ,mito protested1 but ,burke was not satisfied4 8,don't try to hide it10 he urged4 8,this lady saw you40 ,shelby gave a quick glance at ,winifred4 ,then he turned to ,mito4 8,tell him10 he commanded4 8,only ,miss ,paquita passed me once10 replied the ,jap4 8,she did not say anything4 ,i saw ,mr4 ,jameson1 too1 before1 on the shore by the ,casino40 ,it was clever1 whatever else it might be4 ,no matter what either ,paquita or ,i might say later1 ,mito had protected himself4 ,he had admitted everything and confessed nothing4 ,burke was far from satisfied4 ,he was about to turn to ,winifred when her brother interposed4 8,winifred10 interrupted ,johnson ,walcott in a tone approaching authority1 8,i think you had better not get mixed up in this affair40 8,quite right10 agreed ,shelby4 8,i see no reason why ,miss ,walcott should be annoyed by this cross-examination40 ,winifred looked open defiance at her brother's interference4 8,i can promise you that if ,i find that ,mito has been doing anything he should not1 ,i shall be responsible for him10 smoothed ,shelby4 ,a moment later both ,winifred and her brother left4 ,she still resented his brotherly interference4 ,burke had not got anywhere with his questioning and ,kennedy apparently believed that the time for such a course was not yet ripe4 8,i think the best thing we can do is to get ,jameson to his room10 he suggested1 by way of cutting off an unprofitable examination before any damage was done4 ,burke accepted the broad hint4 ,while ,shelby and ,mito withdrew1 ,hastings and ,craig between them managed to get me up to our room and to bed4 ,as ,i lay there1 glad enough to be quiet1 we held a hasty conference to consider the strange attack that had been made4 8,what ,i don't understand10 ,i repeated1 8is how any one should know that we ever thought of visiting either that garage or the other40 ,kennedy had been saying very little4 ,as ,hastings and ,i talked he seemed to be thinking over something deeply4 ,suddenly his face registered the dawn of an idea4 8,to-morrow1 ,hastings10 he exclaimed1 8we must go into town4 ,i want to go to your office4 ,as for to-night1 there doesn't seem to be anything more that we can do4 ,burke and ,riley are on guard down-stairs4 ,i think ,walter needs a good rest4 ,so do we all4 ,good night1 ,mr4 ,hastings4 ,i will see you to-morrow early40 ,a night's rest fixed me up all right and ,i was anxiously down in the lobby early next morning4 ,fortunately nothing further of any great importance had happened during the night and ,i felt a sense of satisfaction at not having missed anything4 ,among us all we had been able to keep a pretty close surveillance on those in ,westport whom we suspected might have any information4 ,the day before had brought with it a grist of new mystery instead of clearing up the old1 but ,kennedy was happy4 ,he was in his element1 and the harder it was to crack the nut the more zest he put into the cracking of it4 ,to my surprise1 the morning express found the entire ,maddox family1 except ,irene ,maddox1 gathered on the platform of the quaint little station4 8,what do you suppose has given them this sudden impulse to go in to town80 whispered ,kennedy to ,hastings4 ,the lawyer shrugged4 8,i shouldn't be surprised if they were getting back into their normal state after the first shock10 he replied1 dryly4 8,i think they are all going to consult their various attorneys,shelby probably will see ,harvey1 and ,mrs4 ,walcott and her husband will see ,duncan ,bruce40 ,as we waited for the train ,i realized why it was that ,westport was popular4 ,the little town was not only within fair access to the city1 but it was far enough away to be beyond the city's blight4 ,going back and forth was so easy that each of the contending parties was able to take it as a matter of course that he should go to ,new ,york4 ,the crowning surprise came1 however1 just a moment before the express swung around the curve4 ,the cream-colored speedster swung up to the platform1 turned1 and backed in with the other cars4 ,no one could miss it4 ,the beautiful ,paquita jumped airily out1 more baffling than ever in her artificiality4 ,as ,i watched her my former impression was confirmed that the notoriety which she courted was paradoxically her 8cover40 ,she seemed to seek the limelight4 ,in so doing did she hope to divert attention from what was really going on back-stage8 ,it would have been a bold stroke4 ,i expressed my idea to ,kennedy4 ,he smiled1 but not with his usual indulgence4 ,was it his own idea1 too8 ,nothing occurred during the ride in to town in the chair-car1 except that each was still furtively watching the other and all were watching ,paquita4 ,paquita was trying desperately to attract the notice of ,shelby4 ,the young man seemed greatly embarrassed4 ,as he sat beside his sister ,i saw that ,frances ,walcott was keenly appreciative of the efforts of the little dancer4 ,once ,i excused myself on the pretext that ,i wanted another morning paper1 and walked forward into the smoking-car4 ,it was as ,i had suspected4 ,sanchez was there4 8,i think we had better split our forces10 planned ,kennedy1 when ,i reported to him what ,i had seen4 8,sanchez1 ,i suppose1 will trail along after ,paquita4 ,in that case1 ,walter1 ,i shall leave them to you4 ,i want to handle ,shelby myself4 ,meet me at the laboratory and then we can go down to your office1 ,mr4 ,hastings4 ,and1 by the way1 if you will take a hint from me1 sir1 you will be careful what you do and what you say at your office4 ,i think you'll understand when ,i see you there again40 ,the astonished look on ,hastings's face was quite worth study4 ,it was as though some one had told him to guard his thoughts4 ,the very possibility that there could be a 8leak10 which was evidently the way in which he interpreted ,kennedy's cryptic remark1 had never seemed to occur to him1 so sure was he about those whom he employed4 ,nothing more was said about the matter1 however1 and as our train rolled through the under-river tube into the station the various groups began to break up as we had expected4 ,with a parting word from ,kennedy ,i wormed my way through the crowd in the direction of the cab-stand and was already in a cab and half-way up the ramp to the street when1 looking back through the little glass window1 ,i saw1 as ,i had expected1 ,paquita trip gaily up to the same starter and enter another4 ,on the avenue a stop gave me ample time to tip my driver and instruct him to follow the cab that was coming up back of us4 ,then by settling back from the windows ,i was able to let ,paquita's cab pass and pick her up again without her knowing that she was being trailed4 ,without looking back1 ,i knew that ,sanchez had tried to follow1 but it was not until we had gone several blocks and made a sudden turn into ,broadway that ,i realized1 on looking cautiously around1 that somehow he had missed out4 ,perhaps there had not been another cab on the instant4 ,anyhow1 ,i was not myself followed4 ,on up-town ,paquita's cab proceeded1 until finally it stopped before a building which ,i knew to be full of theatrical agencies and offices4 ,i could not1 of course1 follow her into the office into which she went1 but ,i managed to find out that she had gone to the office that had recently been opened by a company that proposed to put on a new feature in the fall known as ,la ,danza ,mexicana4 ,it seemed like a perfectly legitimate business trip1 yet according to my idea ,paquita was merely using her notoriety to attract those whom she might use for her own purposes4 ,what interested me was whether it was purely money or a deeper motive that actuated her4 ,from the office of her agent she hurried over to ,fifth ,avenue1 and there she made several lengthy stops at fashionable costumers1 milliners1 and other dealers and designers of chic wearing apparel4 ,in all this there seemed to be nothing to take exception to and ,i became weary of the pursuit4 ,it was not her legitimate theatrical career that interested me4 ,however1 so it went until the lunch hour arrived4 ,quite demurely and properly she stopped at a well-known tea-room where tired shoppers refreshed themselves4 ,i swore softly under my breath4 ,i could not well follow her in1 for a man is a marked card in a tea-room4 ,to go in was like shouting in her ear that ,i was watching her4 ,therefore1 ,i stayed outside and1 instead of lunching1 watched the passing crowd of smart shoppers while the clock on the taximeter mounted steadily4 ,i had fidgeted in my cab for perhaps half an hour when ,i became aware that mine was not the only cab that was waiting in the neighborhood4 ,in these shadowing jobs one has to keep his eyes glued on the door through which the 8subject0 must exit1 for it is unbelievable how easily a person1 even when not aware of being watched1 may slip out into a crowd and disappear4 ,consequently ,i had not paid much attention to my surroundings4 ,but once when ,i leaned forward to speak to my driver1 who by this time was fully convinced that ,i was crazy1 ,i happened to glance across the street4 ,at the window of another cab ,i saw a familiar face4 ,sanchez had lost ,paquita at the station1 but by some process of reason had picked her up again at the tea-room4 ,i was determined more than ever now to hang on to both of them4 ,luncheon over1 ,paquita finally emerged1 still alone4 ,what business she may have transacted over the telephone during her various stops ,i do not know4 ,what ,i wanted was for her to feel perfectly free1 in the hope that she might do something4 ,yet she had not given me the satisfaction of meeting a single person whom she should not have met4 ,again her cab started on its round1 but this time it rolled back into the theater district4 ,my driver almost jolted me from the seat as he stopped once4 ,i looked ahead4 ,paquita's cab had pulled up before the office of a well-known music publisher and she was getting out4 ,to my surprise1 however1 instead of entering she deliberately turned and walked back in the direction of my cab4 ,i sank farther back into its shallow recesses1 trusting that she would not glance my way4 ,a dainty creation of headgear intruded itself through the open window of my cab4 8,you have been following me all day1 ,mr4 ,jameson10 purred ,paquita in her sweetest tone1 as her baffling brown eyes searched my face and enjoyed the discomfiture ,i could not hide4 8,i know ithave known it all the time4 ,there's another cab1 too1 back of you4 ,i've been going about my own businesshaven't ,i8making arrangements for my new show this fall4 ,you haven't anythingexcept a bill1 have you8 ,neither has the man in the other cab4 ,now ,i'm going to go right on4 ,you are welcome to follow40 ,before ,i could reply she had swept disdainfully back and had entered the building4 ,chagrined though ,i was at the way she had led the chase1 ,i determined to stick to her1 nevertheless4 ,in the publishing house she remained an uncommonly long time1 but when at last she came out ,i saw that she gave a little petulant glance first to see whether ,i was still there4 ,her cab shot away1 but my man was alert and we trailed along down the avenue4 ,twice1 now1 ,i saw her looking back at me4 ,that1 at least1 was some encouragement4 ,perhaps vexation might impel her to do something4 ,as we came to a tangle of cars crossing ,longacre ,square1 ,paquita leaned forward through the front window of her taxicab and deliberately turned the wheel that the driver was steering4 ,the unexpected interference caused him to stop suddenly4 ,as my driver pulled up1 there came a crash and a smashing of glass behind me4 ,his pulling up had fortunately thrown me forward4 ,the car in which ,sanchez was riding had crashed into mine1 and only my being thrown forward prevented me from receiving the shattered glass4 ,instantly the traffic policeman was beside us and a crowd began to collect4 ,before ,i knew it ,paquita in her taxi was off and there was no possibility of following4 ,where she was going ,i could not now find out4 ,perhaps there was1 as ,burke suspected1 a gang1 and she had all day been seeking to get to their rendezvous4 ,as ,i watched the officer and the crowd blankly1 ,i had but one satisfaction4 ,at least ,sanchez could not follow1 either4 ,quickly ,i gave the policeman my name as a witness1 glanced at the 8clock10 and paid my taxicab bill4 ,sanchez saw what ,i did and that it was no use for him to try to get away4 ,he paid his own bill and deliberately turned away1 on foot1 and walked down ,seventh ,avenue4 ,a few feet behind ,i followed4 ,he paid no attention to me1 but kept on down-town1 until at last ,i realized that we had come to the neighborhood of the railroad terminal4 ,at the station he turned1 and ,i knew that he had decided to take the early train back to ,westport4 ,still following1 ,i went through all the motions of having also decided to take the train myself4 ,i let ,sanchez go through the gate1 then at the last moment retreated and walked over to the telegraph office as the gate banged shut4 ,i would not have missed the appointment with ,kennedy and ,hastings for anything1 and the train1 except for one stop1 was an express to ,westport4 ,a wire to ,riley out there would prevent ,sanchez from getting away from sight1 even if he should decide to get off at the only other stop4 ,what the little dancer was up to was just as mysterious as ever4 ,x ,,the ,,detectaphone ,,detector ,kennedy was waiting impatiently for me at the laboratory and enjoyed a quiet laugh at my expense when ,i told him of my fiasco in untangling the secret of ,paquita4 8,is there any news80 ,i asked1 hastily endeavoring to change the subject4 8,yes10 he replied1 glancing at his watch4 8,irene ,maddox and ,winifred have come in to town on a later train4 ,as nearly as ,i can make out they've joined forces4 ,they have a common hatred of ,paquita1 whatever else they may lack40 8,how do you know they are here80 ,i queried4 8,they have called me up and made an appointment to meet me at the laboratory4 ,they ought to be here any minute1 now4 ,i'm glad you came4 ,i shouldn't like to meet them alone4 ,i'd rather have some one as a witness4 ,it's strange that they should be seeking to have me work for them10 considered ,kennedy4 8,what do you mean10 ,i asked4 8,hastings sought you out first4 ,it may be quite natural that ,irene ,maddox should consult the detective retained by her former husband's lawyer in such a case4 ,have any of the others been after you80 8,yes10 he replied1 thoughtfully4 8,after ,i left you this morning ,i had a most peculiar experience4 ,shelby ,maddox is either the most artless or else the most artful of all of them40 8,how is that80 ,i inquired4 8,just as ,i said10 repeated ,kennedy4 8,shelby hurried into one of those slot-machine telephone booths in the station and ,i slipped into the next one4 ,instead of calling up1 ,i put my ear to the wall and listened4 ,there wasn't anything much to what he said4 ,it was merely a call to his lawyer1 ,harvey1 telling him that he was on his way down-town4 ,the strange thing came afterward4 ,by that time the station was cleared of those who had come on the train4 ,shelby happened to glance into the other booth as he left his own and saw me in the act of making a fake telephone call4 ,instead of going away1 he waited4 ,when ,i came out1 he looked about quickly to see if we were alone1 then took my arm and hurried me into another part of the station4 ,i didn't know what was coming1 but ,i was hardly prepared for what he said40 8,and that was80 ,i asked1 eagerly4 8,that ,i work for him1 too1 in the case10 exclaimed ,kennedy1 to my utter surprise4 8,work for him80 ,i repeated4 8,was it a stall80 ,kennedy shook his head doubtfully4 8,i'm not prepared to say4 ,it was either clever or simple4 ,he even asked me to go down-town with him and see ,harvey40 8,and you went80 8,certainly4 ,but ,i can't say ,i learned anything new4 ,i haven't quite decided whether it was because they knew too much or too little40 8,are you going to do it8 ,what did you tell him80 8,i told him quite frankly that as long as ,i had come into the case as ,i waswithout mentioning any names or factsthe best ,i could do was to see that he got a square deal40 8,did that satisfy him80 8,not much4 ,but it was all that ,i would say4 ,at least it gave me a chance to study him at close range40 8,what do you think of him80 8,shelby ,maddox is nobody's fool10 replied ,kennedy1 slowly4 8,i may not know his story yet1 but ,i have begun to get his number40 8,how about ,harvey80 8,a very clever lawyer4 ,shelby will keep out of a great deal of trouble if he takes ,harvey's advice40 ,the sound of footsteps down the hall outside interrupted us1 and an instant later the laboratory door opened4 ,irene ,maddox entered first and for a moment ,winifred stood in the doorway1 rather timidly1 as though not yet quite convinced that she was right in coming to ,kennedy4 ,kennedy advanced to greet them1 but still ,winifred did not seem to be thoroughly reassured that the visit was just the proper thing4 ,she looked about curiously at the instruments and exhibits which ,kennedy had collected in his long warfare of science against crime1 and it was evident that she would a great deal rather have had this a social visit than one in connection with the case4 ,i guessed that it was ,irene ,maddox who had urged her on4 8,iwe've come to see you about that woman1 ,paquita10 began ,mrs4 ,maddox1 almost before she had settled herself in one of our easy-chairs1 which ,craig had installed to promote confidences on the part of his clients4 ,mrs4 ,maddox's voice was trembling slightly with emotion and ,winifred's quick glance at ,kennedy indicated that ,paquita had furnished the leverage by which ,mrs4 ,maddox had persuaded ,winifred to accompany her4 8,yes10 encouraged ,kennedy1 8we have been watching the young ladyand otherswith some interest4 ,do you know anything about her that you think we ought to know80 8,know anything80 repeated ,mrs4 ,maddox1 bitterly4 8,i ought to know that woman40 ,her feelings were easily understood1 although as far as ,i could see that did us very little good in getting at the real mystery that surrounded the little dancer4 8,you must have noticed10 went on ,mrs4 ,maddox1 nervously1 8how she is hanging around out there4 ,for weeks and months ,i have been watching that woman4 ,sometimes ,i think they are all in league against methe lawyers1 the detectives1 everybody40 ,kennedy was about to say something1 then checked himself4 ,how could we know but that this was merely an attempt to find out just how much it was we knew8 ,i longed to ask about ,sanchez1 yet felt that it would be better not to disclose how muchor rather how littlewe actually had discovered4 8,why10 she continued1 8it even seems as if her hostility was leveled against ,winifred1 too40 ,winifred said nothing1 though it was evident that she was consumed with curiosity to find out what hold1 if any1 ,paquita had on ,shelby4 8,then you really do not know who or what ,paquita is80 asked ,kennedy1 directly4 8,i know that she is an adventuress10 asserted ,mrs4 ,maddox4 8,mr4 ,hastings has always professed to know nothing of her4 ,at least so he has said4 ,even when ,i have watched her ,i must admit ,i have found out only what she was doing at that time4 ,but my intuition tells me that there is something more4 ,oh1 ,professor ,kennedy1 is there no such thing as justice in this world8 ,must that woman continue to flaunt herself brazenly before me8 ,cannot you do something80 8,you may depend on it10 assured ,kennedy4 8,i shall make my investigationarrive at the truth4 ,even my own client cannot prevent me from doing that4 ,and if ,i find that an injustice is being done1 you may be sure that ,i will do my best to set it straight4 ,more than that ,i could not say even to ,shelby ,maddox this morning when he asked me to take up the case for him40 ,both women glanced quickly at ,kennedy4 ,the mention of ,shelby's name came1 quite apparently1 as a surprise to them4 ,winifred seemed rather more reticent now than ever before4 ,it was evident that ,irene ,maddox had not succeeded in what she had intended4 ,yet she did not betray her disappointment4 8,thank you10 she said1 rising4 8,then ,i may expect you to help me,i mean us80 8,in every way in my power10 promised ,kennedy1 accompanying them to the door4 ,kennedy looked after them as the door closed4 8,i wonder what that visit was for10 he considered as their footsteps died away4 ,having no answer for the query1 ,i attempted none4 8,what has ,burke been doing80 ,i inquired1 suddenly recollecting the ,secret ,service man4 8,have you heard anything from him to-day since we came to the city80 8,yes10 he replied1 opening a cabinet4 8,burke has undertaken some work along another line in tracing out the telautomaton robbery and what may have become of that model4 ,i haven't heard from him and ,i don't imagine that anything will develop right away in that direction40 8,what is that80 ,i inquired1 watching ,craig as he took from one cabinet an apparatus which appeared to consist of two coils1 or rather sets of wires1 placed on the ends of a magnet bar4 ,he began to adjust the thing1 and ,i saw from the care with which he was working that it must be an instrument of some delicacy4 8,just an instrument that may enable me to discover how that attack was made on you last night10 ,kennedy answered1 perfunctorily1 forgetting even my question as he worked over the thing4 ,for several minutes ,i watched him1 wondering at the strange turn of events that had sent both ,shelby and ,winifred secretly to ,kennedy4 8,by the way10 exclaimed ,craig1 suddenly looking at his watch1 8if we are to meet ,hastings and accomplish anything we had better be on our way down there40 ,in the ,subway ,kennedy relapsed into a brown study of the events of the day1 only breaking away from his reverie as1 above the rattle and bang of the train1 he tapped the package he was carrying4 8,i was just thinking of that garage incident of yours last night10 he remarked4 8,what struck you as being peculiar about it80 8,the whole thing10 ,i replied1 smiling weakly4 8,i leaned into troubleand got it40 8,just so10 he returned4 8,well1 do you realize that the only mention we made of the garage was when we were talking in ,hastings's office8 ,think it over40 ,he relapsed again into his study and nothing more was said until we arrived at ,wall ,street4 ,hastings was waiting for us1 nervously pacing the floor4 ,evidently the warning ,kennedy had given had impressed him4 ,he had been so afraid of even his own shadow that he had scarcely transacted any business at all that day4 8,kennedy1 ,i'm glad to see you10 he greeted4 8,what has happened to-day8 ,what's that80 8,nothing much10 returned ,craig1 vaguely1 although his face was not at all vague1 for he had placed his finger on his lips and was most vigorously pantomiming caution4 ,carefully he unwrapped the paper about the coils ,i had seen4 ,then he set the instrument on ,hastings's desk1 unscrewed an electric-light bulb from its socket and attached a wire to the socket4 ,after a final careful adjustment he placed something to his ear and began walking quietly about the room1 a tense1 abstracted1 far-away look on his face1 as now and then he paused and listened1 holding the free end of the apparatus near the wall1 or a piece of furniture1 wherever he chanced to be4 ,what he was looking for neither of us could guess1 but his caution had been emphatic enough to halt any question we might have4 ,over and over he passed the free end of the apparatus along wall and floor4 ,at each stop he seemed to be considering something carefully1 then with a negative nod to himself went on4 ,this had been going on for some fifteen minutes1 when he stopped in the corner back of a coat-tree4 ,he looked about as he pulled the thing from his ear1 saw a heavy pair of shears on ,hastings's desk1 and seized them4 ,deliberately he dug into the plaster of the wall1 while ,hastings and ,i bent over anxiously4 ,he had not gone half an inch before he began to scrape very carefully1 as though he were afraid of hurting something alive4 ,i looked4 ,there1 in the wall1 back of the plaster1 hung a little telltale black disk4 ,i recognized it the instant ,i saw it and turned quickly1 just in time to prevent a question from ,hastings4 ,some one had been using the detectaphone against us6 ,though not a word was said1 ,i realized vaguely what ,kennedy later explained4 ,he had suspected it and had made use of a method of finding pipes and metals electrically1 when concealed in walls under plaster and paper4 ,it was a special application of the well-known induction balance principle4 ,one set of coils on the magnet bar received an alternating or vibrating current4 ,the other was connected with a little sensitive telephone4 ,craig had first established a balance so that there was no sound in the telephone4 ,when the device came near metal piping the balance was destroyed and a sound was heard in the telephone4 ,he had located all the water1 steam1 and other pipes1 the wires from the telephone1 the messenger-call box1 and other things4 ,there still remained one other pair of wires unaccounted for4 ,the balance had located their existence and exact position4 ,clever though the installation of the little mechanical eavesdropper had been as an aid to crime1 ,craig's detectaphone detector had uncovered it6 ,impulsively ,i seized at the devilish little black disk that had forewarned some one and had nearly cost me my life4 ,i started to yank at it4 ,the wires yielded their slack1 but before ,i could give them a final pull ,kennedy grasped my hand4 ,without a word he wrote on a pad on the desk3 8,leave it there4 ,they don't know we've found it4 ,we can use it against them60 ,,xi ,,the ,,frame-,,up ,hastily ,craig wrote on the paper1 while ,hastings and ,i read in silence3 8,we'll lay a trap by a fake conversation about the garage40 ,neither of us spoke a word1 waiting for our cue from him4 8,well10 he said1 in a rather loud tone1 as though he had just come into the office1 8one thing that we must do is to find out whether there was a car that came into the city from ,westport that nightand perhaps went back there4 ,there's a clue in that garage1 ,walter4 ,some one is making that a headquarters4 ,but we can't do anything to-nightnot after your experience4 ,no1 we'll have to wait until daylight to-morrow and then we'll make a thorough search40 8,you won't get me there again alone at night10 ,i put in1 and my tone was rather convincing after my experience4 8,i'm sure there's something there1 all right10 added ,hastings1 following the lead1 although he seemed to have only the most indefinite notion of where it took him4 8,indeed there is10 agreed ,kennedy1 quickly4 8,personally1 ,i think that ,mito knows more than he should about the whole business10 ,i added4 8,the ,jap is a mystery to me40 8,and ,sanchez1 too10 put in ,hastings1 evidently thinking of how he seemed always to be crossing our path4 8,yes1 that's the place to look into1 all right10 concluded ,craig1 beckoning us to leave the room and the conversation4 8,if that doesn't sink into somebody's mind10 he chuckled1 when we were outside1 8,i shall be surprised4 ,we must get back to ,westport before it is too late40 8,why didn't you follow the wire down and find out where it ended80 ,i asked1 as we left ,hastings's office4 8,you might have0 8,surprised a stenographer at the other end taking notes10 he interrupted4 8,we can do that any time4 ,what ,i wanted was to plant something that would make the real criminal act and throw him off his guard4 ,we'll have to stop again at the laboratory4 ,there's something there ,i must take out with me4 ,that will give us just time to catch the late afternoon express if we hurry40 ,while ,hastings and ,i waited outside ,kennedy went in and soon returned with the instrument he sought4 ,even yet1 ,hastings could not resist the impulse to gaze about nervously1 recalling the shot that had been fired at him on the occasion of his first visit4 ,nothing happened this time1 however1 and we made the train by a matter of seconds4 ,frances ,maddox and her husband were the only persons on the express whom we knew4 ,the others seemed to have returned already4 ,i saw that we would have to rely on ,riley and the ,secret ,service men to get anything that might have happened in the meanwhile4 ,once or twice ,i caught the eye of ,mrs4 ,walcott furtively gazing in ,kennedy's direction1 and ,i fancied she was a trifle nervous4 ,walcott himself read a magazine stolidly1 as though declining to get excited1 and ,i wondered1 from his manner1 whether the affair and the constant feud in the family into which he had married might not be getting on his nerves4 ,they did not talk much1 nor did we1 and it was with a sense of relief that we all arrived finally at ,westport4 8,well10 ,i remarked1 aside to ,kennedy1 as we three piled into the little 8flivver0 that did public hack duty at the station1 8,i wonder what we shall run into now40 8,things ought to develop fast1 ,i should say10 he returned4 8,i think we've laid a good foundation40 ,without even looking about or inquiring for ,burke or ,riley1 ,kennedy rather ostentatiously went directly to the hotel office on our arrival at the ,harbor ,house4 8,our rooms are at the north side of the hotel10 he began4 8,i wonder if there are any vacant on the bay side80 ,the clerk turned to look at his list and ,i took the opportunity to pluck at ,kennedy's sleeve4 8,why don't you get rooms in the rear80 ,i whispered4 8,that's the side on which the garage is40 ,kennedy nodded hastily to me to be silent and a moment later the clerk turned4 8,i can fix you up on the bay side10 he reported1 indicating a suite on a printed floor-plan4 8,very fine10 agreed ,craig4 8,if you will send a porter ,i will have our baggage transferred immediately40 ,as we left the desk ,kennedy whispered his explanation4 8,don't you understand8 ,we'll be observed4 ,everything we do is watched1 ,i am convinced4 ,just think it over4 ,selecting a room like this will disarm suspicion40 ,in the lobby of the hotel ,riley was waiting for us anxiously4 8,where's ,mr4 ,burke80 asked ,kennedy4 8,hasn't he returned80 8,no1 sir4 ,and not a word from him yet4 ,i don't know where he can be4 ,but we are handling the case at this end very well alone4 ,i got your wire10 he nodded to me4 8,we haven't missed ,sanchez since he got back40 8,then he didn't make any attempt to get away10 ,i remarked1 gratified that ,i had lost nothing by not following him on the earlier train4 8,is ,paquita back80 8,yes2 she came on the train just before yours40 8,what has she doneanything80 ,riley shook his head in perplexity4 8,if it didn't sound ridiculous10 he replied1 slowly1 8,i would say that that fellow ,sanchez was on the trail of ,paquita more than we are40 8,how's that80 8,why1 he follows her about like a dog4 ,while we're watching her he seems to be watching us40 8,perhaps he's part of her gangher bodyguard1 if there is such a thing as a gang10 ,i remarked4 8,well1 he acts very strangely10 returned ,riley1 doubtfully4 8,i'm not the only one who has noticed it40 8,who else has80 demanded ,kennedy1 quickly4 8,mrs4 ,maddox1 for one4 ,she went up to the city lateroh1 you know8 ,miss ,walcott went with her4 ,you know that1 too8 ,they returned on the train with ,paquita40 8,what has ,mrs4 ,maddox done since she came back80 inquired ,craig4 8,it wasn't half an hour before they returned that ,paquita came down-stairs10 replied the ,secret ,service man4 8,as usual ,sanchez was waiting1 in the background1 of course4 ,as luck would have it1 just as she passed out of the door ,mrs4 ,maddox happened along4 ,she saw ,sanchez following ,paquitayou remember she had already paid him off for the shadowing he had done for her4 ,i don't know what it was1 but she went right up to him4 ,oh1 she was some mad60 8,what was it all about80 asked ,craig1 interested4 8,i didn't hear it all4 ,but ,i did hear her accuse him of being in with ,paquita even at the time he was supposed to be shadowing her for ,mrs4 ,maddox4 ,he didn't answer directly4 #8,did ,i ever make a false report about her8' he asked ,mrs4 ,maddox4 ,she fairly sputtered1 but she didn't say that he had4 #8,you're working for heryou're working for somebody4 ,you're all against me6' she cried4 ,sanchez never turned a hair4 ,either he's a fool or else he's perfectly sure of his ground1 as far as that end of it went40 8,i suppose he might have double-crossed her and still made honest reports to her10 considered ,kennedy2 8that is1 if he made the same reports to some one else who was interested1 ,i mean40 ,riley nodded1 though it was evident the remark conveyed no more idea to him than it did to me4 8,shelby ,maddox has returned1 too10 added ,riley4 8,i found out that he sent that ,jap1 ,mito1 with a note to ,paquita4 ,i don't know what it was1 but ,i have a man out trying to get a line on it40 8,mito10 repeated ,kennedy1 as though the ,japanese suggested merely by his name a theory on which his mind was working4 ,there seemed to be nothing that could be done just now but to wait1 and we decided to take the opportunity to get a late dinner4 ,winifred ,walcott and ,mrs4 ,maddox had already dined1 but ,frances ,walcott and her husband were at their table4 ,they seemed to be hurrying to finish and we did the samenot because they did1 but because we had work to do4 ,dinner over1 ,hastings excused himself from us1 saying that he had some letters to write1 and ,kennedy made no objection4 ,i think he was rather pleased than otherwise to have the opportunity to get away4 ,outside we met ,riley again1 this time with one of his operatives4 8,what's the matter80 inquired ,kennedy4 8,matter enough10 returned ,riley1 much exercised4 8,you know ,i told you that ,shelby had come ashore from the ,sybarite with ,mito8 ,well1 we've been following them both pretty closely4 ,i think ,i told you of his sending a note to ,paquita4 ,both ,shelby and ,mito have been acting suspiciously4 ,i had this man detailed to watch ,shelby4 ,that confounded ,jap is always in the way1 though4 ,tell ,mr4 ,kennedy what happened10 he directed4 ,the operative rubbed his back ruefully4 8,i was following ,mr4 ,maddox down to the beach10 he began4 8,it was rather dark and ,i tried to keep in the shadow4 ,mr4 ,maddox never would have known that he was being followed4 ,all of a sudden1 from behind1 comes that ,jap4 ,before ,i knew it he had melike this40 ,the man illustrated his remark by lunging forward at ,kennedy and seizing both his hands4 ,he stuck his crooked knee upward and started to fall back1 just catching himself before he quite lost his balance4 8,over he went backwards1 like a tumbler10 went on the man1 8threw me clean over his head4 ,if it had been on a stone walk or there had been a wall there1 it would have broken my head40 8,jiu-jitsu60 exclaimed ,kennedy4 8,i wonder why ,mito was so anxious to cover his master80 considered ,riley4 8,he must have had some reasoneither of his own or orders from ,maddox4 ,anyhow1 they both of them managed to get away1 clean40 ,riley looked from ,craig to me in chagrin4 8,quite possibly orders10 put in the man1 8although it's not beyond him even to be double-crossing ,mr4 ,maddox1 at that40 8,well1 try to pick them up again10 directed ,kennedy1 turning to me4 8,i've some rather important business just now4 ,if ,mr4 ,burke comes back1 let me know at once40 8,you bet ,i'll try to pick them up again10 promised the ,secret ,service man1 viciously1 as we left him and went to our room4 ,there ,craig quickly unwrapped one of the two packages which he had brought from the laboratory while ,i watched him curiously but did not interrupt him1 since he seemed to be in a great hurry4 ,as ,i watched ,kennedy placed on a table what looked like a miniature telephone receiver4 ,next he opened the window and looked out to make sure that there was no one below4 ,satisfied1 he returned to the table again and took up a pair of wires which he attached to some small dry cells from the package4 ,then he took the free ends of the wires and carefully let them fall out of the window until they reached down to the ground4 ,leaning far out1 he so disposed the wires under the window that they fell to one side of the windows of the rooms below us and would not be noticed running up the side wall of the hotel1 at least not in the twilight4 ,then he took the other package from the table and was ready to return down-stairs4 ,we had scarcely reached the lobby again when we ran into ,hastings1 alone and apparently searching for us4 8,is there anything new80 inquired ,kennedy1 eagerly4 ,hastings seemed to be in doubt4 8,none of the ,maddox family are about10 he began4 8,i thought it might be strange and was looking for you4 ,where do you suppose they all can be8 ,i haven't seen either ,paquita or ,sanchez4 ,but ,i just saw ,winifred1 alone40 8,what was she doing8 ,where is she80 demanded ,kennedy4 ,hastings shook his head4 8,i don't know4 ,i was really looking for ,shelby4 ,i think she was going toward the ,casino4 ,have you heard anything80 8,not a thing10 returned ,kennedy1 brusquely4 8,you will pardon me1 ,i have a very important matter in hand just now4 ,i'll let you know the moment ,i hear anything40 ,kennedy hurried from the ,lodge toward the ,casino1 leaving ,hastings standing in the hotel1 amazed4 8,nothing new60 he almost snorted as he suddenly paused where he could see the ,casino4 8,yet ,hastings sees ,winifred going out in a hurry1 evidently bent on something4 ,if he was so confounded eager to find ,shelby1 why didn't it occur to him to stick about and follow ,winifred80 ,it was quite dark by this time and almost impossible to see any one in the shadows unless very close4 ,kennedy and ,i took a few turns about the ,casino and along some of the gravel paths1 but could find no trace of any of those whom we were watching4 8,i oughtn't to let anything interfere with this #8plant' ,i am laying10 he fretted4 8,riley and the rest ought to be able to cover the case for a time4 ,anyhow1 ,i must take a chance40 ,he turned and for several minutes we waited1 as if to make perfectly sure that we were not being watched or followed4 ,finally he worked his way by a round-about path from the ,casino1 turned away from the ,lodge into another path1 and at last we found ourselves emerging from a little hedge of dwarf poplars just back of the little garage1 which had evidently been his objective point4 ,mindful of my own experience there1 ,i looked about in some trepidation4 ,i had no intention of running again into the same trap that had nearly finished me before4 ,nor had ,kennedy4 ,cautiously1 in the darkness1 he entered4 ,this time it was deserted4 ,no asphyxiating gun greeted us4 ,he looked about1 then went to work immediately4 ,back of the tool-box in a far corner he bent down and unwrapped the other package which he had been carrying4 ,as nearly as ,i could make it out in the darkness1 there were two rods that looked as though they might be electric-light carbons1 fixed horizontally in a wooden support1 with a spindle-shaped bit of carbon between the two ends of the rods1 the points of the spindles resting in hollows in the two rods4 ,to binding screws on the free ends of the carbon rods he attached wires1 and led them out through a window1 just above4 8,we don't want to stay here a minute longer than necessary10 he said1 rising hurriedly4 8,come,i must take up those wires outside and carry them around the wing of the ,harbor ,house1 where our room is40 ,without a word we went out4 ,a keen glance about revealed no one looking1 and1 trusting that we were right1 ,kennedy picked up the wires and we dove back into the shadow of the grove from which we came4 ,carefully as he could1 so that no one would trip on them and rip them out1 ,kennedy laid the wires along the ground1 made the connection with those he had dropped from the window1 and then1 retracing our steps1 managed to come into the hotel from the opposite side from the garage and the other wing from our room4 8,just had a wire from ,mr4 ,burke10 announced ,riley1 who had been looking all over for us1 a fact that gave ,craig some satisfaction1 for it showed that we had covered ourselves pretty well4 8,he's coming up from the city and ,i imagine he has dug up something pretty good4 ,that's not what ,i wanted to tell you1 though4 ,you remember ,i said ,shelby ,maddox had sent ,mito with a note to ,paquita80 ,kennedy nodded4 ,no encouragement was necessary for ,riley to continue his whispered report4 8,well1 ,shelby just met her on the beach40 8,met ,paquita80 ,i exclaimed1 in surprise at ,shelby's secret meeting after his public ignoring of the little adventuress4 8,on the beach1 alone10 reiterated ,riley1 pleased at retailing even this apparent bit of scandal4 8,what then80 demanded ,craig4 8,they strolled off down the shore together40 8,have you followed them80 8,yes1 confound it1 but it's low tide and following them is difficult1 without their knowing it4 ,i told the men to do the best they could1 thoughshort of getting into another fight4 ,mito may be about1 and1 anyhow1 ,shelby might give a very good account of himself40 8,you're not sure of ,mito1 then80 8,no4 ,no one saw him again after he threw my operative4 ,he may have disappeared4 ,however1 ,i took no chance that ,shelby was alone40 ,for a moment ,kennedy seemed to consider the surprising turn that ,shelby's secret meeting with the little dancer might give to the affair4 8,walter10 he said at last1 turning to me significantly1 8would you like to take a stroll down to the dock8 ,this matter begins to look interesting40 ,we left ,riley1 after cautioning him to make sure that ,burke saw us the moment he arrived1 and again made our way quietly from the ,lodge toward the ,casino1 in which we now could hear the orchestra4 ,a glance was sufficient to reveal that none of those whom he sought were there1 and ,kennedy continued down the bank toward the shore and the ,harbor ,house dock4 ,,xii ,,the ,,eavesdroppers ,it was a clear1 warm night1 but with no moon4 ,from the ,casino the lights shone out over the dark water1 illuminating here and seeming to deepen the already dark shadows there4 ,a flight of steps ran down to the dock from the dance pavilion1 but1 instead of taking this natural way1 ,kennedy plunged into the deeper shadow of a path that wound around the slight bluff and came out on the beach level1 below the dock4 ,from the path we could still hear the sounds of gaiety in the ,casino4 ,we were about to emerge on the beach1 not far from the spiling on which the dock platform rested1 when ,i felt ,kennedy's hand on my elbow4 ,i drew back into the hidden pathway with him and looked in the direction he indicated4 ,there1 in a little summer-house above us1 at the shore end of the dock1 ,i could just distinguish the figures of two women1 sitting in the shadow and looking out intently over the strip of beach and the waves of the rising tide that were lapping up on it4 ,it was apparent that they were waiting for some one4 ,i turned and strained my eyes to catch a glimpse down the beach1 but in the blackness could make out nothing4 ,a look of inquiry toward ,kennedy elicited nothing but a further caution to be silent4 ,apparently he was determined to play the eavesdropper on the two above us4 ,they had been talking in a low tone when we approached and we must have missed the first remark4 ,the answer was clear enough1 however4 8,i tell you1 ,winifred1 ,i saw them together10 we heard one voice in the summer-house say4 ,instantly ,i recognized it as that of ,irene ,maddox4 ,it needed no clairvoyancy to tell precisely of whom she was talking4 ,i wondered whether she was trying to vent her grudge against ,paquita at the expense of ,shelby and ,winifred4 ,at least ,i could fancy how ,shelby would bless his sister-in-law as a trouble-maker1 if he knew4 8,i can't believe that you are right10 returned the other voice1 and it was plainly that of ,winifred4 ,there was a quiver of emotion in it1 as though ,winifred were striving hard to convince herself that something she had heard was not true4 8,i can't help it10 replied ,mrs4 ,maddox4 8,that is what ,i used to thinkoncethat it couldn't be so4 ,but you do not know that womannor men1 either40 ,she made the last remark with unconcealed bitterness4 ,i could not help feeling sorry for her in the misfortune in which her own life with ,maddox had ended4 ,yet it did not seem right that she should poison all romance4 ,still1 ,i reflected1 what1 after all1 did ,i really know1 and why should ,i rise to the defense of ,shelby8 ,better1 far1 that ,winifred should learn now than to learn when it was too late4 8,i have been watching her10 pursued ,irene4 8,i found that ,i could not trust any man where that woman was concerned4 ,i wish ,i had never trusted any40 8,i cannot believe that ,shelby would deliberately deceive me10 persisted ,winifred4 ,irene ,maddox laughed1 hollowly4 8,yet you know what we discovered this afternoon10 she pressed4 8,why1 ,i cannot even be sure that that detective1 ,kennedy1 may not be working against me4 ,and as for that lawyer of my husband's1 ,hastings1 ,i don't know whether ,i detest him more than ,i fear him4 ,let me warn you to be careful of him1 too4 ,remember1 ,i have been observing for a long time4 ,i don't trust him1 or any other lawyer4 ,you never can tell how far they may be concerned in anything40 ,there was a peculiar piquancy to the innuendo4 ,evidently ,irene ,maddox suspected ,hastings of much4 ,and again ,i was forced to ask myself1 what did ,i really so far know8 ,i fancied ,i could detect that the poor woman had reached a point where she was suspicious of everybody and everything1 not an unnatural situation1 ,i knew1 with a woman in her marital predicament4 8,what has ,mr4 ,hastings done80 inquired ,winifred4 8,done80 repeated ,mrs4 ,maddox4 8,what has he left undone8 ,why1 he shielded ,marshall in everything1 whenever ,i mentioned to him this ,paquita womansaid it was not his business what his client's private life was unless he was directed to interest himself in it by his client himself4 ,he was merely an attorney1 retained for certain specific purposes4 ,beyond that he was supposed to know nothing4 ,oh1 my dear1 you have much to learn about the wonderful freemasonry that exists among men in matters such as this40 ,i caught ,kennedy's quizzical smile4 ,we were having a most telling example of freemasonry among women1 into which ,irene was initiating a neophyte4 ,i felt sure that ,winifred would be much happier if she had been left alone1 and events might have a chance to explain themselves without being misinterpreteda situation from which most of the troubles both in fact and in fiction arise4 ,in her watching of her errant husband1 ,irene had expected every one immediately to fall in line and aid herforgetting the very human failing that most people possess of objecting to play the rle of informer4 8,what fools men are60 soliloquized ,irene ,maddox a moment later1 as though coming to the point of her previous random remarks4 8,just take that little dancer4 ,what do they see in her8 ,not brains1 surely4 ,as for me1 ,i don't think she has even beauty4 ,and yet1 look at them6 ,she has only to appear up there in the ,casino at this very moment to be the most popular person on the floor1 while other girls go begging for partners40 ,i could feel ,winifred bridling at the challenge in the remark4 ,she had tasted popularity herself4 ,was she to admit defeat at the hands of the little adventuress8 ,criticize as one might1 there was still a fascination about the mystery of ,paquita4 ,one could feel the coolness that had suddenly risen in the summer-houseas if a mist from the water had thrown it about4 ,nor did the implication of the silence escape ,irene ,maddox4 8,you will pardon me1 my dear10 she said1 rising4 8,i know how thankless such a job is4 ,perhaps ,i had better not be seen with you4 ,yes1 ,i am sure of it4 ,i think ,i had better return to the hotel40 ,for a moment ,winifred hesitated1 as if in doubt whether to go1 too1 or to stay4 ,finally it seemed as if she decided to stay4 ,i do not know which course would have been better for ,winifredto accompany the elder woman and imbibe more of the enforced cynicism1 or to remain1 brooding over the suspicions which had been injected into her mind4 ,at any rate1 ,winifred decided to stay1 and made no move either to detain or accompany the other4 ,irene ,maddox arose and left ,winifred alone4 ,if she had been watching ,paquita there was no further need4 ,winifred would watch now quite as closely4 ,as her footsteps died away1 instead of remaining near the dock ,kennedy turned and1 keeping back in the shadows where we could not be seen by the silent watcher in the summer-house1 we went down along the shore4 ,in the shelter of a long line of bath-houses that belonged to the hotel we paused4 ,there was no one in bathing at this hour1 and we sat down and waited4 8,what did you make of that conversation80 ,i whispered1 cautiously1 lowering my voice so that we might not be eavesdropped upon in turn4 8,not strange that ,mrs4 ,maddox hates the little dancer10 replied ,craig1 sententiously4 8,it's quite evident ,riley was right and that ,shelby must be with her4 ,i wonder whether they will return this way or on the land8 ,it's worth taking a chance4 ,let's stay awhile1 anyway40 ,he lapsed into silence1 as though trying to motivate the actors in the little drama which was unfolding4 ,it was not long before1 down the beach1 we saw a man and a woman coming toward us rapidly4 ,kennedy and ,i drew back farther1 and as we did so ,i saw that the figure above us in the summer-house had moved away from the edge so as to be less conspicuous4 ,the crackle of some dry sea-grass back of the bath-house startled us1 but we did not move4 ,it was one of the ,secret ,service men4 ,there was no reason why we should conceal from him that we were on a similar quest4 ,yet ,kennedy evidently considered it better that nothing should happen to put any one on guard4 ,we scarcely breathed4 ,he passed1 however1 without seeing us1 and we flattered ourselves that we were well hidden4 ,a few minutes later the couple approached4 ,it was unmistakably ,shelby ,maddox and ,paquita4 8,it's no use10 we heard ,shelby say1 as they passed directly beside the bath-houses4 8,even down here on the beach they are watching4 ,still1 ,i have had a chance to say some of the things ,i wanted to say4 ,from now onwe are strangersyou understand80 ,it was not said as brutally as it sounds on paper4 ,rather it gave the impression1 from ,shelby's tone1 that they had never been much more4 ,for a moment ,paquita said nothing4 ,then suddenly she burst forth with a little bitter laugh4 8,it takes two to be strangers4 ,we shall see60 ,without another word she turned1 as though in a fit of pique and anger1 and ran up the flight of steps from the bath-houses to the ,casino1 passing within five feet of us1 without seeing us4 8,we shall see10 she muttered under her breath2 8we shall see60 ,in surprise ,shelby took a step or two after her1 then paused4 8,the deuce take her10 he swore under his breath1 then strode on in the direction of the steps to the dock and the summer-house4 ,he had scarcely gained the level when the figure in the summer-house emerged from the gloom4 8,well1 ,shelbya tryst with the other charmer1 was it80 8,winifred60 ,miss ,walcott laughed sarcastically4 8,is that all that your fine speeches mean1 ,shelby80 she said1 reproachfully4 8,at the ,lodge you scarcely bow to her2 then you meet her secretly on the beach40 8,winifredlet me explain10 he hastened4 8,you do not understand4 ,she is nothing to menever has been4 ,i am not like ,marshall was4 ,when she came down here the other night she may have thought she could play with me as she had with him4 ,i met heras ,i have scores of others4 ,they have always been all the same to meuntil that night when ,i met you4 ,since thenhave ,i even looked at herat any one else80 8,another pretty speech10 cut in ,winifred1 icily4 8,but would you have met her now1 if you had known that you would be watched80 8,i should have met her in the lobby of the hotel1 if that had been the only way10 he returned1 boldly4 8,but it was not4 ,i do not understand the woman4 ,sometimes ,i fear that she has fallen in love with meas much as her kind can fall in love4 ,i sent for her1 yes1 myself4 ,i wanted to tell her bluntly that there could never be anything between us1 that we could notnowcontinue even the acquaintance40 8,but you knew her beforein the city1 ,shelby10 persisted ,winifred4 8,besides1 was it necessary to take her arm1 to talk so earnestly with her8 ,i saw you when you started40 8,i had to be courteous to her10 defended ,shelby1 then stopped1 as though realizing too late that it was not defense he should attempt1 but rather confession of something that did not exist and a prayer of forgiveness for nothing4 8,i did not believe what ,i heard10 said ,winifred1 coldly4 8,i was foolish enough to listen to you1 not to others4 ,it is what ,i see40 8,to others80 he asked1 quickly4 8,whowhat have they told you about me8 ,tell me40 8,noit was in confidence4 ,i cannot tell you who or what4 ,no1 not another word of that4 ,you have opened my eyes yourself4 ,you have only yourself to thank4 ,take your little ,mexican dancerlet us see what she does to you60 ,winifred ,walcott had moved away toward the steps up to the ,casino4 8,please60 implored ,shelby4 8,why1 ,i sent for her only to tell her that she must keep away4 ,winifred60 ,winifred had turned and was running up the steps4 ,instead of waiting1 as he had done with ,paquita1 ,shelby took the steps two at a time4 ,a moment later he was by her side4 ,we could not hear what he said as he reached her1 but she took no pains to modulate her own voice4 8,nono60 she exclaimed1 angrily1 choking back a sob4 8,noleave me4 ,don't speak to me4 ,take your little dancer1 ,i say60 ,a moment later she had come into the circle of light from the ,casino4 ,pursuit meant only a scene4 ,at the float at the other end of the pier bobbed one of the tenders of the ,sybarite4 ,shelby turned deliberately and called1 and a moment later his man ran up the dock4 8,i'm not going to go out to the yacht to-night10 he ordered4 8,i shall sleep at the ,lodge4 ,tell ,mito1 and come ashore with my things40 ,then he turned1 avoiding the ,casino1 and walked slowly up to the ,harbor ,house1 as we followed at a distance4 ,i wondered if he might be planning something4 ,,xiii ,,the ,,serpent',s ,,tooth ,we were approaching the hotel when we met ,riley's operative with whom we had been talking shortly before4 ,he was looking about as though in doubt what to do next4 8,so you managed to pick them up again on the beach80 greeted ,kennedy4 8,yes10 he replied in surprise4 8,how did you know80 8,we were back of the bath-houses as they came along4 ,you passed within a few feet of us40 ,the detective stared blankly as ,kennedy laughed4 8,what happened80 8,nothing very much4 ,i missed them at first1 because of the delay of that fellow ,mito4 ,but ,i reasoned that they must have strolled down the beach1 though ,i didn't know how far4 ,i took a chance and made a short cut overland4 ,fortunately ,i caught up with them just as they were about to turn back4 ,i was a little careful1 ,i supposeafter what happened40 ,he hesitated a bit apologetically1 then went on3 8,i couldn't hear much of what they said4 ,queer fellow1 that ,shelby4 ,first he sends to meet the girl1 then they quarrel nearly all the time they are together40 8,what did the quarrel seem to be about80 demanded ,kennedy4 8,couldn't you get any of it80 8,oh yes1 ,i caught enough of it10 returned the operative1 confidently4 8,i can't repeat exactly what was said1 for it came to me only in snatches4 ,they seemed to be arguing about something4 ,once he accused her of having been the ruin of his brother4 ,she did not answer at firstjust laughed sarcastically4 ,but ,shelby wasn't content with that4 ,finally she turned on him4 8#8,you say that ,i ruined ,marshall ,maddox1' she cried4 #8,his wife says ,i ruined him4 ,oh1 ,shelby1 ,shelby1 he wasn't a man who had reached the age of discretion1 ,i supposewas he8 ,oh1 it's always ,i who do thingsnever anybody else4'0 8,yes10 prompted ,kennedy4 8,what else did she say80 8,she was bitterangry4 ,she stopped short4 #8,shelby ,maddox1' she cried1 #8you had better be careful4 ,there is as much crime and hate and jealousy in every one of you as there is in ,sing ,sing4 ,i tell you1 be careful4 ,i haven't told all ,i knowyet4 ,but ,i will say that wherever your house of hate goes and whomever it touches1 it corrupts4 ,be careful how you touch me6' ,say1 but ,paquita was mad6 ,that was when they turned back4 ,i guess ,shelby sort of realized that it was no use4 ,they turned so suddenly that they almost caught me listening40 8,anything else80 inquired ,kennedy4 8,what did ,shelby have to say about himself8 ,do you think he's tangled up with her in any way80 8,i can't tell4 ,most of what they said was spoken so low that it was impossible for me to hear even a word4 ,i think both of them realized that they were being watched and listened to4 ,it was only once in a while when their feelings got the better of them that they raised their voices1 and then they pretty soon caught themselves and remembered40 8,then it was no lovers' meeting80 ,i asked4 8,hardly10 returned the detective1 with a growl4 8,and yet she did not seem to be half as angry at ,shelby as she did at the others4 ,in fact1 ,i think that a word from him would have smoothed out everything4 ,but he wouldn't say it4 ,she tried hard to get him1 too4 ,that little dancer is playing a gametake it from me4 ,and she's artful1 too4 ,i wouldn't want to be up against herno1 sir40 ,there was something incongruous about the very idea of this bull-necked flatty and the dainty little adventuressas though the hippopotamus might fear the peacock4 ,i would have laughed had the business itself not been so important4 ,what was her game8 ,in fact1 what was ,shelby's game8 ,each seemed to be playing a part4 8,how about ,mito80 ,i asked4 8,have you seen him again since you were jiu-jitsued80 ,the detective shook his head4 8,no10 he returned1 reminiscently4 8,he seems to have disappeared altogether4 ,believe me1 ,i have been keeping an eye peeled for him4 ,that ,jap is a suspicious character4 ,and it's just when you can't put your fingers on him that he is plotting some deviltry1 depend on it40 ,we left the ,secret ,service operative and continued toward the hotel4 ,in the lobby ,kennedy and ,i looked about eagerly in the hope of finding ,winifred1 but she was nowhere to be seen4 ,our search was partly rewarded1 however4 ,at the end of the porch1 in the shadow1 we did find ,frances ,walcott and ,irene ,maddox4 ,it was evident that they had seriously disagreed over something1 and it did not require much guessing to conclude that it had to do with ,winifred4 ,though ,frances ,walcott was really a ,maddox and ,irene ,maddox was not1 one would have scarcely guessed it4 ,the stamp of the house of hate was on both4 ,just a fragment of the conversation floated over to us1 but it was enough4 8,very well1 then10 exclaimed ,mrs4 ,maddox4 8,let them go their own way4 ,you are like all the restyou seem to think that a ,maddox can do no wrong4 ,i was only trying to warn ,winifred1 as ,i wish some one had warned me40 ,the answer was lost1 but ,mrs4 ,walcott's reply was evidently a sharp one1 for the two parted in unconcealed anger and suspicion4 ,everywhere the case seemed to drag its slimy trail over all4 ,look about as we might1 there was no sign of ,paquita4 ,nor was our friend ,sanchez about1 either4 ,we seemed to have lost them1 or else1 like ,mito1 they were under cover4 8,i think10 decided ,kennedy1 8that ,i'll just drop into our rooms1 ,walter4 ,i haven't much hope that we'll find anything yet1 but it will be just as well to be on the watch40 ,accordingly we mounted by a rear staircase to our floor1 and for a moment ,kennedy busied himself adjusting the apparatus4 8,a bit early1 ,i think10 he remarked1 finally4 8,there are too many people about to expect anything yet4 ,we may as well go down-stairs again4 ,perhaps ,burke may return and ,i'm rather anxious to know what it is he has been after40 ,for a moment1 as we retraced our steps down-stairs1 ,i attempted1 briefly1 a rsum of the case so far1 beginning with the death of ,maddox1 and down to the attack on ,hastings and then on myself4 ,as ,i viewed the chief actors and their motives1 ,i found that they fell into two groups4 ,by the death of ,maddox1 ,shelby might profit1 as might his sister1 ,frances4 ,on the other hand were to be considered the motives of jealousy and revenge1 such as might actuate ,irene ,maddox and ,paquita4 ,then1 too1 there was always the possibility of something deeper lying back of it all1 as ,burke had hintedan international complication over the telautomaton1 the wonderful war engine which was soon likely to be the most valuable piece of property controlled by the family4 ,into such calculations even ,mito1 and perhaps ,sanchez1 might fit1 as indeed might any of the others4 ,it was indeed a perplexing case1 and ,i knew that ,kennedy himself had not yet begun to get at the bottom of it1 for the simple reason that when in doubt ,kennedy would never talk4 ,his silence was eloquent of the mystery that shrouded the curious sequence of events4 ,at a loss for a means by which to piece together the real underlying story1 ,i could do nothing but follow ,kennedy blindly1 trusting in his strange ability to arrive at the truth4 8,one thing is certain10 remarked ,kennedy1 evidently sensing that ,i was trying my utmost to arrive at some reasonable explanation of the events1 8and that is that this hotel is a very jungle of gossipsharper than a serpent's tooth4 ,in my opinion1 none of us will be safe until the fangs of this creature1 whoever it may be1 are drawn4 ,however1 we'll never arrive anywhere by trying merely to reason it out4 ,this is a case that needs more factsfactsfacts40 ,following out his own line of thought1 ,craig decided to return down-stairs to the seat of operations1 perhaps in the hope of running across ,hastings1 who might have something to add4 ,hastings was not about1 either4 ,we were entirely thrown upon our own resources4 ,if we were ever to discover the truth1 we knew that it would be by our own work1 not by the assistance of any of them4 ,attempts to locate ,hastings quickly demonstrated that we could not depend on him4 ,having worked secretly1 there seemed to be little else to do now but to come out into the open and play the game manfully4 8,what was the matter80 inquired ,riley1 as ,kennedy and ,i sauntered into the lobby of the ,harbor ,house in such a way that we would appear not to be following anybody4 8,why80 asked ,kennedy4 8,first it was ,paquita10 continued ,riley4 8,she bounced into the hotel1 her face flushed and her eyes flashing4 ,she was as mad as a hornet at something4 ,sanchez met her4 ,why1 ,i thought she'd bite his head off6 ,and he1 poor shrimp1 took it as meekly as if he were the rug under her feet4 ,i don't know what she said1 but she went directly to her room4 ,he has been about1 somewhere4 ,i don't see him now4 ,i guess he thought she was too worked up to stay up there4 ,but ,i haven't seen her come down40 8,shelby must have been telling her some plain truth10 said ,craig1 laconically4 8,shelby80 echoed ,riley4 8,why1 it wasn't five minutes afterward that ,winifred ,walcott came through1 as pale as a ghost4 ,she passed ,irene ,maddox1 but they scarcely spoke4 ,looked as if she had been crying4 ,what's the matter with them8 ,are they a bunch of nuts80 ,kennedy smiled4 ,evidently ,riley was unacquainted with the softer side of life4 8,where's ,shelby80 inquired ,craig4 8,have you seen himor ,mito80 8,down in the caf1 the last ,i saw him10 replied ,riley4 8,shelby's another nut4 ,you know how much he loves the rest4 ,well1 he came in all excited1 too4 ,and what does he do8 ,sees ,johnson ,walcott reading a paper1 grabs him by the arm as though he was a long lost friend1 and drags him down to the caf4 ,say1 ,i'll be dippy1 too1 if this keeps on4 ,they can't even remember their own feuds60 ,kennedy glanced at me with an amused significance4 ,i gathered that he meant to hint that ,shelby was stopping at nothing to secure the aid of ,johnson ,walcott in smoothing affairs over with his sister1 ,winifred4 ,just how ,walcott himself would look on such a match ,i had no idea and was rather glad when ,kennedy suggested that we adjourn to the caf ourselves to look them over4 ,in a leather-cushioned booth were ,shelby and ,walcott1 ,shelby doing most of the talking1 while ,walcott listened keenly4 ,we could not very well deliberately take the next booth1 but we did manage to find a corner where they were not likely to notice us4 ,we had not been there long before ,mito came in1 carrying a grip in which were the clothes and linen his master had ordered ashore4 ,shelby directed him where to take the things1 and as the ,jap stood there ,i saw that ,walcott was watching him closely4 ,not once did ,mito look at him1 yet one could not help feeling that the ,oriental knew that he was watched and that ,walcott was absorbing something from ,shelby4 ,mito bowed as he received his orders4 ,no sooner had he turned than ,i saw ,walcott shoot a glance at ,shelby4 ,if ,i had been a lip-reader ,i might have been more certain of the words framed by his lips4 ,as it was1 ,i was ready to swear that ,walcott asked1 8,do you trust that fellow80 ,shelby's answer ,i could not guess1 but his face showed no anxiety1 and it seemed as though he passed off the remark lightly4 ,though the others had not seen us1 ,mito spied us with his beady eyes1 though he did not turn his head to do so4 ,at the door he almost ran into ,sanchez1 who was engrossed in watching ,shelby4 ,neither said a word1 but the quick scowl of ,sanchez spoke a volume4 ,he hated ,shelby and everything pertaining to him4 ,whatever it was that ,shelby and ,walcott were discussing1 it was apparent that ,walcott was not at all enthusiastic4 ,he did not betray any feeling in the matter other than coldness4 8,it wouldn't surprise me if they were discussing ,winifred10 concluded ,kennedy4 8,if that is what it's about1 it doesn't look as though ,johnson ,walcott had any overburdening desire to have ,shelby as a brother-in-law40 ,in spite of ,walcott's coldness ,shelby continued talking earnestly1 but it seemed to have no effect4 ,walcott's reticence seemed to exasperate ,shelby1 who with difficulty restrained his own feelings4 ,i fancied that1 had it not been for ,winifred1 ,shelby's temper would have got the better of him4 ,when finally ,walcott rose and with a polite excuse started to move away1 it was apparent that ,shelby was intensely resentful4 ,however1 he said nothing1 nor did he even attempt to follow ,walcott out of the caf4 8,evidently he has made little progress in patching up the tiff with ,winifred10 concluded ,craig1 as we1 too1 rose and sauntered out into the main part of the hotel4 ,,xiv ,,the ,,geophone ,we had no more than reached the lobby of the hotel again when we found ,hastings seeking us4 ,evidently he had sensed that ,kennedy was vexed at him for letting ,winifred pass without finding out what was her mission4 8,this time1 at least1 ,i think ,i have something to tell you10 he hastened1 drawing us aside4 8,what is it about80 encouraged ,kennedy1 eagerly4 8,paquita10 he replied1 scanning our faces4 8,she has returned to the hotel40 ,kennedy's countenance betrayed some disappointment1 for we already knew that4 8,i saw ,frances and ,irene together1 too10 went on ,hastings4 ,again ,kennedy could not conceal his disappointment1 for it was all an old story to us4 ,hastings was not to be gainsaid1 however4 8,well1 after ,frances left ,irene ,maddox10 he continued1 8,i saw that she was wrought up and nervous4 ,so ,i watched her4 ,she sought out ,paquita40 ,he drew back1 gratified at the flash of interest that ,craig instantly betrayed4 8,indeed80 asked ,craig4 8,what took place80 8,i could not hear it all10 continued the lawyer4 8,but it seemed as though ,frances was pleading with ,paquita for something4 ,i heard the names of both ,shelby and ,winifred mentioned4 ,paquita seemed quite haughty4 ,whatever it was that ,frances was after1 ,i am quite sure that she was not successful40 ,i could see that ,kennedy was actively trying to piece together the fragmentary information that we had gained during the evening4 ,what it all meant ,i could not fathom4 ,but we knew enough to be quite sure that something important was afoot4 ,first1 ,shelby had sent for ,paquita and his supposedly secret interview1 of which we had learned enough to know that he had sought to influence the little dancer to let him alone4 ,the meeting of ,winifred and ,irene we knew1 as well as the meeting of ,irene and ,frances4 ,it seemed that ,frances ,walcott had an interest in the events much more than we had expected1 for1 failing to obtain any satisfaction from ,irene1 she had even swallowed her pride and sought out ,paquita4 ,what did it mean8 ,was ,frances really trying to play the match-maker8 ,was it for her brother1 ,shelby1 that she showed the concern1 or was it for her sister-in-law1 ,winifred8 ,there was a positive motive in the fact that a marriage between the two might more closely protect her own interests4 8,they were talking10 pursued ,hastings1 8when ,i saw her husband1 ,johnson1 coming from the caf4 ,i think ,paquita must have seen him first1 for she cut the interview short very curtly and left her1 though not before ,johnson saw them together4 ,he came over to his wife and ,i think he was a trifle angry at what he had seen4 ,at any rate1 it seemed that she was endeavoring to explain something to him and that he did not in the least approve40 8,could you hear anything80 queried ,kennedy4 8,not a thing1 except that there seems to be something about which the ,walcotts do not quite agree40 ,i wondered whether ,johnson ,walcott's dissatisfaction had been more at finding his wife talking with ,paquita than at the romance between ,shelby and his own sister4 ,in the caf he had seemed to be far from delighted over the affair4 ,frances1 on the other hand1 bore every evidence of wishing to promote the match4 ,it was a strange romance that we were watching4 8,was there anything else80 asked ,kennedy4 8,no10 replied ,hastings4 8,they walked away1 still talking earnestly1 and ,i think they have gone to their rooms40 8,winifred was not about80 8,no4 ,i saw ,shelby1 finally1 though4 ,but he seemed to be preoccupied and didn't give me a chance to speak to him40 8,where is he80 8,in the caf1 ,i suppose40 ,riley's approach at that moment served to introduce a new element into the situation4 8,you saw ,mito again80 asked ,kennedy4 ,the ,secret ,service man nodded4 8,saw him take his master's things into the caf1 then to his room4 ,after that he managed to slip away again4 ,he seems to have something on his mind4 ,i don't know what it is4 ,we had a glimpse of ,sanchez4 ,he is about1 but is keeping very low40 8,what has he been doing80 8,nothing in the open1 as far as ,i know10 returned ,riley4 8,he may be planning something4 ,i don't like him any more than my man likes ,mito4 ,these ,japs and wops are deep ones40 ,kennedy smiled1 but said nothing4 ,to ,riley any foreigner was a suspicious character1 if for no other reason than that he could not understand him4 8,any word from ,mr4 ,burke80 ,i reiterated4 ,riley nodded4 8,yes1 he will be here soon1 now1 ,i think40 8,nothing else on ,mito or ,sanchez80 resumed ,kennedy4 ,riley negatived4 8,trouble with them is they know ,i'm watching them10 he explained4 8,and when a man knows he is being watched it's easy for him4 ,there's only one way to get him and that is to stick so close that it means a fight4 ,we've had one and ,i hate to take the responsibility of another without orders from ,mr4 ,burke4 ,another fight with ,mito might not turn out so luckily1 either4 ,besides1 ,i don't know that we want it to come to a fightyet4 ,sanchez looks as though he might give an account of himself4 ,these dark fellows are all knife-men1 you know4 ,i decided that it was best to pick up what we could without making a scene40 ,kennedy shrugged4 ,there seemed to be nothing to criticize1 though it was a shame that circumstances were such that we were compelled to be content with fragments at a time when we needed every scrap of information4 8,it's getting late10 he observed1 glancing at his watch4 8,i think we might leave the field to ,riley to cover1 ,walter1 while we retire to our rooms4 ,good night1 ,mr4 ,hastings4 ,you'll tell ,mr4 ,burke to wake us1 no matter what time he comes in80 he added1 turning to ,riley4 ,the ,secret ,service man agreed1 and together ,kennedy and ,i went back to our suite a second time4 ,i was glad enough to go1 too1 for ,i wanted to see what the instrument was which he had installed in the garage4 ,as we entered1 ,i could not help thinking of ,winifred's action and why she had cut ,shelby off so shortly4 ,was it a case of intuition1 or was it merely what often passes for intuitionthe capacity for making hasty and incorrect judgments on slender grounds8 ,what1 too1 was ,mito8 ,was it he who had committed the murder of ,marshall ,maddox8 ,had he stolen the telautomaton plans8 ,i wondered whether1 after all1 he might not be in the service of some foreign government1 perhaps even be a spy4 ,with scarcely a word1 ,kennedy had taken his position at the table on which he had placed the peculiar miniature transmitter1 holding it to his ear and listening intently4 8,is any one talking there80 ,i asked1 supposing that it was some special form of the detectaphone which he was using4 8,i don't expect that there'll be any talking10 he replied4 8,in fact1 there may be only one person1 for all ,i know1 and he certainly won't talk to himself40 ,a knock at our door cut short further inquiry4 ,i opened it cautiously and was greeted by the cheery voice of ,burke1 who had come in on the last train4 8,i think ,i've earned a rest to-night10 he remarked1 dropping down into the easiest chair he could find4 8,i'm tired1 but at least ,i have some satisfaction for the day's work40 8,what have you found80 asked ,kennedy1 eagerly1 remembering that ,burke had devoted himself first of all to tracing what had become of the deadly wireless destroyer itself4 8,for one thing10 replied ,burke1 slowly1 8,i'm convinced1 as far as ,i can be regarding something ,i don't actually know1 that the telautomaton model is out here at ,westportat least not far away40 8,what makes you think so80 ,i asked1 quickly4 8,that clue of the car waiting near the office interests me10 went on ,burke1 slowly4 8,i wasn't able to get anything out of the rookie on the beat4 ,but ,i went on the supposition that somewhere between here and ,new ,york ,i might find a clue4 ,and ,i have found several clues from constables and special officers in towns between ,westport and the city4 ,a car answering the description was seen at several points1 and the time matches up4 ,so ,i think it is safe to conclude that we are on the right track4 ,the model is out heresomewhere,i am sure40 8,have you made any progress in running down your band of foreign criminals80 asked ,kennedy4 8,no trace so far10 returned ,burke1 still cheerfully1 8except that it is entirely likely that ,mito1 or ,paquita1 or that fellow ,sanchez may be the outside workers4 ,of course they would cover up their connection pretty closely4 ,we can't expect to beat the most clever minds of the ,continent as easy as we would a gang of sneak-thieves4 ,riley tells me you have been in the city most of the day4 ,have you uncovered anything80 ,briefly ,kennedy outlined what had happened1 coming down to the events of the evening down on the beach4 ,another knock on the door1 and ,riley entered4 8,you didn't come down1 so ,i knew that ,mr4 ,kennedy and ,mr4 ,jameson were awake4 ,you don't mind my coming in80 8,not a bit10 returned ,kennedy4 8,we were just going over what ,i had gathered to-day4 ,i was telling about that meeting between ,frances and ,irene ,maddox40 ,riley's face assumed the same look of perplexity as it had when we left him1 nonplussed by the queer actions of the ,maddox family4 8,you saw it10 demanded ,burke4 8,what do you make of it80 8,i don't know10 confessed ,riley4 8,maybe it means something1 maybe not4 ,i think it does4 ,there's some kind of difference between those two women4 ,i can't make it out4 ,they seemed to be so friendly at first4 ,why1 they even tell me ,mrs4 ,walcott backed ,mrs4 ,maddox in her fight with ,mr4 ,maddox over that ,paquita4 ,but now it's different1 and it's growing worse40 8,natural enough10 commented ,burke4 8,if ,marshall ,maddox was separated from his wife1 don't you see he would have destroyed his will in her favor4 ,if he was intestate1 as it is most likely1 then the other heirshis brother and sisterstand to gain4 ,there were no children4 ,mrs4 ,maddox has her interest in a third4 ,they can't take that away from her4 ,but no doubt it makes her feel as if she had been done out of something1 to see the others get what might have been hers under different circumstances40 8,that's it1 ,i guess10 considered ,riley4 8,i've heard her say that she thought now that ,paquita was put up to winning ,marshall ,maddox away from her1 so that the others would benefit40 8,pretty deep10 pondered ,burke1 8but not impossible40 8,if she thinks that way10 ,i interposed1 8it might account for her attitude toward ,winifred4 ,she might be just jealous enough not to want her to come into not only ,shelby's share1 but part of the remainder4 8,on the other hand10 ,i reconsidered1 remembering my first theory1 8,mrs4 ,maddox with her third interest is much better off than she was on what had been allowed her during the life of ,marshall ,maddox40 8,shelby ,maddox profits by it1 any way you look at it10 observed ,burke1 following out our general review of possible motives4 8,where is he now80 8,gone up to his room1 ,i suppose10 replied ,riley4 8,and ,mito80 8,in the servants' quartersunless he manages to slip out and get into some more deviltry40 8,confound it1 ,riley10 broke in ,burke1 8you've got to trail these people better6 ,what's the matter8 ,haven't you enough men to0 8#8,sh60 cautioned ,craig from his place at the instrument on the table1 his face showing intense attention to something4 8,what's that80 asked ,burke4 ,kennedy was busy for the moment and did not answer4 ,but a minute or so later he replied4 8,a geophone1 designed originally to record earth tremors1 microseisms1 small-amplitude earth shakings4 ,it is really a microphone1 the simplest form of telephone1 applied to the earthhence its name4 ,any high-school student in physics could make one4 ,all that is necessary is to place that simple apparatus1 which ,mr4 ,jameson saw1 on the ground anywhere and attach it to a microphone receiver at the other end of the wire4 ,you can hear an earthquake1 or a big gun1 or some one walking about4 ,hello6here's our friend again40 ,craig was again listening intently4 ,what the most sensitive mechanical eavesdropper could not overhear this little geophone was now transmitting to him4 8,some one is in that garage10 he reported to us4 8,those are footsteps4 ,our frame-up is working4 ,he never would have gone there unless he thought we were not only going to go there to-morrow ourselves1 but were out of sight now1 too4 ,by ,george6there's anotherthere are two of them60 ,i listened a moment myself1 with ,kennedy4 ,the diaphragm vibrated terrifically4 ,then1 suddenly1 all was still4 ,what was going on8 ,kennedy dropped the receiver on the table regardless of what might happen to its delicate adjustment1 jumped up1 and dashed out into the hall4 ,down-stairs he went1 not waiting for an elevator1 for it was only three flights4 ,we followed madly1 past the amazed night clerk1 and out the back door of the hotel4 ,as we entered the garage1 in the fitful light we could see a dark mass on the floor4 ,craig flashed his electric bull's-eye4 ,in the circle of light we saw that it was a man4 ,craig turned the form over4 ,it was ,mitodead6 ,,xv ,,the ,,night ,,of ,,terror ,in utter bewilderment we looked at one another4 ,evidently ,mito had entered1 had been surprised by some one1 and in a fight had been overpowered and killed4 ,quickly ,i tried to reason it out4 ,plainly1 even if the ,jap had been the murderer of ,marshall ,maddox for the plans1 he could not have been the thief of the telautomaton model in ,new ,york4 ,yet he must have known something about it all4 ,had we begun to get too close to ,mito for some one's comfort8 ,where was the annihilator which was to revolutionize warfare and industry8 ,in whose hands were the secrets of the 8patent of death08 ,who was the master criminal back of it all8 ,mito's lips were sealed1 at least4 ,it needed only a cursory examination of the body to determine how he had met his death4 ,his face was drawn1 as though he had seen the blow descending and was powerless to avoid it4 ,on his skull was a deep gash1 made by some heavy implement4 ,the weapon1 too1 was lying there,burke discovered ita broken leaf of an automobile spring1 used by some one to force tires over rims4 ,there was no art1 no science1 no finesse about the murder4 ,it was just plain1 brutal force4 ,if a bomb had been dropped among us1 however1 we could not have been more stunned than by the murder of ,mito4 ,burke and ,riley were plainly at a loss1 but ,i did not mind that4 ,it was the look on ,kennedy's face that worried me4 ,he did not say much1 but it was plain that he was thinking much4 8,just a brutal murder10 he remarked at length1 after he had surveyed the garage and finally come back to ,mito himself again4 8,there doesn't seem to be a clue4 ,if it were odd1 like the murder of ,marshall ,maddox1 then there'd be more to work on4 ,but it isn't4 ,no1 it's the harder just because of its simplicity4 ,and it puts us just that much further back1 because one whom we thought might lead us to the person higher up has been removed in the most primitive and1 after all1 most startling fashion40 8,i'll wager that fellow ,sanchez could tell something about this if we could only get at him right10 put in ,burke1 to whom ,kennedy had delegated the removal of ,mito's body4 ,kennedy said nothing1 but it surely had begun to look as though he might be acting for ,paquita in some capacity4 ,was she1 in turn1 acting for a desperate band of crooks8 ,i felt that if we could break down ,sanchez we might reach her4 ,burke barked his orders to ,riley and the rest4 8,you fellows have been marking time too long4 ,get out and find that man ,sanchez40 ,his men knew better than to question or defend4 ,action was the only thing that satisfied ,burke4 ,they took the orders on the jump and hurriedly organized themselves into a searching party1 though what it was that was tangible that they had on ,sanchez1 supposing that they got him1 it was hard to see4 ,as thoroughly as they could the men under ,burke and ,riley covered the hotel1 the ,casino1 the grounds1 and finally turned their attention to the town4 ,kennedy and ,i took up the search together1 beginning at the hotel4 ,hunting through the corridors and other rooms brought no trace of the man we sought4 ,he was not registered at the ,harbor ,house1 and though the clerk and some of the attendants knew him1 they professed to be able to tell nothing4 ,nor was there any trace of ,paquita4 ,meanwhile ,burke and ,riley had spread a general alarm through the town1 although ,i am sure that many of those whom they enlisted as searchers had not the slightest idea who ,sanchez was or even what he looked like4 ,the search was rapidly resolving itself into an aimless wandering about in the hope of running across this elusive individual4 ,there seemed to be no particular way of tracing the man4 ,the farther they got away from the hotel1 however1 the more convinced did it seem to make ,kennedy to stick about the ,lodge and ,casino1 if for no other reason than to keep an eye on any possible moves of the ,maddoxes and ,walcotts4 ,we were standing not far from the garage1 back of the hotel1 when from a second-story window1 around the corner1 issued a series of screams for help in a woman's voice4 ,we dashed into the hotel1 following the shouts of alarm inside and up-stairs4 8,it's ,winifred ,walcott's room10 answered one of the boys as we breathlessly questioned him4 ,as we approached the room on the second floor we came upon the maid1 one or two guests1 and several servants4 8,miss ,winifredshe's gone1 carried off60 blurted out the maid1 catching sight of ,kennedy4 ,she gestured wildly about4 ,the outer sitting-room of the suite was in great disorder4 ,the window1 low and leading out on the roof of the hotel porch1 was wide open4 ,some chairs were overturned and the portires between the living-room and the bedroom were torn from their fastenings1 and gone4 8,tell me what happened80 demanded ,kennedy4 ,the maid was almost too excited to talk coherently4 8,in the room,miss ,winifred was pacing up and downnervous,i don't know what it was about1 sir10 she managed to blurt out4 8,i was in the next room1 preparing some tea over an electric heater40 8,yes1 yes10 urged ,kennedy1 impatiently4 8,but what happened80 8,the window1 sir1 from the porch roofopeneda man must have entered40 8,did you see a man80 8,no1 sir1 but ,i heard a scream from ,miss ,winifred1 as though something had been held over her mouth4 ,no1 ,i didn't see any one4 ,by the time ,i got in here ,i saw no one40 ,kennedy had stepped over by the door and was examining the torn hangings1 hastily trying to reconstruct what had happened4 8,apparently the intruder1 whoever it was1 seized her from behind10 he concluded1 hastily1 8wrapped the portires over her head1 and jerked her backward4 ,the rush of the abductor must have torn them from their fastenings4 ,besides1 they were a good muffler for her cries4 ,the kidnapper must have carried her off1 with them wrapped about her head1 to prevent her screams from being heard again40 ,he leaped out on the roof and ,i quickly followed4 8,it would be quite possible10 he pointed out1 approaching the far end1 8at this point for any one to have gained entrance from the lower porch and to lift a girl like ,winifred down from the roof to the ground40 ,the slope of the land at this point was such that the second-floor level was not many feet above the ground level of the hillside4 ,i looked at ,kennedy1 at a loss to know what to do4 ,almost under our eyes1 while every one was looking for something else1 ,winifred had been spirited off4 ,whyand by whom8 ,craig turned to the night clerk1 who had been among the first to arrive and had followed us out on the porch roof4 8,has any one any bloodhounds about here80 he asked1 quickly4 8,yes1 sirin the cottage back of the hotel there is a dog-fancier4 ,he has a couple40 8,you know him80 8,well40 8,then you can borrow them80 8,surely10 returned the clerk4 8,get them10 ordered ,kennedy1 waving away a group who had come up on the ground just below us4 8,and hurry1 before the scent gets cold40 ,the clerk nodded and disappeared on the run4 ,down below the crowd kept collecting4 8,keep them back10 ordered ,kennedy1 8until the bloodhounds get here4 ,seethere are marks in the grass that show that some one has been hereandlookon this bush a torn corner of the portire40 ,a moment later two men from the hotel stables appeared1 with the dogs tugging on leash4 ,quickly ,kennedy gave them the scent before the trail of the footprints and the dragging portire had been destroyed by the curious4 ,they were off1 tugging at the leash1 ,kennedy with one and ,i with the other4 ,burke and ,riley had come up by this time1 post-haste from their search for ,sanchez1 and joined us4 ,away across the lawn1 through the shrubbery1 the trail led us1 over a fence until farther along through a break in the hedge we came upon the road4 ,together we four hastened out over the highway4 8,there's one thing in our favor10 panted ,kennedy4 8,no car was usedat least not yet4 ,and if one or even two are carrying her1 we can go a great deal faster than they can40 ,my dog1 which seemed to be the more active of the two1 was outrunning the other1 and1 not through any desire on my part1 but through his sheer tugging at the leash1 he kept me a few paces ahead of the rest4 ,the road which had been taken by the kidnappers bent around the head of the harbor1 branching off at a little country store1 closed since early in the evening4 ,no help was to be expected there1 and we followed the road which ran down through a neck of land that led to the harbor opposite ,westport4 ,so accustomed had ,i become to the steady tug of the dog on his leash1 that1 as we passed a little brook1 where it seemed the abductor had paused1 ,i was surprised to feel his pull on my hand suddenly relax4 ,before ,i knew it the dog had stopped4 ,he uttered a peculiar wheezehalf sneeze1 half gasp4 ,before ,i realized what it could be about he rolled over1 as though he had been shot4 ,it was not that he had lost the scent4 ,again and again1 as he lay for the few seconds1 gasping1 he tried to pick up the trail4 ,as ,i watched him in utter astonishment ,i noticed a peculiar1 subtle odor1 with just the faintest suggestion of peach pits4 ,kennedy1 with more presence of mind than ,i had shown1 drew up sharply on the leash of his dog1 some feet behind me4 8,here1 ,burke10 he cried4 8,hold himwell away4 ,don't let him break loose40 ,as ,craig advanced toward me he stopped and picked up something that his foot had kicked in the dust4 ,he advanced1 holding away from him what looked like a small glass vial1 while with his other hand he fumbled a small pocket flashlight4 8,whoever he was10 he exclaimed1 excitedly1 8the fellow is clever4 ,read the label40 ,i did and drew back1 with a hasty glance at my hound1 which already lay dead at my feet4 ,the vial was labeled1 8,,prussic ,,acid,,poison40 8,winifred60 ,i exclaimed1 voicing the first fear that flashed through my mind4 8,i think she is all right10 reassured ,craig4 8,if the abductor had wanted to kill her he would have had plenty of chances before this4 ,no1 ,i can imagine him stopping a second to wet a handkerchief in the brook and bind it over his nose as he opened the bottle and smeared the deadly fluid over the soles of his shoes1 casting the empty bottle back of him4 ,certainly a clever ruse40 ,together we had retreated from the danger zone toward ,burke and ,riley1 who were agape with astonishment as they learned of the unheard-of discovery we had made4 ,we looked at one another in blank astonishment and fear4 ,would the abductor get away1 after all8 8,a vexatious delay10 interrupted ,kennedy1 calmly4 8,but ,i doubt if they counted on our having another dog4 ,the stuff must have worn off their shoes rapidly as they hurried on4 ,here1 ,burke1 let me have the hound1 now4 ,it may take me some time1 but ,i am sure that ,i can overcome this obstacle40 ,while we waited1 ,craig cut a wide circle off the road1 with the dog whining at having lost the scent4 ,for some minutes down the road he let him run pretty free1 trying to pick up the scent again at some point well past that at which we had found the deadliest of acids1 where a dirt road debouched from the macadam4 8,come on60 he shouted at last1 as a deep bay from the dog announced that he was off again and now running silent1 since he had found the trail4 ,we made splendid progress now1 and1 by hasty calculation of the time1 which must have been brief before the alarm was given1 we concluded that we were without a doubt rapidly gaining on the abductor4 ,it was growing darker and darker as we went out of the lights of the main road into a deeper recess of the woods4 ,our little pocket flashlights were too puny for such work4 ,just then along the dirt road back of us came tearing a car4 ,as it pulled up the driver flashed his spot-light ahead and it cut through the blackness like a bull's-eye4 8,i heard you had gone this way10 shouted a voice from the darkness4 8,here1 let me drive behind and light you ahead40 ,in the shaft of light we could see a single figure of a man1 staggering along with some heavy burden in his arms1 and behind1 several hundred yards away1 ,kennedy swiftly following with the hound4 ,as the light played on them1 the figure seemed to realize that escape was now hopeless1 unless he dropped his burden4 ,he paused just an instant1 as though calculating something desperate4 ,just then ,i raised my gun and fired4 ,i had no hope of hitting him in the fitful light and at the distance4 ,but at least the shot had its effect4 ,he dropped ,winifred and bolted4 ,at that moment the car came abreast of me4 ,i turned quickly4 ,the man in the car with the spot-light was ,sanchez6 ,we had all come up with ,kennedy now1 the car stopping on the road with its lights playing full on the group4 ,slowly now ,winifred1 who had fainted1 revived4 ,as she opened her eyes she seemed in a daze4 ,beyond what we already knew of her exciting adventure1 she could tell nothing4 ,sanchez offered to drive her back to the hotel4 ,it was the first time he had spoken1 and ,i wondered what ,burke1 fire-eater that he was1 would do4 ,for a moment he hesitated1 then strode up to the sallow-faced man deliberately4 8,this thing has gone too far10 he ground out4 8,has all this been staged so that you could play the hero80 ,sanchez flared4 ,for a moment ,i thought that there would be a fight4 ,but he seemed to consider4 ,with a shrug1 he replied1 quietly1 8,i am at your service1 if ,i can be of assistance to the young lady40 ,the man was baffling4 ,there was nothing for ,burke to do but to hide his exasperation and take advantage of the offer4 ,to me1 the sudden appearance of ,sanchez was most mystifying4 ,had he in reality been on his way to overtake his own agent1 when he had1 fortunately for himself1 overtaken us8 ,or were we all wrong and was ,sanchez innocent8 ,no one said a word as we made our quick return to the hotel4 ,winifred was1 by this time1 herself and able to return to her room1 which was now guarded from below4 ,neither she nor any of the rest of us could offer an explanation of the sudden attack or its purpose4 ,it had been a night of terror and we were about ready to drop from sheer exhaustion4 ,besides1 it was too late now to do anything more4 ,kennedy and ,i decided to retire1 leaving the ,secret ,service operatives to watch for any further suspicious move on the part of any one1 especially those who1 to all appearances1 at least1 seemed to be safely asleep at the ,lodge4 ,,xvi ,,the ,,invisible ,,ink ,we were awakened very early by the violent ringing of our room telephone4 ,kennedy was at the receiver almost before ,i realized what was going on4 8,have you a machine to follow her80 ,i heard him ask1 hurriedly1 then add3 8,all right4 ,i'll leave the trailing to you4 ,don't let her get away4 ,we will go to the city on the train and then you can communicate with me at ,mr4 ,hastings's office4 ,i'll go there40 8,who was it80 ,i asked as ,craig hung up4 8,what has happened80 8,paquita has tried to steal a march on us1 ,i imagine10 he replied1 beginning to dress hastily4 8,riley must have been up all nightor at least very early4 ,he saw her come down-stairsit's scarcely five o'clock nowand a moment later her car pulled up4 ,she's off1 apparently by the road to ,new ,york4 ,it's strange1 too4 ,except that she got off so early1 she made very little effort at concealment4 ,you would think she must have known that she would be seen4 ,i wonder if she wanted us to know it1 or was just taking a chance at getting away while we were napping80 8,is ,riley following her80 ,i asked4 8,yes4 ,as soon as he saw her speedster at the door he went out by another door and around to the garage4 ,it just happened that the night man was there and ,riley wheedled him into letting him have a car4 ,it isn't as fast as ,paquita's1 but then it isn't always the fast car that gets away with it between here and ,new ,york4 ,sometimes1 if you know how to drive and where the bad spots in the road are1 you can make up what you lack in speed40 ,kennedy had pulled a time-table out of his pocket and was hurriedly consulting it4 8,the service is very poor at this hour10 he remarked4 8,it will be an hour before we can get the next train4 ,we've missed the first by a few minutes40 8,what do you suppose she's up to now80 ,i speculated4 ,kennedy shrugged silently4 ,we had finished dressing and for the moment there seemed to be nothing to do but wait4 8,by ,george60 ,craig exclaimed1 suddenly1 starting for the door4 8,just the chance6 ,hardly anybody is about4 ,we can get into her room while she is gone4 ,come on60 ,paquita's room1 or rather suite1 was on the floor above and in a tower at the corner4 ,it was difficult to get into1 but from a porch at the end of the hall we found that it was possible to step on a ledge and1 at some risk1 reach one window4 ,kennedy did not hesitate1 and ,i followed4 ,as was to be supposed1 the room was topsy-turvy1 showing that she had been at some pains to get away early and quick4 ,we began a systematic search1 pawing with unhallowed fingers all the dainty articles of feminine finery which might conceal some bit of evidence that might assist us4 8,pretty clever10 scowled ,kennedy1 as drawer after drawer1 trunk after trunk1 closet after closet1 yielded nothing4 8,she must have destroyed everything40 ,he paused by a dainty little wicker writing-desk1 which was scrupulously clean4 ,even the blotters were clean1 as though she had feared some one might1 by taking her hand-mirror1 even read what she blotted4 ,the scrap-basket had a pile of waste in it1 including a couple of evening papers4 ,however1 ,i turned it over and examined it while ,craig watched4 ,as ,i did so ,i fairly pounced on a sheet of paper crumpled into a ball1 and eagerly straightened it out flat on the table4 8,humph60 ,i ejaculated in disgust4 8,blank6 ,might have known she wouldn't leave anything in writing around1 ,i suppose40 ,i was about to throw it back when ,kennedy took it from me4 ,he held it up to the light4 ,it was still just a crumpled sheet of white paper4 ,he looked about4 ,on a dressing-table stood an electric curling-iron4 ,he heated it and passed it over the paper until it curled with the heat4 ,still it was just a blank sheet of paper4 ,was he pursuing a will-o'-the-wisp8 ,for a moment he regarded it thoughtfully4 8,if ,i were in the laboratory10 he ruminated1 8,i could tell pretty quick whether ,wait6that's foolish4 ,she hasn't any laboratory here4 ,walter1 fill that basin with warm water40 ,in the bottom of the basin ,craig laid the sheet of paper and we bent over it4 8,nothing doing10 ,i remarked1 disappointed4 8,why not80 he returned1 eagerly1 turning the wet paper4 8,we had it wrong side up60 ,there1 before our eyes1 under the water1 characters of some sort were appearing4 8,you can make a perfectly good sympathetic ink from linseed oil1 liquor of ammonia1 and any of several other ingredients10 he said1 watching with me4 8,when writing with it dries it is invisible4 ,only water will bring it out4 ,then when it dries it is invisible again4 ,look40 ,i did1 but could not yet make out what it was1 except that it seemed to be a hodge-podge of figures3 #beaeccccaeadedcbdedcddabaebeaeceddcccca eeb #edcddbbedeccddbdcaebaebabdccbddcbcbcaed bae 8,it's a cipher60 ,i exclaimed with that usual acumen that made ,kennedy smile indulgently4 8,quite right10 he agreed1 studying the peculiar scrawl of the figures4 8,but if we are going to get to ,new ,york at anything like the time she does1 we must get that train4 ,i can't stop to decipher it now4 ,we'll have plenty of time later in the morning4 ,there's no use staying here1 with the bird flown from the cage4 ,i wonder whether ,hastings is up yet40 ,the lawyer1 who was not as young as he used to be1 was not awake1 and it took some pounding on his door to wake him4 ,as he opened it sleepily he was prepared to give some one a piece of his mind1 until he saw that it was ,kennedy and myself4 8,hello60 he suppressed a surly growl4 8,what's the trouble80 ,quickly ,craig told him of the strange departure of ,paquita4 8,up to something again10 muttered ,hastings1 finding some one at least on whom he could vent his spleen1 although by this time he was fully awake4 8,but1 man1 ,i can't get away for that early train60 8,oh1 that's all right10 reassured ,kennedy4 8,i think it will be enough if you come down on the express4 ,but ,i wanted to tell you that when ,riley called up and said he was off after ,paquita1 ,i couldn't think of a place in the city that was more central than your office and ,i took the liberty of telling him to call me up there1 without thinking how early it would be40 8,i'll let you have the key10 returned ,hastings1 taking one from a ring4 8,i'll join you as soon as ,i can get away40 8,just what ,i wanted10 commented ,kennedy1 as we left the lawyer and hurried down to the dining-room for the few remaining minutes before the hotel 'bus left for the station4 8,besides1 ,i wanted to get there when no one was around1 so that ,i could have a chance to look at that confounded detectaphone again4 ,whoever it was who installed it was clever40 8,might not that be the purpose of ,paquita's trip to ,new ,york80 ,i queried4 8,i was thinking of that4 ,between us1 ,riley and ourselves ought to be able to find that out40 ,there was just time for a hasty bite of breakfast and we went into the dining-room1 where ,burke was evidently looking for us1 for he came over and sat down4 ,no one else was about and he felt free to talk4 8,if you're going10 he decided1 after telling us of ,riley's report to him also of ,paquita1 8,i think ,i had better stay4 ,we ought not to let any of them remain here unobservednot after last night10 he added4 8,quite right10 agreed ,kennedy4 8,have you heard anything more about the attack on ,winifred80 ,burke negatived4 ,he was still sore at ,sanchez1 who seemed to have come out of the affair with credit4 ,i fancied that if ever the sallow-faced man ran afoul of ,burke it would go hard with him4 8,i didn't get that business straight last night10 mused the detective4 8,why should any one have wanted to kidnap ,winifred8 ,it couldn't have been to hurt herfor there was plenty of opportunity to do that4 ,it must have been to hold her somewhere and force some one to do something4 ,what do you think of that1 ,kennedy80 8,your reasoning is very logical10 agreed ,craig4 8,there is only one thing missingwho was it and what was it for80 8,pretty large questions10 agreed ,burke1 good-humoredly now4 8,there must have been some big reason for it4 ,well1 ,i hope this trip of ,paquita's proves to be the key to something4 ,i almost wish ,i had told ,riley to stay4 ,i'd like to go with you40 8,no10 reassured ,craig4 8,it's better that you should be here4 ,we must not leave any loopholes4 ,you'll communicate with me if anything happens80 ,burke nodded and glanced hastily at his watch as a hint to us to hurry4 ,with a parting assurance from him1 we made the dash for the train in the hotel 'bus4 ,the crisp morning air as we spun up to the station was a tonic to ,kennedy4 ,he seemed to enjoy the excitement of the chase keenly and ,i must admit that ,i1 too1 felt the pleasing uncertainty of our errand4 ,i had found by this time that there was an entirely different crowd that regularly took each train4 ,none of those whom we had seen the previous day on the express were on this train1 although ,i felt sure that some of them at least would take their regular trip to the city later1 especially ,shelby4 ,whatever happened1 at least we were ahead of them1 although ,i doubted whether we would be ahead of ,paquita unless she had some trouble on the road4 ,nothing was to be gained by the study of the other passengers1 and there was not even a chair car on the accommodation4 ,the papers had not arrived from ,new ,york in spite of the fact that ,westport was not very far out1 and the time consumed in stopping at every station on the road seemed to hang heavy4 ,kennedy1 however1 was never at a loss for something to do4 ,we had no more than settled ourselves in the smoker with its seats of hot1 dirty1 worn1 antiquated railroad plush1 when he pulled from his pocket a copy he had made of the figures that had appeared on the wet paper4 ,in a moment he was deeply engaged in a study of them1 trying all manner of tricks1 combining them1 adding them1 setting figures opposite the letters of the alphabet1 everything that could occur to him on the spur of the moment1 although ,i knew that he had worked out a scientific manner of reading any cipher4 ,still1 his system of deciphering would take time1 and in the brief interval of the railroad journey it was his intention to see whether he might not save the labor and perhaps stumble on some simple key4 ,evidently the cipher was not so simple4 ,one after another he used up sheets from his loose-leaf note-book1 tearing up the scrawls and throwing them out of the window1 but never seeming to become discouraged or to lose his temper at each fresh failure4 8,i can't say ,i'm making much progress10 he admitted1 finally1 closing his note-book and taking from his wallet carefully the original crumpled sheet ,i had found in the scrap-basket4 8,there's just one thing ,i'd like to trynot to decipher it1 for that will take time1 ,i seebut to see if there is anything else that ,i missed as ,i looked at it so hastily up there in that room40 ,at the ice-water cooler1 which never had any ice in it1 nor cups about it1 he held the sheet of paper for a moment under the tepid running water4 ,since he had first wet it1 it had dried out and the figures were again invisible4 ,then he returned to our seat and soon was deep in the study of the original this time4 8,i can say one thing10 he remarked1 folding the cipher carefully so as not to tear the weakened fibers1 as we rolled into the ,new ,york terminus1 8the person who wrote that thing is a crookhas the instincts of a spy and traitor40 8,how do you know that80 ,i inquired4 8,how80 he repeated1 quietly1 glancing up sharply from a final look at the thing4 8,did you ever hear of the science of graphologythe study of character in handwriting8 ,much the same thing applies to figures4 ,it's all there in the way those figures are made1 just as plain as the nose on your face1 even if the meaning of the cipher is still hidden4 ,we have a crook to deal with1 and a very clever one1 too1 even if we don't know yet who it is4 ,it's possible to hide a good deal1 but not everythingnot everything40 ,from the station ,kennedy and ,i went immediately down to the office of ,hastings4 ,it was still very early and few offices were occupied4 ,kennedy opened the door and1 as ,i anticipated1 went directly to the spot in the office where he had unearthed1 or rather unwalled1 the detectaphone transmitter4 ,there was not a chance that any one would be listening at the other end1 yet he proceeded cautiously4 ,the transmitter had been placed close to the plaster which had not been disturbed in ,hastings's office4 ,so efficient was the little machine that even the plaster did not prevent sound waves from affecting its sensitive diaphragm4 8,but how could it have been put in place80 ,i asked as ,kennedy explored the hole he had made in the wall4 8,that's new plaster back there10 he pointed out1 peering in4 8,some one must have had access on a pretense to the next office and placed the transmitter that way1 plastering up the wall again and painting it over4 ,you see1 ,hastings wouldn't know about that40 8,still10 ,i objected1 8any one going in and out of the next office would be likely to be seen4 ,who has the office80 8,it's no use to look10 replied ,kennedy1 as ,i started for the hall4 8,they are as ignorant as we are4 ,seethe wire doesn't go there4 ,it goes horizontally to that box or casing in the corner which carries steam-pipes4 ,then it goes down4 ,it's not likely it goes down very many floors4 ,let's see what's under us40 ,the office beneath bore on its doors the name of a well-known brokerage firm4 ,there was no reason to suspect them1 and ,kennedy and ,i walked down another floor4 ,there1 in a little office1 directly under that occupied by ,hastings1 gilt letters announced simply 8,public ,stenographer ,exchange40 ,without a doubt that was the other end of the eavesdropper4 8,there's no one in yet1 sir10 informed a cleaning woman who happened to see us trying the door4 ,kennedy was ready with a story4 8,that's too bad10 he hastened1 with a glance at his watch4 8,they want to sublet it to me and ,i'd like to look at it before ,i decide on another office at nine o'clock40 8,i can let you see it10 hinted the woman1 rattling a string of keys4 8,can you80 encouraged ,kennedy1 slipping a silver coin into her hand4 8,thank you4 ,it will save me another trip40 ,she opened the door and we saw at once why ,kennedy's chance story had seemed so plausible4 ,whatever furniture had been there had been moved out1 except a single plain chair and a very small table4 ,but on the table stood a box1 the receiving end of the detectaphone4 ,it was the eavesdropper's station1 all right4 ,the woman left us a moment and we made the best of the opportunity4 ,not even a scrap of paper had been left4 ,except for what greeted us on our first entrance1 there was nothing4 ,who had rented the place8 ,who had listened in1 had heard and anticipated even our careful frame-up8 ,could it have been that this was the objective of the hasty visit of ,paquita1 that it had been she who was so eager to destroy the evidence of the eavesdropping on ,hastings8 ,it was galling to have to stand here in inaction at a time when we felt that we might be learning much if we had only so much as a hint where else to look4 8,the easiest way of finding out is to watch10 concluded ,kennedy4 8,we can't just stand about in the hall4 ,that in itself will look suspicious4 ,you wait here a few minutes while ,i see if ,i can find the agent of the building40 ,around a bend in the hall ,i waited1 trying to seem interested more in some other office down the hall4 ,no one appeared1 however1 looking for any of the offices1 and it was only a few minutes before ,kennedy returned4 8,i found him10 he announced4 8,of course he could tell me next to nothing4 ,it was as ,i had supposed1 just some one who was an emissary of our criminal4 ,i doubt if it would do us much good to catch the person now1 anyway4 ,still1 it's worth while taking a chance on4 ,a girl who said she was a typewriter and stenographer hired the place1 and paid for it in cash in advance4 ,i managed to persuade the agent to let me have the key to this vacant office opposite4 ,we can watch better from that40 ,we let ourselves into the opposite office1 which was bare1 and ,i could see that ,i was in for a tiresome wait4 ,no one had arrived yet in ,hastings's office and ,kennedy was eager to receive some word from ,riley as well as watch the eavesdropping plant4 ,accordingly1 he left me to watch while he returned to the lawyer's office4 ,every footfall in the hall raised my hopes1 only to dash them again as the new-comer entered some other office than the one ,i was watching4 ,,xvii ,,the ,,cipher ,,letter ,irksome though it was to be compelled to do fruitless watching in a vacant office1 there was nothing to do but stick at it4 ,what ,paquita might be up to was a mystery1 but ,i knew that until we heard from ,riley we could have only the most slender chance to locate her in the big city4 ,it was perhaps half an hour later when1 to my relief1 ,kennedy returned1 bringing with him a strange man4 ,i looked at him inquiringly4 8,you're just wasting time here1 ,walter10 ,craig explained4 8,i've got one of the ,secret ,service men here in the city to relieve you of your job4 ,but ,i very much suspect that1 after what happened last night1 whoever had that place across the hall is through and would rather lose the detectaphone receiver than risk being caught40 8,have you had any word from ,riley80 8,not a word4 ,i'm getting anxious10 he replied1 turning to the new man and instructing him what to do4 ,kennedy was eager to get back1 in case there might be a hasty call about ,paquita4 ,i could see1 too1 that he was convinced that we were baffled1 at least as far as discovering who had been using the detectaphone was concerned4 ,we returned quickly to ,hastings's office1 which was still deserted1 and there1 as we waited nervously1 ,kennedy drew forth the cipher and began to study it again1 but this time on an entirely different line1 following his own scientific principles1 which he had laid down after investigating the work of other expert decipherers4 ,my hopes rose momentarily when we heard footsteps in the hall and the door was burst open4 ,it was1 however1 merely a messenger-boy4 8,telegram for ,mr4 ,kennedy10 he shouted1 penetrating even the sacred inner office of ,hastings4 ,craig tore open the yellow envelope1 read the message1 and tossed it over to me4 ,it was from ,burke at ,westport4 8,wireless operators at ,seaville ,station10 it read1 8report strange interference4 ,may be in reference to telautomaton4 ,will keep you advised if anything happens40 ,the possibility of a new twist to events was very fascinating1 though ,i did not understand it4 ,i was just about to question ,kennedy about the telautomaton when the door opened again4 ,this time it was ,hastings himself4 8,has there been any word80 he asked1 eagerly4 8,nothing so far10 replied ,craig4 8,you came on the express1 ,i suppose80 8,yes10 he replied1 his face wearing a puzzled expression4 8,i don't quite understand what is going on40 8,what in particular80 queried ,craig1 seeing that there was something on ,hastings's mind4 8,why1 ,shelby1 of course10 he answered4 8,some change has taken place in him4 ,he's not like the ,shelby ,i used to know4 ,yesterday he came in to town4 ,he was on the train again to-day4 ,i wasn't the only one who noticed it4 ,johnson ,walcott was on the train1 too4 ,he noticed itcalled my attention to it1 as a matter of fact4 ,i saw some of the younger men1 too4 ,shelby as a regular commuter is a joke to them4 ,but it's more than a joke1 ,i'm thinking4 ,shelby never came near ,wall ,streetor ,broad ,streetbefore4 ,but now they tell me he seems to be taking an active interest in the ,maddox ,munitions stock on the curb4 ,i don't understand it40 8,could he be trying to put through some deal80 ,i inquired1 hastily4 8,perhaps he's trying to get the control his brother would have had40 8,i don't doubt that he has some such scheme10 agreed ,hastings4 8,butwell1 what do you say1 ,kennedy8 ,doesn't it look suspicious1 so soon afterward8 ,it may be real ambition1 now4 ,he may have changed4 ,but0 ,hastings's 8but0 meant volumes4 ,just then the telephone rang and the lawyer answered it1 handing the instrument over to ,kennedy4 ,we listened eagerly4 ,it was the first long-delayed report of ,paquita from ,riley1 and as ,kennedy pursued the one-sided conversation that we heard ,i gathered that1 far from clearing up things1 the actions of ,paquita had further muddled them4 ,hastings glanced at me and shook his head sagely1 whispering1 8,that's a clever and a dangerous woman3 ,when she looks most innocent is the time to be wary40 ,i tried to pay no attention to his banal remarks1 but still was unable to follow1 from what ,i heard1 the course of the report from ,riley4 ,finally it seemed as if ,kennedy were cut off in the middle of a remark or that ,riley had hung up suddenly4 ,kennedy jiggled the hook but was unable to get any one back again1 though ,central tried for some time4 8,what was it80 ,i asked1 keenly interested4 8,i'm afraid she's putting one over on us again10 commented ,kennedy as he hung up the receiver4 8,how's that80 ,i asked4 8,why1 it's evidently a purposeless visit to the city1 as nearly as ,i can make out4 ,riley followed her inhad no difficulty4 ,in fact1 he thinks that she knew she was being followed before they reached the turnpike from ,westport40 8,where did she go after she got here80 ,i asked1 hoping that at last there was some clue that might lead to the 8gang0 which ,burke suspected1 but which ,i was almost tempted to believe was mythical4 8,just stopped at her city apartment10 returned ,craig4 8,there wasn't any telephone handy and ,riley was afraid to leave her for fear she might come out and get away before he could get back4 ,it was very early4 ,when it came time for the offices to open she made a call at her theatrical agents again4 ,after that she came down-town4 ,she wasn't far away from us here4 ,this will interest you1 ,mr4 ,hastings40 ,hastings needed no prompting4 ,he was already interested4 8,riley found her talking to a clerk in a brokerage house,dexter ,co4 ,you know them80 8,slightly4 ,i wonder what that can mean40 8,perhaps something to do with ,shelbyat least ,riley thinks so4 ,it was while she was talking to the clerk that he got his first chance to telephone me4 ,what cut him short was that he could see from the telephone booth that she was starting away4 ,he had to go1 but he did get time to say that he had just seen ,shelby ,maddox enter the same building1 though ,shelby didn't see ,paquita40 8,did she see him80 8,i suppose so4 ,that must have been why she went away so quickly4 ,i suppose she didn't want to be seen40 8,what can that girl be up to now80 considered ,hastings4 8,you may just rest assured that it is something devilish40 8,any word from ,sanchez80 ,i asked1 remembering my own experience the time ,i had tried to trail ,paquita4 8,nothing so far10 replied ,kennedy4 8,riley was looking for him1 but hasn't seen a trace of him4 ,except for the visit down-town1 ,paquita seems to be just going about as though giving ,riley something to do4 ,he thinks it's mighty strange she doesn't try to throw him off4 ,really1 she seems to want to be shadowed40 8,how can that be80 ,kennedy shrugged4 8,i don't know4 ,riley promised to call up the next chance he got40 8,why not go over to ,dexter's80 suggested ,hastings4 8,she can't be there10 returned ,kennedy4 8,if she was1 ,riley would have had a chance to make a second call4 ,therefore ,i reason that she must have gone away after she had seen the clerk and when ,shelby appeared4 ,i think ,i'll stay here awhile1 until ,i hear againespecially as ,i have nowhere else to go10 he decided1 pulling out the cipher from his pocket again4 8,we may hear some more about ,shelby and his schemes40 ,kennedy had now fallen into an earnest study of the peculiar cryptogram which we had discovered4 8,i suppose you've noticed that there's no figure above five in it10 he remarked to me1 looking up for an instant from several sheets of paper which he was covering with a hopeless jam of figures and letters4 8,i had not10 ,i confessed4 8,what of it80 8,well1 ,i've tried the numbers in all sorts of combinations and permutations4 ,they don't work4 ,let me see4 ,suppose we take them in pairs40 ,for several moments he continued to figure and his face became continuously brighter4 8,there are six pairs of #cc's10 he remarked1 almost to himself4 8,now1 it's well known that the letter #8e' is the most commonly used letter4 ,that's the starting point usually in working out a cipher4 ,waitthere are eight #8#ae's'that must be #8e4' ,yes1 the chances are all for it4 ,now what letter is #cc1 if any80 ,he appeared to be in a dream as he recalled from his studies of cryptograms what were the probabilities of the occurrence of the particular letters4 ,suddenly he exclaimed3 8,perhaps it's #8n'let's see40 ,hastily he wrote down some letters and numbers in the following order8#be;enne#aded40 ,he looked at it for a moment1 and then his face registered the dawn of an idea4 8,by ,george60 he exclaimed1 8we don't have to go any further6 ,i have it4 ,it's my own name,kennedy4 ,let me see how that works4 ,i believe it's the system we call0 ,kennedy was again interrupted by the entrance of the messenger-boy with another telegram4 ,he tore it open and1 as ,i expected1 it was a second message from ,burke4 8,seaville ,station has reported interference to ,government4 ,just received orders ,washington to take up investigation4 ,not wireless messages that interfere4 ,some mystery4 ,when can you come out80 ,kennedy read and reread the message4 ,to neither ,hastings nor myself did it convey any idea upon which we could build4 ,but to ,kennedy1 seemingly1 it suggested a thousand and one things4 ,it was evident that the appeal from ,burke had moved ,kennedy very much4 ,paquita had lured us into town1 but ,i cannot say that it was giving us much to show for our pains4 8,what do you suppose that message can mean80 ,i questioned4 8,what does ,burke mean about the telautomaton80 8,i can't say at this distance4 ,there must be more to it than he has put into the telegram4 ,but at least it is possible that the men at the station have stumbled over some attempt to use the wireless in testing out the little model4 ,it's pretty hard to tell4 ,really1 ,i wish ,i was out there4 ,a clue like this interests me much more than our little adventuress40 ,kennedy had scarcely laid down the message from ,burke when the telephone tinkled again4 ,he seized the receiver expectantly4 ,by his excitement ,i could see that it was ,riley again4 8,yes1 ,riley10 we heard him answer4 8,where are you now80 ,the conversation was rapid-fire4 ,as ,kennedy hung up his face showed considerable interest4 8,that woman is just making sport of ,riley10 exclaimed ,kennedy1 hotly1 facing us in perplexity4 8,why1 what is she doing80 8,seems to be aimlessly driving about the city4 ,i'll bet she is just laughing at him4 ,i wonder what the game may be80 8,where is she now80 8,up-town again4 ,i suppose that we could jump up there and probably catch ,riley somewhere1 by keeping in touch with this office1 if both of us kept calling up here4 ,but what good it would do ,i can't see4 ,i'm disappointed4 ,this thing has degenerated into a wild-goose chase40 ,his eye fell on the telegram from ,burke1 and ,i knew that the two things had placed ,kennedy in a dilemma4 ,if he might have been in two places at once1 he would have been satisfied4 ,should he drop everything and go to ,burke or should he wait for ,riley8 8,we'll let the cipher decide10 concluded ,kennedy1 turning to the scribbled papers before him4 8,what is the cipher system80 ,i asked1 mechanically1 my head rather in a whirl at the fast-crowding events4 8,don't you understand80 he cried1 almost gleefully1 working at the solution of the secret writing4 8,i've got it6 ,how stupid of me before not to think of it4 ,why1 it's the old checkerboard cipher again60 ,quickly he drew on paper a series of five squares horizontally and five vertically and filled them in with the letters of the alphabet1 placing ,i and ,j in the same square1 thus using twenty-five squares4 ,over the top he wrote the numbers to #e and down the side he did the same1 as follows3 #a #b #c #d #e - #a ,a ,b ,c ,d ,e - #b ,f ,g ,h ,,ij ,k - #c ,l ,m ,n ,o ,p - #d ,q ,r ,s ,t ,u - #e ,v ,w ,x ,y ,z - 8,do you see80 he cried1 eagerly4 8,the letter #8e' is in the first row1 the fifth letter#ae4 ,the letter #8n' is the third letter in the third row#cc4 ,why1 it's simple60 ,it might have been simple to him now1 but to ,hastings and myself1 as ,kennedy figured the thing out1 it was little short of marvelous4 ,for all we could have done it1 ,i suppose the blank scrap of paper would still have been a hidden book4 ,we were crowded about ,kennedy1 eagerly watching what his deciphering might yield1 when the office-boy announced1 8,mr4 ,shelby ,maddox to see you1 ,mr4 ,hastings40 ,kennedy quickly covered the papers on which he was writing with some others on the desk1 just as ,shelby entered4 8,is ,kennedy here80 cried ,shelby4 8,oh,i thought maybe you might be4 ,they told me that you'd gone early to the city40 ,our greeting was none too cordial1 but ,shelby either did not notice it or affected not to do so4 8,i wanted to ask you about that kidnapping10 he explained4 8,you see1 ,i wasn't about when they found ,mito1 and it wasn't until later that ,i heard of it and the attempt on ,winifred4 ,what do you suppose1 ,mr4 ,kennedy1 was the reason8 ,who could have wanted to carry her off80 ,kennedy shrugged4 8,so far ,i haven't been able to give a final explanation10 he remarked1 keenly4 8,then the kidnappers got away clean80 asked ,shelby4 8,it was very clever10 temporized ,kennedy1 8but ,i would hardly say that there is no clue40 ,shelby eyed ,craig keenly1 as though he would have liked to read his mind4 ,but ,kennedy's face did not betray whether it was much or little that he knew4 8,well10 added ,shelby1 8all ,i've got to say is that some one is going to get into trouble if anything happens to that girl40 ,i was listening attentively4 ,was this a bluff1 or not8 ,from the expression on ,hastings's face one would have said that he was convinced it must have been ,shelby himself who kidnapped her4 ,i wondered whether it was wholly interest in ,winifred that prompted ,shelby's visit and inquiry4 8,at any rate10 he went on1 8you'll all be watching now against a repetition of such a thing1 won't you8 ,i don't need to remind you1 ,kennedy1 of your promise when ,i talked to you before80 ,craig nodded4 8,i'll give you a square deal1 ,mr4 ,maddox10 returned ,craig4 8,of course ,i can't work for two people at once4 ,but ,i shall do nothing for any client that ,i am not convinced is perfectly right4 ,you need not fear for ,miss ,walcott as long as ,i can protect her40 ,maddox seemed to be relieved1 although he had found nothing that pointed to the origin of the attack4 ,or was it because of that8 ,he glanced at his watch uneasily4 8,you'll pardon me10 he said1 rising4 8,i had a few minutes and ,i thought ,i'd drop in and see you4 ,i must keep an appointment4 ,thank you for what you have said about ,winifred40 ,as he withdrew ,i shot a hasty glance at ,craig4 ,should ,i follow him8 ,kennedy negatived4 ,apparently not even the intrusion of ,shelby had got out of his mind either the dilemma we were in or the hidden message that he seemed on the point of reading4 8,an engagement10 commented ,hastings1 incredulously4 8,since when has ,shelby had important engagements8 ,more than likely it is something to do with this ,paquita woman40 ,there was no mistaking the opinion that ,hastings had of the youngest scion of the house of ,maddox4 ,nor was it unjustified4 ,shelby's escapades had been notorious1 though ,i had always noticed that1 in the aftermath of the stories1 ,shelby was quite as much1 if not more1 sinned against than sinning4 ,young men of his stamp are subject to many more temptations than some of the rest of us4 ,if ,shelby were coming through all right1 ,i reflected1 so much the greater credit for him4 ,kennedy either shared my own feelings toward ,shelby or had decided that he was not at present worth considering to the delay of something more important4 ,i looked over his shoulder1 fascinated1 as he fell to work again immediately on the cipher with the same zest which he had displayed before ,shelby's interruption4 ,rapidly ,kennedy translated the figures into letters and1 as each word was set down on paper1 became more and more excited4 ,finally he leaped up and seized his hat4 8,confound her60 he exclaimed1 8that explains it all6 ,look60 ,hastings and ,i read what he had written3 8,,kennedy ,,must ,,be ,,kept ,,in ,,new ,,york ,,until ,,we ,,finish ,,here40 ,,xviii ,,the ,,radio ,,detective ,here1 it seemed1 was a new danger4 ,was it to be taken as a proof of ,burke's theory that some one1 perhaps a gang1 was back of ,paquita6 ,i was almost inclined to ,hastings' opinion1 for the moment4 ,what was the reason that ,shelby had been so interested in ,kennedy as to seek him out even in the office of the lawyer of his brother who hated him8 ,i could evolve no answer in my own inner consciousness for the questions4 ,as far as ,i could see we were still fighting in the dark1 and fighting an unknown4 ,kennedy quickly chose one horn of the dilemma that had been presented to him4 ,both the wording of the cipher and ,burke's enigmatic message regarding the wireless which came so close on its heels quite decided him to hurry back to ,westportthat is1 if one might so call traveling on midday trains that lounged along from station to station4 ,we left ,hastings in a high state of excitement4 ,some pressing business prevented his immediate return to ,westport1 and ,kennedy was evidently rather pleased than otherwise1 for he did not urge him to go4 8,there's just one thing that ,i must stop for1 and we shall have plenty of time1 if we don't waste it10 he planned4 8,i must go to the laboratory4 ,there's some stuff there ,i want to take out if1 as ,i foresee1 we are to have to deal with wireless in some way4 ,besides1 ,i may need some expert assistance and ,i want to arrange with one of the graduate students at the university1 if ,i can40 ,in the laboratory he found what he wanted and began gathering it into bundles1 packing up some head telephone receivers1 coils of wire1 and other apparatus1 some of which was very cumbersome4 ,the last he placed in a pile by itself4 ,the door opened and a young man entered4 8,oh1 ,watkins10 ,craig directed1 as ,i recognized one of the students who had attended his courses1 8there's a lot of apparatus ,i would like you to take out to ,westport for me40 ,they talked briefly in a wireless jargon which ,i did not understand1 and the student agreed to carry the stuff out on a late train1 meeting us at the ,harbor ,house4 ,at the last moment ,kennedy was off for the railroad station4 ,it was making close connections1 but we succeeded4 ,the ride out was nerve-racking to us under the circumstances4 ,we had taken the bait so temptingly displayed by ,paquita and had gone to ,new ,york4 ,now we could not get back fast enough4 ,we had not been in the city long1 it is true4 ,but had it been too long8 ,what had happened out in the town we were anxious to learn4 ,i felt sure that in our absence some of the ,maddoxes might well have attempted something which our presence would have restrained4 ,burke met us at the station with a car1 so sure was he that ,kennedy would return immediately on receipt of his second message1 and it was evident that he felt a great sense of relief at regaining ,kennedy's help4 ,as we spun along down from the station ,kennedy hastened to tell ,burke what had happened1 first about ,paquita as ,riley had reported1 then his deciphering of the cipher message1 our failure to discover anything in the scantily furnished office at the other end of the detectaphone wire1 ,shelby's visit1 and the whole peculiar train of circumstances4 ,instead of going directly to the ,harbor ,house ,burke drove us around by the hotel dock1 where we saw that there was a stranger in a power boat apparently waiting for him4 ,kennedy was just finishing his recital of our unsatisfactory experience as we approached4 8,perhaps it all has something to do with what ,i wired you about10 returned ,burke1 thoughtfully4 8,this new affair is something that ,i know you'll be interested in4 ,you see1 among my other jobs for the ,government ,i'm what you might call a radio-detective1 ,i guess4 ,you know that there are laws aimed against these amateur wireless operators1 ,i suppose80 ,kennedy nodded1 and ,burke went on1 8,well1 whenever regular operators find anything illegal going on in the air1 they notify the ,government1 and so the thing is passed along for me to take up4 ,heaven knows ,i don't know much about wireless4 ,but that doesn't matter4 ,they don't want a wireless man so much as they do a detective to ferret out from the operator's evidence who can be violating the law of the air1 and where4 ,so that is how ,i happened to get hold of this evidence which1 ,i think1 may prove valuable to us40 ,as we pulled up near the hotel dock ,burke beckoned to the strange man who had been waiting for him4 8,let me introduce you to ,steel1 whom they have sent to me on that matter ,i told you about40 ,kennedy and ,i shook hands with the man1 who glanced out over the harbor as he explained briefly1 8,i'm an operator over there at the ,seaville ,station1 which you can see on the point40 ,we also gazed out over the water4 ,the powerful station which he indicated was on a spit of sand perhaps two miles distant and stood out sharply against the horizon1 with its tall steel masts and cluster of little houses below1 in which the operators and the plant were4 8,it's a wonderful station10 ,steel remarked1 noticing that we were looking at it also4 8,we'd be glad to have you over there1 ,mr4 ,kennedy4 ,perhaps you could help us40 8,how's that80 asked ,craig1 keenly4 8,why10 explained the operator1 with a sort of reflective growl1 8for the past day or so1 now and then1 when we least expect it1 our apparatus has been put out of business4 ,it's only temporary4 ,but it looks as though there was too much interference4 ,it isn't static4 ,it's almost as though some one was jamming the air4 ,and we don't know of any one around here that's capable of doing it4 ,none of us can explain it1 but there are some powerful impulses in the air4 ,i can't make it out40 ,kennedy's eye rested on the graceful white hull of the ,sybarite as she lay still at anchor off the ,harbor ,house4 ,i had not noticed1 although ,kennedy had1 that the yacht was equipped with wireless4 8,it's not likely that it is any one on the ,sybarite who is responsible80 he considered1 tentatively4 ,the operator shook his head4 8,no1 the apparatus isn't strong enough4 ,we would be more likely to put them out of business40 ,burke turned the car around and drove up to the ,harbor ,house4 ,kennedy jumped out of the car and carried part of the stuff he had brought from the laboratory1 while ,i took the rest1 followed by ,burke and ,steel4 8,when ,i got your message1 ,burke10 he said1 8,i thought that there might be something going on such as you've told me4 ,so ,i came out prepared4 ,i've got some more apparatus coming1 too1 in case we don't get what we want with this4 ,will you see if we can get permission to go up on the roofand do it without attracting attention1 too80 ,burke quickly made the arrangements and we quietly went up-stairs by a back way1 finally coming out on a flat portion of the ,lodge roof4 ,from one of the packages ,kennedy took some wire and hastily and ingeniously strung it so that in a short time it was quite evident that he was improvising the aerial of a wireless outfit of some sort4 ,finally1 when he had finished1 he led the proper wires down over the edge of the roof4 8,one of these10 he said1 preparing to leave the roof1 8,i want to carry down to the ground1 the other to our own room40 ,we went down again by the back stairs and outside1 where ,kennedy picked up the wire that hung down to the earth4 ,having completed this part of his preparations1 ,kennedy entered the ,harbor ,house and we followed4 ,we were passing through the corridor when a page stepped up to ,kennedy4 8,i beg your pardon1 sir10 he announced1 8but there is a lady in the parlor who would like to speak to you and ,mr4 ,jameson1 sir40 ,kennedy excused himself from ,burke and ,steel1 and together we went in the direction of the parlor1 eager to discover who it was that sent for us4 ,to my surprise1 it was ,winifred ,walcott whom we saw sitting all alone4 8,how are you after your thrilling experience last night80 inquired ,kennedy4 8,it was so early this morning when we left that we really could not disturb any one to find out4 ,i trust that you are feeling better80 8,yesbetter10 she repeated1 her eyes with an absent look1 as though she was not thinking of how she felt4 8,i wanted to thank you ever so much for what you did4 ,without you1 who knows what might have happened to me or where ,i should be now80 ,there was genuine feeling in her words now1 as she went on1 8,professor ,kennedy1 after what has happened ,i am afraid that ,i shall have to appeal to you for protection4 ,i have thought about it all a great deal1 and still there is no explanation of the strange events of last night40 8,you have no idea who it was who carried you off80 ,she shook her head4 8,you may not believe it1 but ,i have not4 ,all ,i remember was being seized from behind and before ,i knew it ,i was half choked1 half smothered4 ,that thing wrapped about my head kept me from seeing or crying out until it was too late4 ,even then ,i could not see4 ,there is only one thing ,i can say ,i really know1 and that is that whoever it was that carried me off1 it was some one of great strength4 ,you see1 ,i am no light-weight and pretty strong4 ,yet ,i never had a chance until you and ,mr4 ,jameson and the rest came up back of me4 ,oh1 ,i am so sorry ,i came to your laboratory that day with her60 ,winifred paused4 ,it was evident that she was in a very nervous and high-strung state1 and naturally so4 ,the one thing that seemed uppermost in her mind was that she had listened to the biased interpretations of ,irene ,maddox4 ,the dnouement had proved how wrong they had been1 at least in their suggested characterization of ,kennedy4 ,and she hastened to apologize4 8,not a word about that10 insisted ,kennedy4 8,there was no reason why you should not have come to see me on any errand and with anybody40 8,just the same1 ,i am sorry40 8,has anything more happened to-day80 queried ,kennedy1 changing the subject deftly4 8,n-no1 nothing in particular4 ,i have been thinking mostly of what it all was about last night4 ,some one wanted to hold mebut didn't want to hurt me4 ,who could it be8 ,why80 8,that is exactly what ,i am trying to find out10 assured ,craig4 8,we went in to the city on what looked as though it might prove to be a very promising clue1 but nothing came of it4 ,however1 it is only a short while1 now1 and we shall soon have something to report1 ,i am convinced40 8,did you see,mr4 ,maddox80 she asked1 hesitatingly1 and ,i knew that the mention of ,shelby's name had cost her some effort1 after the serious tiff of the evening before4 8,he was very solicitous1 sent up word1 and some flowers1 but could not miss the express1 he wrote1 on account of an important engagement40 8,yes1 we saw him for just a minutedown in ,wall ,street4 ,i believe he has taken some interest in business lately and has spent much time at the office of his brokers down-town40 ,the look of relief that passed over her face could not easily be concealed4 ,it was evident that she knew of the sudden early departure of ,paquita and1 like ,hastings1 in her suspicions1 had been afraid that there might be some connection with ,shelby4 ,kennedy did not say anything about the appearance of ,paquita in ,wall ,street2 and1 on reflection1 ,i reasoned that he was right1 for it could have no effect except to arouse unjust suspicions4 ,winifred said nothing for a few moments4 ,i wondered what was passing in her mind4 ,was she sorry that she had not taken ,shelby at his word the night before8 ,at any rate1 she said nothing1 nor should ,i have expected her to admit anything to us4 8,what do your brother and sister-in-law think80 asked ,kennedy1 at length4 8,johnson promised to get a detective himself if there was anything new on which to base suspicions10 she replied4 8,he seemed rather vexed at me that ,i could tell no more1 said that no detective could be expected to catch any one on my hazy descriptionwhich1 ,i suppose1 is true40 8,and ,mrs4 ,maddox80 8,oh1 she seems to thinkwell1 it's pretty hard to tell what poor ,irene thinks from one moment to another4 ,she says it's what ,i might expect for being mixed up with the ,maddoxes4 ,i can't see what that has to do with it1 though4 ,i'm not mixed up with them1 even if ,johnson is40 ,there was a navet about the remark that was not lost on ,kennedy4 ,winifred was still mistress of her own heart1 at least so she would have us think4 ,her solicitude about ,shelby and the careful way in which she refused to let us see that it went too far would have indicated otherwise4 ,she was really afraid of herself4 8,there has been absolutely nothing suspicious since this morning80 reiterated ,kennedy1 hoping that she might recall something1 no matter how trivial1 that might point the way further ahead4 8,nothing10 she repeated4 8,i didn't come down from my room until pretty late4 ,everybody had left for the city by that time4 ,i did see that gentleman who brought us back in his car1 though40 8,oh1 ,sanchez80 interrogated ,craig1 his attention aroused in an instant4 8,what of him8 ,did he do or say anything80 8,nothing except that he inquired very particularly how ,i was and whether ,i had found out anythingnothing more than common politeness might suggest40 ,as for me1 ,i felt sure1 now1 that there was something much deeper than courtesy in the inquiry of ,sanchez4 8,i don't suppose you noticed anything about him80 asked ,craig4 8,nothing except that he avoided ,irene ,maddox when he saw her coming toward me4 ,i think ,i can guess why40 ,she nodded knowingly to ,kennedy4 8,did he seem to be interested in ,paquita's absence80 pursued ,kennedy4 8,i can't say10 strove ,winifred to remember4 8,i did see him talking to some of the boys about the hotelthat is all40 8,and where did he go80 8,drove off in his car4 ,it was about the middle of the morning4 ,i haven't seen him about since then40 ,winifred seemed quite reassured by the few words with ,kennedy1 and with a parting assurance of protection ,kennedy and ,i excused ourselves4 ,we rejoined ,burke and ,steel in the lobby1 where ,burke was nervously pacing up and down1 for precious minutes were being wasted1 he felt4 ,and yet ,i could not see that he was able to make a move without the aid of ,kennedy4 ,like ,burke1 ,i1 too1 was eager to know what it was that ,kennedy was planning to accomplish by the elaborate and secret preparations he was making4 ,accordingly1 ,i was not sorry when he decided to go immediately up to our rooms4 ,naturally ,i was keenly interested in what ,kennedy was doing in establishing his own little wireless plant1 but the operator1 ,steel1 looked at it in increasing wonder as ,craig laid out the apparatus in the room4 8,it's not exactly like anything that ,i've ever seen before10 ,steel remarked1 finally4 8,what do you expect to do with it1 sir80 ,kennedy smiled4 8,i don't believe you ever did see one of these sets1 although you may have heard of them10 he explained1 not pausing in his work of installing it4 8,it is an apparatus only lately devised for use by the ,united ,states ,government to detect illegalities in the air in wireless1 whether they are committed by amateurs or not40 ,as we watched in silence1 ,kennedy went on explaining4 8,you know that wireless apparatus is divided into three partsthe source of power1 whether battery or dynamo2 the making and sending of wireless waves1 including the key1 spark condenser1 and tuning coil2 and the receiving apparatus1 head telephones1 antenn1 ground and detector40 ,kennedy was talking to us rather than the operator1 but now he turned to him and remarked1 8,it's a very compact system1 with facilities for a quick change from one wave-length to another4 ,i suppose you've noticed itspark gap1 quenched typebreak system relay1 and all the rest4 ,you understand1 ,i can hear any interference while ,i'm transmitting4 ,take the transformationby a single throw of this six-point switch4 ,it tunes the oscillating and open circuits to resonance4 ,it's very clever and1 best of all1 efficient40 ,his wireless installed and adjusted1 ,kennedy clapped the ear-pieces on and tuned it up4 ,not only he1 but the wireless operator tried it1 rapidly changing the wave-lengths1 as the system admitted1 in the hope of discovering something4 ,whatever it was that had caused the trouble at the ,seaville ,station1 it was not working now4 ,they seemed able to discover nothing4 ,this had been going on for some time when our telephone rang and ,burke jumped to answer it4 8,that's one of my men10 he exclaimed with a gesture that indicated he had forgotten something4 8,i meant to tell you that they were holding a funeral service for ,marshall ,maddox1 and this apparatus of yours clean knocked it out of my head4 ,hello6444 ,yes1 ,i remember4 ,wait40 ,burke put his hand over the transmitter and looked at us4 8,do you want to go80 he asked4 8,i think ,i would like to see them together again10 ,craig replied1 after a moment's consideration4 8,all right10 returned ,burke1 removing his hand4 8,we'll be down in a minute40 ,kennedy took from another package what looked like an arrangement containing a phonograph cylinder1 and attached it1 through a proper contrivance1 to his receiving apparatus4 8,now ,i think we can safely leave this thing10 bustled ,kennedy1 eager to get back in touch with things at ,westport4 ,the wireless operator1 ,steel1 glanced at his watch4 8,i'm due back at ,seaville soon to do my trick4 ,is there anything else ,i can tell you or do for you80 ,kennedy thanked him4 8,not just at the moment10 he returned4 8,we shall have to wait now until something happens4 ,perhaps you are right4 ,i think the best thing you can do is to return to ,seaville and keep your eyes and ears open4 ,if there is anything at all that comes up that seems to lead to our wireless jammer1 ,i wish you would let me know40 ,steel was only too glad to promise and1 a moment later1 left us to return to the wireless station4 ,,xix ,,the ,,wireless ,,wiretapper ,a few moments later we went down-stairs again and ,burke drove us in his car up to the town1 where1 in the main street1 was a little chapel whose bell was now tolling slowly and mournfully4 ,as his car drew up at the end of the long line down the street1 ,i saw why ,kennedy had decided to break into the time so sorely needed in our own investigation of the case4 ,it seemed as though every one must be at the funeral1 even the reporters from ,new ,york4 ,kennedy and ,i managed to avoid them1 but their presence testified to the wide interest that the case had aroused throughout the country4 8,rather a telling object-lesson in the business that the ,maddoxes are in10 commented ,kennedy as we walked the rest of the way to the shrubbery-surrounded chapel4 8,if there is such a thing as retributive justice1 this is the result of the business of making a profit out of mere instruments to kill40 ,i fancied that there was more than coincidence behind the reasoning4 ,the ,maddoxes had been so long engaged in making munitions1 devoid of any feeling of patriotism1 had amassed such an immense fortune out of which the curse had been taken by no philanthropy1 that it must undoubtedly be a true philosophy which traced from their very business and consequent character the evils and tragedies that followed in the wake of the ,maddox millions4 ,i reflected that even over the telautomaton1 the destroyer itself1 there had been no thought of public service in the family1 but merely the chance to extort more gain from the frailties and sufferings of humanity4 ,and now this was the end of one arch-extortioner4 ,there seemed to be something hollow in the funeral of ,marshall ,maddox4 ,it took me some time to explain it to myself4 ,it was not because we were there1 outsiders1 and in our capacity of observers1 in fact almost spies1 although that may have had something to do with the impression it made on me4 ,the little chapel was crowded1 but with the curious who had heard vague rumors about the death4 ,as ,i looked at the real mourners ,i fancied that my impression must be due to them1 that somehow this was a mockery of mourning4 ,i could not imagine that ,irene ,maddox was overwhelmed by grief after what had occurred to her4 ,as for the gay little ,paquita1 she was1 of course1 not there at all1 and her presence would only have sounded a new note of hollowness4 ,i had not seen her manifest any deep sign of grief4 ,at present1 ,i supposed1 she was still in ,new ,york1 going about her own or some unknown business as unconcerned as if nothing had happened4 ,shelby ,maddox had come up from whatever business he was engaged in in ,new ,york just in time for the service4 ,once or twice ,i thought he showed real grief1 as though the death of his brother brought back to his recollection other and better days4 ,yet ,i could not help wondering whether even his emotions might not be affectation for our benefit1 for the tragedy seemed not to have deterred him from doing pretty much as he might have done anyhow4 ,i looked about for ,winifred ,walcott4 ,evidently the strain of events had been too much for her4 ,she was not there1 but her brother was there with his wife1 who was next to her own brother1 ,shelby4 ,the service was short and formal1 and ,i shall not dwell on it1 for1 after all1 nothing occurred during it which changed our attitude toward any of those present4 ,for a brief moment at the close the family were together1 and ,i felt that ,shelby was the most human of them all1 at least4 ,mrs4 ,walcott and her husband were the first to leave1 and ,i could not help comparing it with a previous occasion1 when they had taken ,irene ,maddox in their car4 ,a little later ,shelby appeared with his sister-in-law1 leaving her only when some of her own family1 who had come to ,westport evidently to be with her1 appeared4 ,instead of going to the ,lodge he walked slowly down to the pier and jumped into one of his tenders that was waiting to take him out to the ,sybarite1 alone4 ,now and then ,i had seen him glance sharply about1 but it was not at us that he was looking4 ,he seemed rather to be hoping that he might chance to meet ,winifred ,walcott4 ,i think she was much more on his mind at present than even his brother4 ,johnson ,walcott and his wife passed us in their car and we could see them stop at the ,harbor ,house porte-cochre4 ,frances ,walcott alighted and1 after a moment talking together1 ,johnson drove away alone1 swinging around into the road to the city4 ,our friends of the ,secret ,service seemed to be about everywhere1 but unobtrusively1 observing4 ,there was much that was interesting to observe1 but nothing that pointed the way to the solution of the mystery4 ,the funeral over2 it was again the old ,maddox house of hate1 each member going his own way4 ,it was as though an armistice had been declared1 and now the truce was over4 ,i felt that we might now expect war again1 to the last dollar4 ,it was not to be expected that any of them would allow the other to control without a fight1 nor relinquish any claim that was not fully compensated4 ,one bright spot only shone out in the drab of the situation4 ,so far the dead hand of the ,maddox millions had not stretched out and fallen on the lovely and pure personality of ,winifred ,walcott4 ,the more ,i thought of it the more ,i had come to fear that these hates and jealousies and bitter rivalries might engulf her as they had many others4 ,had that been the trouble with ,irene ,maddox8 ,had she been once even as ,winifred now was8 ,had she been drawn into this maelstrom of money8 ,i dreaded the thought of the possible outcome of the romance of ,shelby ,maddox and ,winifred4 ,would it1 too1 blast another lifeor might it be that by some miracle ,winifred might take out the curse that hung over the blood-money of the ,maddoxes8 ,never before had our responsibility in the case1 far beyond the mere unraveling of the mystery1 presented itself to me so forcibly as it did now1 after the solemn and sobering influence of the last rites of the murdered head of the house4 ,we came along past the carriage entrance to the ,lodge again4 ,beside the door were piled several large packages1 and the uniformed boy who presided over that entrance of the ,lodge was evidently much worried over them4 ,burke had left us on the way up1 and as we turned the boy at the door caught sight of ,kennedy and hurried over to us4 8,the young man said these were for you1 sir10 he announced1 indicating the packages1 undecided whether to play for a tip or to ask to have them taken away4 8,oh yes10 recognized ,kennedy1 as ,watkins1 who had brought them down1 appeared4 8,some stuff ,i had brought from the city4 ,will you help me down to the dock with them80 ,the boy was more than willing4 ,not only were the packages to be taken away from his door1 but ,kennedy had crossed his palm with a coin4 ,with ,watkins he carried the things down4 ,kennedy had no intention at present1 evidently1 of using the material which had come from ,new ,york1 but left it in the little summer-house in charge of the student4 ,we were about to turn back to the ,casino and the ,lodge1 when ,craig caught my eye and nodded in the direction of the beach4 ,there ,i could see the solitary figure of a girl coming slowly along4 ,it was ,winifred ,walcott4 ,i watched her4 ,evidently she had been out for a walk alone4 ,now and then she gave a quick glance across the water and ,i soon realized that it was at the ,sybarite she looked4 ,shelby had long since reached the yacht1 but apparently she had seen his tender dashing out there4 ,i could not help but think of the stroll that ,shelby had taken with ,paquita the night before down the beach in the same direction4 ,was ,winifred thinking of it1 too1 and was she sorry that she had dismissed him without accepting his explanation at its face value8 8,that shows what a great part chance plays in our lives10 mused ,kennedy to me1 as we watched her4 8,they're thinking of each other4 ,if ,shelby had been a few minutes later1 or she had been a few minutes earlier1 they would have met4 ,i suppose they are both too proud to go to each other now40 8,you're not contemplating being a matchmaker80 ,i hazarded4 8,on the contrary10 he smiled1 8,i think we shall gain more by letting events take their natural course4 ,no1 chance must bring them together again40 ,miss ,walcott had seen us by this time1 and seemed to realize that we were talking about her1 for she quickened her pace and1 instead of coming up to the summer-house1 left the beach by another flight of steps1 though not so far away that we could not see a faint flush on her cheeks as she purposely avoided us4 ,we1 too1 went toward the ,lodge1 but did not overtake her4 ,on the veranda of the ,lodge1 waiting for us1 was ,riley1 just returned from the city4 8,where is ,paquita80 inquired ,kennedy4 8,tell me what has happened80 8,nothing much10 returned ,riley1 chagrined4 8,i stuck to her pretty closely4 ,she's back1 you know40 8,i think ,i have an idea of what it was all about10 ventured ,kennedy4 ,riley nodded4 8,mr4 ,burke has told me something of the cipher message to her1 sir4 ,i think you are right4 ,she must have tried to divert our attention40 8,how does she seem80 inquired ,kennedy4 ,riley chuckled4 8,i think she's terribly miffed10 he replied4 8,she acts to me as though she was disappointed in usin you particularly4 ,you don't follow her about ,new ,york4 ,i don't think she quite understands what happened4 ,you don't play according to ,hoyle40 8,what did she do after that last telephone call80 8,nothingabsolutely nothing4 ,oh1 it was a plant1 all right4 ,she came back in the car1 after awhile4 ,we passed the church while the funeral was going on4 ,she never even looked4 ,say1 what has become of ,sanchez80 ,kennedy retailed what ,winifred had said about the sallow-faced man and his solicitude4 8,i'll wager he'll be along soon1 now10 asserted ,riley1 with professional assurance4 8,i just saw ,irene ,maddox1 after she came back from the funeral4 ,she seems to be rather out of it1 doesn't she8 ,since her own folks arrived the ,maddoxes and the ,walcotts seem to feel that they have no further responsibility40 ,kennedy smiled at the garrulity of the detective4 8,what made you connect ,sanchez and ,irene ,maddox80 he asked4 8,don't you think she is really through with him80 8,i guess she is10 returned ,riley4 8,but ,i can't say the same of him4 ,if ,i could only get at the true relation of that fellow with ,paquita ,i'd be a good deal happier4 ,mrs4 ,maddox may have hired him to shadow her1 but1 if you want to know what ,i think1 it is that that ,mex1 or whatever he is1 has actually fallen in love with the girl40 8,another love affair80 ,i queried1 sarcastically4 8,then all ,i've got to say is that they're well matched40 8,all right10 defended ,riley1 rather hotly4 8,but we know that he double-crossed ,mrs4 ,maddox1 don't we8 ,well1 then1 if he's working for anybody else now1 what reason have you to suppose that he won't double cross them too8 ,mr4 ,burke thinks there may be a gang of them4 ,all right4 ,what's to prevent this ,sanchez from being stuck on her in that case8 ,there are all sorts in the underworld1 and there's no telling what a woman or a man may do40 8,but look at the way she acts toward ,shelby ,maddox10 ,i urged4 8,if ever there was a woman who threw herself at a man1 that's a case of it40 8,part of the game1 part of the game10 returned ,riley4 8,what game80 interrupted ,kennedy1 who had been listening to us in amused silence4 ,riley was not ready with an answer on the spur of the moment1 and1 as it was not my contention1 ,i did not attempt it4 8,well10 finished the ,secret ,service man as he left us1 8,i'm going to look about1 just the same1 and you can take it from me this thing will never be cleared up until we explain that fellow ,sanchez40 ,kennedy said nothing as ,riley walked away1 but ,i fancied that underneath he concurred largely with the operative4 ,we were about to leave the veranda when ,burke rejoined us1 his face indicating that some new problem had come up4 8,i wonder what ,shelby ,maddox can be up to10 he began1 as though appealing for aid4 8,i was using the telephone1 and while ,i waited for my number ,i got to talking with the little girl at the switchboard4 ,she tells me that in the last day or two1 while ,shelby has been out here1 he has been talking a great deal over the wire with ,new ,york and has placed some large orders through different brokers for ,maddox ,munitions stock40 ,it was an important piece of news4 ,i recalled ,hastings's wonder at ,shelby's trips in to the city and our own discovery that he had been visiting a broker1 coupled with the presence of ,paquita down-town in the same building4 8,maddox ,munitions isn't so low that it's a good buy10 considered ,burke1 8unless there's some scheme to manipulate it up4 ,it had a little slump when ,marshall ,maddox died1 but recovered4 ,what its future will be without him no one can say4 ,there's no reason why it shouldn't declinebut it hasn't done so40 8,perhaps that's the game10 ,i suggested4 8,maybe ,shelby is holding the market up4 ,some one must be supporting it4 ,why1 if it weren't for some support1 ,i'll wager the stock would have broken worse than it did1 and it wouldn't have recovered40 ,kennedy nodded1 not so much in approval of the explanation as at the line of thought that the idea suggested4 8,do you suppose10 speculated ,burke1 8that there can be some manipulation of ,maddox ,munitions going on under cover8 ,what can be ,shelby's purpose in all this8 ,perhaps we're mistaken in that young man1 and he's a great deal deeper than any of us give him credit for being4 ,would it be impossible that he might be planning to get the control from the others80 ,it was an explanation that could not be easily put aside4 ,only death had wrested the control from the elder brother4 ,who was there to take his place8 ,had ,shelby undergone a transformation almost overnight8 ,ormore horrible thoughthad the whole affair been preconceived from the conference on the yacht and the murder to the manipulation of the market8 ,what with both ,riley and ,burke theorizing on the case1 ,i could see that ,kennedy was growing a bit impatient4 ,though he formed many of them1 theories never appealed to ,kennedy as long as one little fact might knock out the prettiest deduction4 8,we've been away from our room a long time10 he interjected1 as though remembering what we had originally started to do4 8,something must have happened by this time or we'll never get anything4 ,let's go up there and see whether our wireless wiretapper has caught anything yet40 ,scarcely past the door ,kennedy nudged me1 a signal to be on guard4 ,i looked cautiously about4 ,sitting in the lobby where she could see everybody who came and went was ,paquita4 ,she saw us approaching1 but made no effort to avoid us4 ,in fact1 ,i felt sure that it was we for whom she was looking4 ,if it was1 ,kennedy did not give her any satisfaction by letting her know that we even noticed it4 ,we passed by1 still chatting1 though careful to say nothing that could not safely be overheard1 and entered the elevator4 ,as the door clanged shut ,paquita flashed a chagrined glance at us4 ,it said as plainly as words that she wanted to focus our attention on herself instead of something else4 ,up in the room ,kennedy fairly ripped the wax cylinder from his wireless machine and jammed it into what looked like a miniature phonograph4 8,a recording device invented by ,marconi10 he explained1 as a succession of strange sounds issued from the reproducer4 ,i could make nothing out of it1 but ,kennedy seemed quite excited and elated4 8,it's not a wireless message at all10 he exclaimed4 8,then what is it80 ,i inquired4 ,he listened a moment more1 then burst out1 8,no1 not a message4 ,that's just wireless power itself4 ,and it seems to come from the water side1 too40 ,he relapsed into silence1 leaving us only to speculate4 ,what possible object could there be in the use of wireless power solely8 ,why did it come from the water8 ,was there a boat hanging about1 perhaps flying the burgee of some well-known club1 yet in reality to be used for some criminal purpose8 ,,xx ,,the ,,speed ,,demon ,there seemed to be no use in staying longer in our room observing the behavior of the wireless detector1 when the very neighborhood still bristled with mystery and perhaps danger4 ,accordingly1 we went down-stairs again with ,burke1 just in time to meet ,hastings1 who had come down on the late afternoon train from the city4 8,has anything happened since we left80 inquired ,kennedy of the lawyer1 before he could begin to quiz us4 8,very little10 he replied4 8,the man was still watching that little office where the detectaphone wire led1 when ,i left4 ,not a soul has been near it4 ,i think you can assume that it has been left abandoned40 8,i thought as much10 agreed ,craig4 8,have you heard anything more about the activity of ,shelby8 ,he was here at the funeral this afternoon4 ,he's out on the ,sybarite now1 and has been very quiet1 at least down here40 8,i've been making some inquiries10 replied ,hastings1 slowly4 8,as nearly as any of the brokers ,i know can tell1 ,i should say that ,shelby must be doing something4 ,there have been several large blocks of stock unloaded and they have all been taken up4 ,in spite of it the price has been maintained4 ,but it's all underground4 ,i haven't decided which side ,shelby is on1 bear or bull4 ,he never was on either side before1 so ,i don't know what he is up to4 ,you can reason it out either wayand1 after all1 it is a matter of fact1 not reason40 8,it won't take long to find that out to-morrow1 if we want to10 remarked ,kennedy4 8,the trouble to-day was that there were more pressing things that had to be done40 ,we had scarcely finished outlining to ,hastings what we had discovered at ,westport when ,riley edged up to report to ,burke4 8,miss ,walcott's acting very strangely1 sir10 he ventured4 8,you'd think she hadn't a friend in the world40 8,how's that80 cut in ,kennedy4 8,i saw her coming up from the beach awhile ago alone10 replied ,riley4 8,first she passed ,mrs4 ,maddox and they scarcely spoke1 then later ,i saw her do the same thing with ,mrs4 ,walcott4 ,they've been that way1 now1 for some time40 8,where is shein her room80 asked ,burke4 ,riley nodded4 8,yes40 8,i can't see any reason why she should stay here1 if she feels this way about it10 put in ,hastings testily4 8,she doesn't belong to the family40 ,kennedy glanced covertly at me4 ,i fancied ,i understood what was in his mind4 ,winifred ,walcott probably would not have admitted1 even to herself1 why she stayed4 8,that little dancer and ,miss ,walcott are as friendly as ,kilkenny cats1 too10 added ,riley1 with a left-handed attempt at humor4 8,you have an ,x-ray eye10 commented ,craig1 with veiled sarcasm1 which quite amused me1 for the detective actually took it literally and thanked him4 8,paquita is still about1 then80 8,yes1 sir4 ,right after you went up-stairs she had her car brought around and started out for a spindown the shore road4 ,but she must have seen that one of our men was following1 for she turned up-country and was back again in half an hour4 ,if she intended to do anything1 she must have been scared off4 ,she's up-stairs now1 dressing for dinner1 ,i suppose4 ,i've got her checkmated4 ,she can't move without my knowing itand she knows it40 8,down the shore road10 repeated ,kennedy1 reflectively4 8,i wonder what she could have wanted down there4 ,the wireless impulses came from the water side4 ,walter would you mind going down on the dock and telling that young man of mine he had better get a bite to eat right away and that then he can begin getting the stuff unpacked and set up60 ,while ,watkins took a hasty dinner at the ,lodge1 ,i relieved him of watching the packages he had brought4 ,it was a tiresome wait1 for ,i longed to be with ,kennedy4 ,one thing1 however1 broke the monotony4 ,once when ,i looked up ,i caught sight of a launch putting out from the ,sybarite and feathering over the choppy waves in the direction of the dock4 ,as it came closer ,i saw that it contained ,shelby ,maddox1 still alone4 ,he came ashore and1 as he walked up the dock1 saw me and nodded absently4 ,evidently he was thinking of something else4 ,i was glad to rejoin ,kennedy a few minutes later when ,watkins returned and began to unwrap the packages1 as ,craig had ordered4 ,fortunately for the sake of my curiosity1 nothing had occurred during my absence1 except that ,craig and ,burke had seen ,shelby enter1 although he had done nothing4 ,it was the dinner hour and the guests were beginning to enter the dining-room4 ,shelby had already done so1 selecting a table where he was in sight of that usually occupied by the ,walcotts4 ,their table seemed deserted to-night4 ,johnson ,walcott was not yet back1 and ,irene ,maddox now sat at another table1 with those of her family who had come to be with her at the funeral4 ,winifred did not come down to dinner at all1 which seemed to vex ,shelby1 for it looked as though she were avoiding him4 ,the only person at the table was ,frances ,walcott4 ,convinced that no one else was coming in1 ,shelby glumly hurried through his meal1 and finally1 unable to stand it any longer1 rose1 and on the way out stopped to talk with his sister4 ,what was said we could not guess4 ,but it was more like a parley during an armistice than a talk between brother and sister1 and it did not seem to do ,shelby much good4 ,finally he drifted out aimlessly into the lobby again4 ,as he stood undecided1 we caught a glimpse of the petite figure of ,paquita flitting from an alcove in his direction4 ,before he could avoid her she spoke to him4 ,however unwelcome the meeting might have been to ,shelbyand his face showed plainly that it was sothere could be no doubt of ,paquita's eagerness to see him4 ,as ,i looked at her ,i could only wonder at the strangeness of life4 ,she whom men had pursued and had found elusive1 even when they thought they had her captured1 was now herself in the anomalous rle of pursuer4 ,and the man whom she pursued cared no more for her than she for those who pursued her4 ,nay more1 he was openly1 hopelessly in love with another woman1 in every respect the antithesis of herself4 ,much as ,i disliked ,paquita's type1 though realizing her fascination as a study1 ,i could not help seeing the potential tragedy and pathos of the situation4 ,she did not accuse or upbraid4 ,on the contrary1 she was using every art of which she was a past mistress to fascinate and attract4 ,i did not need prompting from ,kennedy to see the strange romance of the situation4 ,the little dancer was subtly matching all the charm and all the knowledge of men and the world which she possessed against the appeal that ,winifred had made to a hitherto latent side of ,shelby's nature4 ,the struggle between the two women was no less enthralling than the unraveling of the mystery of ,marshall ,maddox's death4 8,by ,heaven60 ,i heard ,kennedy mutter under his breath1 as we watched ,paquita and ,shelby1 8,i wonder whether it is right to let events take their course4 ,yesit must be4 ,if he cannot go through it now1 he'll never be able to4 ,yes1 ,shelby ,maddox must fight that out for himself4 ,he shall not ruin the life of ,winifred ,walcott40 ,his remark set me thinking of the responsibility ,craig had had thrust on him4 ,it was far more than merely running down the murderer of ,marshall ,maddox1 now4 ,shelby himself evidently appreciated what faced him4 ,i could see that he was talking very bluntly and pointedly to her1 almost rudely4 ,now and then she flashed a glance at him which1 with her flushed face and the emotion expressed in her very being1 could not have failed only three days ago4 ,shelby seemed to feel it1 and took refuge in what looked to be an almost harshness of manner with her4 ,kennedy jogged my arm and ,i followed his eyes4 ,in the alcove from which she had come ,i was not surprised to see ,sanchez1 standing and looking at them4 ,his dark eyes seemed riveted on the man as though he hated him with a supernal hate4 ,what would he himself not have given to be where ,shelby was8 ,i wondered whether his blinded eyes saw the truth about ,shelby's position4 ,i doubted it1 for it was with difficulty that he restrained himself4 ,black and ominous were the looks that he darted at the younger man4 ,indeed1 ,i did not envy him4 ,as ,i turned to say something to ,kennedy ,i saw that ,sanchez and ourselves were not the only ones interested4 ,frances ,maddox had just come out of the dining room1 had seen her brother and ,paquita1 and had drawn back into the shadow of a doorway leading to the porch1 where she could see them better without being seen by them4 ,yet she betrayed nothing of her feelings toward either4 ,meanwhile ,shelby had been getting more and more vehement as he talked4 ,i could not hear1 but it was quite evident now that he was repeating and enforcing the remarks he had made to ,paquita the night before during their secret stroll down the beach4 ,and she1 instead of getting angry1 as he no doubt hoped she would1 was keeping her temper and her control of herself in a most dangerous manner4 ,there was so much to think about that it was not until now that ,i noticed that the face we had seen in the alcove was gone4 ,sanchez had disappeared4 ,had the thing been too much for him8 ,was it that he could not trust himself to stay8 ,at any rate1 he was gone4 ,just then ,shelby turned on his heel1 almost brutally1 and deliberately walked away4 ,it was as though he felt it his only escape from temptation4 ,paquita took an involuntary step after him1 then stopped short4 ,i followed her quick glance to see what it might be that had deterred her4 ,she had caught sight of ,frances ,walcott1 whose interest had betrayed her into letting the light stream through the doorway on her face4 ,instantly ,paquita covered the vexation that was on her face4 ,least of all would she let this man's sister see it4 ,consummate actress that she was1 she turned and walked across the lobby1 and a moment later was in gay conversation with another of her numerous admirers4 ,but it did not take an eye more trained than mine to see the gaiety was forced1 the animation of quite a different character from that she had showed to ,shelby4 8,of one thing we can be sure10 remarked ,craig4 8,miss ,walcott will hear all about this4 ,i hope she hears the truth4 ,i'm almost tempted to tell her myself40 ,he paused1 debating4 8,no10 he decided1 finally1 8the time hasn't come yet40 ,shelby had retreated to the porch1 where now he was pacing up and down1 alone4 ,as he came past the door his abstracted glance fell with a start on his sister4 ,he drew himself together and spoke to her4 ,evidently he was debating whether she had seen anything1 and1 if so1 how much and how she had interpreted it4 ,at any rate1 he was at pains to speak now1 hoping that she might carry a message which he dared not send4 ,what was going on in their minds ,i could not guess1 but to outward appearance they were more like brother and sister than ,i had seen them ever before4 ,they parted finally and ,shelby continued his measured tread about the porch1 as though trying to make up his mind on a course of action4 ,for about a quarter of an hour he walked1 then1 his face set in determined lines1 entered the ,lodge and went deliberately over to a florist's stand4 ,there1 oblivious to anything else1 he selected the handsomest bunch of violets on the stand4 ,he was about to drop his card into their fragrant and reconciling depths when he paused1 replaced the card in his case1 and directed the man to deliver them anonymously4 ,there was no need for us to inquire where they were sent4 ,still oblivious to the gay life of the ,lodge and ,casino1 he strode out into the night and down to the dock1 paying no attention to ,craig's student as he passed4 ,he stepped into the tender which was still waiting and we saw him head straight for the ,sybarite4 ,ten minutes later the lights in the main saloon flashed up4 ,shelby was evidently at work over some problem1 wrestling it out himself4 ,was it his relations with ,winifred or his stock-market schemesor both8 8,well1 ,i've been looking all over for you4 ,where have you been80 sounded ,burke's voice back of us1 as ,kennedy and ,i were silently looking out over the dark waters at the yacht4 ,without waiting for us to reply ,burke hurried on4 8,you remember that operator1 ,steel1 that was here from ,seaville80 8,yes10 encouraged ,kennedy4 8,what of him80 8,he went back to the station and has done his trick4 ,he has just crossed over again with a message to me4 ,that wireless power1 whatever it is1 is jamming the air again4 ,i thought you'd like to know of it40 ,for just a second ,kennedy looked at ,burke in silence1 then without further inquiry turned and almost ran down the length of the dock to the float at the end4 ,there ,watkins had already set up on the float a large affair which looked for all the world like a mortar4 ,we watched as ,craig fussed with it to make sure that everything was all right4 ,meanwhile the student continued adjusting something else that had been let down over the edge of the float into the water4 ,it seemed to be a peculiar disk1 heavy and suspended by a stout wire which allowed it to be submerged eight or ten feet4 8,what's this thing80 inquired ,burke1 looking at the mortar over which ,craig was bending4 8,fireworks1 or are you going to bombard somebody80 8,it's a light-weight rocket mortar10 explained ,kennedy1 ramming something into it4 8,you'll see in a moment4 ,stand back1 all of youoff the floaton the dock40 ,suddenly there came a deep detonation from the mortar and a rocket shot out and up in a long1 low parabola4 ,kennedy rushed forward1 and another detonation sent a second far out in a different angle4 8,what is it80 gasped ,burke1 in amazement4 8,look60 called ,kennedy1 elated4 ,another instant1 and from every quarter of the harbor there seemed to rise1 as if from the waves1 huge balls of fire1 a brilliant and luminous series of flames literally from the water itself4 ,it was a moonless night but these fires seemed literally to roll back the ,cimmerian darkness4 8,a recent invention10 explained ,craig1 8light-bombs1 for use at night against torpedo-boat and aeroplane attacks40 8,light-bombs60 ,burke repeated4 8,yes1 made of phosphide of calcium4 ,the mortar hurls them out1 and they are so constructed that they float after a short plunge in the water4 ,you see1 the action of the salt water automatically ignites them merely by contact and the chemical action of the phosphide and the salt water keeps them phosphorescing for several minutes40 ,as he talked he shot off some more4 8,kennedy1 you're a genius10 gasped ,burke4 8,you're always ready for anything40 ,the sight before us was indeed a beautiful pyrotechnic display4 ,the bombs lighted up the shores and the low-lying hills1 making everything stand forth and cast long spectral shadows4 ,cottages hidden among trees or in coves along the wide sweep of the shore line stood out as if in an unearthly flare4 ,what people on the shore thought we had no time even to wonder4 ,they crowded out on the porches1 in consternation4 ,the music at the ,casino stopped4 ,no one had ever seen anything like it before4 ,it was fire on water6 ,as yet none of us had even an inkling of what it was that ,kennedy expected to discover4 ,but every craft in the harbor now stood out distinctin the glare of a miniature sun4 ,we could see that1 naturally1 excitement on the boats was greater than it was on shore1 for they were closer to the flares and therefore it seemed more amazing4 ,craig was scanning the water carefully1 seeking any sign of something suspicious4 8,there it is60 he exclaimed1 bending forward and pointing4 ,we strained our eyes4 ,a mile or two out ,i could distinguish a power-boat of good size1 moving swiftly away1 as though trying to round the shelter of a point of land1 out of the light4 ,with a glass some one made out a stubby wireless mast on her4 ,kennedy's surmise when we had first studied the wireless interference had proved correct4 ,sure enough1 in the blackness of the night1 there was a fast express cruiser1 of the new scout type1 not large1 almost possible for one man to control1 the latest thing in small power-boats and a perfect demon for speed6 ,was that the source of the strange wireless impulses8 ,whose was it1 and why was it there8 ,,xxi ,,the ,,submarine ,,ear ,almost before we knew it the speed demon had disappeared beyond the circle of the flares4 8,suspiciously near the ,sybarite10 remarked ,kennedy1 under his breath1 watching the scout cruiser to the last moment as she ran away4 ,i wondered whether he meant that the swift little motor-boat might have some connection with ,shelby ,maddox and his new activities1 but ,i said nothing1 for ,kennedy's attention was riveted on the wake left by the boat4 ,i looked1 too1 and could have sworn that there was something moving in the opposite direction to that taken by the boat4 ,what could it be8 ,on the end of the dock was an incandescent lamp4 ,craig unscrewed the bulb and inserted another connection in the bulb socket1 an insulated cable that led down to the apparatus on the float over which his assistant was still working4 ,by this time quite a crowd had collected on the dock1 and on the float1 watching us4 8,burke10 ordered ,kennedy1 8will you and ,jameson make the people stand back8 ,we can't do anything with so many around40 ,as we pressed the new-comers back ,i saw that among them was ,paquita4 ,though ,i looked1 ,i could not discover ,sanchez1 but thought nothing of it1 for there were so many about that it would have been hard to find any particular person4 8,if you will please stand back10 ,i implored1 trying to keep the curious from almost swamping the float1 8you will all be able to see what is going on just as well and1 besides1 it will be a great deal saferproviding there is an explosion10 ,i added as a happy afterthought1 although ,i had almost as vague an idea what ,kennedy was up to as any of them4 ,the words had the effect ,i intended4 ,the crowd gave way1 not only willing1 but almost in panic4 ,as they pressed back1 however1 ,paquita pressed forward until she was standing beside me4 8,is,mr4 ,maddoxout there80 she asked1 pointing out at the ,sybarite anxiously4 8,why80 ,i demanded1 hoping in her anxiety to catch her off guard4 ,she shot a quick glance at me4 ,there was no denying that the woman was clever and quick of perception4 8,oh1 ,i just wondered10 she murmured4 8,i wanted to see him1 so muchthat is all4 ,and it's very urgent40 ,she glanced about1 as though hoping to discover some means of communicating with the yacht1 even of getting out to it4 ,but there did not seem to be any offered4 ,i determined to watch her1 and for that reason did not insist that she get back as far as the rest of the crowd4 ,all the time ,i saw that she was looking constantly out at the ,sybarite4 ,did she know something about ,shelby ,maddox that we did not know8 ,i wondered if1 indeed1 there might be some valid reason why she should get out there4 ,what did she suspect8 ,again she came forward1 inquiring whether there was not some way of communicating with the ,sybarite1 and again1 when ,i tried to question her1 she refused to give me any satisfaction4 ,however1 ,i could not help noticing that in spite of the cold manner in which ,shelby had treated her1 she seemed now to be actuated more by the most intense fear for him than by any malice against him4 ,what it meant ,i had the greatest curiosity to know1 especially when ,i noticed that ,paquita was glancing nervously about as though in great fear that some one might be present and see her4 ,nor did she seem to be deterred from showing her feelings by the fact that she knew that ,i1 ,kennedy's closest friend1 was watching and would undoubtedly report to him4 ,it was as though she had abandoned discretion and cast fear to the winds4 ,as the minutes passed and nothing happened1 ,paquita became a trifle calmer and managed to take refuge in the crowd4 ,i took the opportunity again to run my eye over them4 ,nowhere in the crowd could ,i discover ,winifred1 or1 in fact1 any of the ,maddox family4 ,they seemed to be studiously avoiding appearance in public just now1 and ,i could not blame them1 for in a summer colony like that at ,westport facts never troubled gossipers4 8,what do you suppose ,kennedy is afraid of80 whispered ,hastings in my ear1 nervously4 8,your friend is positively uncanny1 and ,i can almost feel that he fears something40 8,i'm sure ,i don't know10 ,i confessed1 8but ,i've seen enough of him to be sure that no one is going to catch him napping4 ,here's ,riley4 ,perhaps he has some news40 ,the ,secret ,service operative had shouldered his way through the throng1 looking for ,burke1 who was right behind me4 8,what's the matter10 demanded his chief4 8,there's another message1 by telephone from the ,seaville ,station10 ,riley reported4 8,they say they are having the same trouble againonly more of it40 8,that operator1 ,steel1 came back again10 considered ,burke4 8,where is he80 8,as soon as ,i got the message1 ,i hunted him up and took the liberty of sending him up to ,mr4 ,kennedy's room to look at that arrangement there4 ,i couldn't make anything out of it myself1 ,i knew1 and ,i thought that he could40 8,did he80 inquired ,burke4 8,yes4 ,of course he hadn't seen it work before4 ,but ,i told him as nearly as ,i could what you had told me1 and it didn't take him very long to catch on to the thing4 ,after that he said that what was being recorded now must be just the same as it had been before when ,mr4 ,kennedy was therenot messages1 but just impulses40 8,where is hedown here80 8,no1 ,i left him up there4 ,i thought it might be best to have some one there4 ,did you want to speak to him8 ,there's a telephone down here in the boat-house up to the switchboard at the ,lodge40 ,riley jerked his thumb back over his shoulder at a little shelter built on the end of the dock4 8,n-no10 considered ,burke4 8,i wouldn't know what to tell him40 8,but ,i think you ought to tell ,kennedy that10 ,i interrupted4 8,he might know what to do40 ,together ,riley and ,i walked across the float to where ,craig was at work1 and briefly ,i told him what had happened4 ,he looked grave1 but did not pause in his adjustment of the machine1 whatever it was4 8,that's all right10 he approved4 8,yes1 get the operator on the wire4 ,tell him to stay up there4 ,andyestell him to detach that phonograph recording device and go back to straight wireless4 ,he might try to wake up the operator on the ,sybarite1 if he can4 ,i guess he must know the call4 ,have him do that and then have that telephone girl keep the line clear and connected from the boat-house up to my room4 ,i want to keep in touch with ,steel40 ,riley and ,i pushed through the crowd and finally managed to deliver ,kennedy's message1 in spite of the excitement at the ,lodge1 which had extended by this time to the switchboard operator4 ,i left ,riley in the boat-house to hold the wire up to our room1 and rejoined ,burke and ,hastings on the float4 ,kennedy had been working with redoubled energy1 now that the light bombs had gone out after serving their purpose4 ,we stood apart now as he made a final inspection of the apparatus which he and his assistant had installed4 ,finally ,craig pressed down a key which seemed to close a circuit including the connection in the electric-light socket and the arrangement that had been let over the edge of the float4 ,standing where we were we could feel a sort of dull metallic vibration under our feet1 as it were4 8,what are you doing80 inquired ,hastings1 looking curiously at a headgear which ,kennedy had over his ears4 8,it works60 exclaimed ,craig1 more to ,watkins than to us4 8,what does80 persisted ,hastings4 8,this ,fessenden oscillator10 he cried1 apparently for the first time recognizing that ,hastings had been addressing him4 8,what is it80 we asked crowding about4 8,what does it do80 8,it's a system for the employment of sound for submarine signals10 he explained1 hurriedly4 8,i am using it to detect moving objects in the waterunder the water1 perhaps4 ,it's really a submarine ear40 ,in our excitement we could only watch him in wonder4 8,people don't realize the great advance that has been made in the use of water instead of air as a medium for transmitting sounds10 he continued1 after a pause1 during which he seemed to be listening1 observing a stop watch1 and figuring rapidly on a piece of paper1 all at once4 8,i can't stop to explain this apparatus1 but1 roughly1 it is composed of a ring magnet1 a copper tube which lies in an air gap of a magnetic field1 and a stationary central armature4 ,the magnetic field is much stronger than that in an ordinary dynamo of this size40 ,again he listened1 as he pressed the key1 and we felt the peculiar vibration1 while he figured on the paper4 8,the copper tube10 he resumed mechanically to us1 though his real attention was on something else1 8has an alternating current induced in it4 ,it is attached to solid disks of steel1 which in turn are attached to a steel diaphragm an inch thick4 ,surrounding the oscillator is a large watertight drum40 8,then it makes use of sound-waves in the water80 queried ,hastings1 almost incredulously4 8,exactly10 returned ,craig4 8,i use the same instrument for sending and receivingonly ,i'm not doing any real sending4 ,you see1 like the ordinary electric motor1 it is capable of acting as a generator1 too and a very efficient one4 ,all ,i have to do is to throw a switch in one direction when ,i want to telegraph or telephone under water1 and in the other direction when ,i want to listen40 8,talking through water60 exclaimed ,burke1 awestruck by the very idea1 as though it were scarcely believable4 8,that's not exactly what ,i'm doing now10 returned ,kennedy1 indulgently1 8although ,i could do it if there was any one around this part of the country equipped to receive and reply4 ,i rather suspect1 though1 that whoever it is is not only not equipped1 but wouldn't want to reply1 anyhow40 8,then what are you doing80 asked ,burke1 rather mystified4 8,well1 you see ,i can send out signals and listen for their reflectionreally the echo under water4 ,more than that1 ,i can get the sounds direct from any source that is making them4 ,if there was a big steamer out there ,i could hear her engines and propellers1 even if ,i couldn't see her around the point4 ,light travels in straight lines1 but you can get sounds around a corner1 as it were40 8,oh10 ,i exclaimed1 8,i think ,i see4 ,even if that little scout cruiser did disappear around the point1 you can still hear her through the water4 ,is that it80 8,partly10 nodded ,kennedy4 8,you know1 sound travels through water at a velocity of about four thousand feet a second4 ,for instance1 ,i find ,i can get an echo from somewhere practically instantaneously4 ,that's the bottom of the bayhere4 ,another echo comes back to me in about a twentieth of a second4 ,that1 ,i take it1 is reflected from the sea wall on the shore1 back of us1 at high tide4 ,it must be roughly a hundred feetyou see1 that corresponds4 ,it is a matter of calculation40 8,is that all80 ,i prompted1 as he paused again4 8,no1 ,i've located the echo from the ,sybarite and some others4 ,but10 he added slowly1 8there's one ,i can't account for4 ,there's a sound that is coming to me direct from somewhere4 ,i can't just place it1 for there isn't a moving craft visible and it doesn't give the same note as that little cruiser4 ,it's sharper4 ,just now ,i tried to send out my own impulses in the hope of getting an echo from it1 and ,i succeeded4 ,the echo comes back to me in something more than five seconds4 ,you see1 that would make twenty thousand-odd feet4 ,half of that would be nearly two miles1 and that roughly corresponds with the position where we saw the scout cruiser at first1 before it fled4 ,there's something out there40 8,then ,i was right10 ,i exclaimed excitedly4 8,i thought ,i saw something in the wake of the cruiser40 ,kennedy shook his head gravely4 8,i'm afraid you were10 he muttered4 8,there's something there1 all right4 ,that wireless operator is up in our room and you have a wire from the boathouse to him80 8,yes10 ,i returned4 8,riley's holding it open40 ,anxiously ,kennedy listened again in silence1 as though to verify some growing suspicion4 ,what was it he heard8 ,quickly he pulled the headgear off and before ,i knew it had clapped it on my own head4 8,tell me what it sounds like10 he asked1 tensely4 ,i listened eagerly1 though ,i was no electrical or mechanical engineer1 and such things were usually to me a sealed book4 ,still1 ,i was able to describe a peculiar metallic throbbing4 8,record the time for the echo from it10 ordered ,kennedy1 thrusting the stop watch into my hands4 8,press it the instant you hear the return sound after ,i push down the key4 ,i want to be sure of it and eliminate my own personal equation from the calculation4 ,are you ready80 ,i nodded and an instant later1 as he noted the time1 ,i heard through the oscillator the peculiar vibration ,i had felt when the key was depressed4 ,on the qui vive ,i waited for the return echo4 ,sure enough1 there it was and ,i mechanically registered it on the watch4 8,five and thirty-hundredths seconds10 muttered ,kennedy4 8,i had five and thirty-five hundredths4 ,it's coming neareryou hear the sound direct again80 ,i did1 just a trifle more distinctly1 and ,i said so4 ,confirmed in his own judgment1 ,craig hastily turned to the student4 8,run up there to the boat-house10 he directed4 8,have ,riley call that wireless operator on the telephone and tell him to get the ,sybarite on the wirelessif he hasn't done it already4 ,then have him tell them not to try to move the yacht under any circumstancebut for ,god's sake to get off it themselvesas quick as they can60 8,what's the matter80 ,i asked1 breathlessly4 8,what was that humming in the oscillator80 8,the wireless destroyerthe telautomaton modelhas been launched full at the ,sybarite10 ,craig exclaimed4 8,you remember it was large enough1 even if it was only a model1 to destroy a good-sized craft if it carried a charge of high explosive4 ,it has been launched and is being directed from that fast cruiser back of the point40 ,we looked at one another aghast4 ,what could we do8 ,there was a sickening feeling of helplessness in the face of this new terror of the seas4 8,itit has really been launched80 cried an agitated voice of a girl behind us4 ,paquita had pushed her way altogether through the crowd while we were engrossed in listening through the submarine ear4 ,she had heard what ,kennedy had just said and now stood before us1 staring wildly4 8,oh10 she cried1 frantically clasping her hands1 8isn't there anythinganything that can stop itthat can save him80 ,she was not acting now4 ,there could be no doubt of the genuineness of her anxiety1 nor of whom the 8him0 meant4 ,i wondered whether she might have been directly or indirectly responsible1 whether she was not now repentant for whatever part she had played4 ,at least she must be1 as far as ,shelby ,maddox was involved4 ,then ,i recollected the black looks that ,sanchez had given ,shelby earlier in the evening4 ,was jealousy playing a part as well as cupidity8 ,kennedy had been busy1 while the rest of us had been standing stunned4 ,suddenly another light-bomb ricocheted over the water4 8,keep on sending them1 one by one10 he ordered the student1 who had returned4 8,we'll need all the light we can get40 ,over the shadowy waves we could now see the fine line of foam left by the destroyer as it shot ahead swiftly4 ,events were now moving faster than ,i can tell them4 ,kennedy glanced about4 ,on the opposite side of the float some one of the visitors from the cottages to the dance at the ,casino had left a trim hardwood speedboat4 ,without waiting to inquire whose it was1 ,craig leaped into it and spun the engine4 8,the submarine ear has warned us10 he shouted1 beckoning to ,burke and myself4 8,even if we cannot save the yacht1 we may save their lives6 ,come on60 ,we were off in an instant and the race was onone of the most exciting ,i have ever been ina race between this speedy motor-boat and a telautomatic torpedo to see which might get to the yacht first4 ,though we knew that the telautomaton had had such a start before it was discovered that we could not beat it1 still there was always the hope that its mechanism might slow down or break down4 ,failing to get there first1 there was always a chance of our being in at the rescue4 ,in the penetrating light of the flare-bombs1 as we approached closer the spot in which ,watkins was now dropping them regularly1 we could see the telautomaton1 speeding ahead on its mission of death1 its wake like the path of a great man-eating fish4 ,what would happen if it struck ,i could well imagine4 ,each of us did what he could to speed the motor4 ,for this was a race with the most terrible engine yet devised by ,american inventive genius4 ,,xxii ,,the ,,telautomaton ,devilishly1 while the light-bombs flared1 the telautomaton sped relentlessly toward its mark4 ,we strained our eyes at the ,sybarite4 ,would they never awake to their danger8 ,was the wireless operator asleep or off duty8 ,would our own operator be unable to warn them in time8 ,then we looked back to the deadly new weapon of modern war science4 ,nothing now could stop it4 ,kennedy was putting every inch of speed into the boat which he had commandeered4 8,as a race it's hopeless10 he gritted1 bending ahead over the wheel as if the boat were a thing that could be urged on4 8,what they are doing is to use the ,hertzian waves to actuate relays on the torpedo4 ,the wireless carries impulses so tuned that they release power carried by the machine itself4 ,the thing that has kept the telautomaton back while wireless telegraphy has gone ahead so fast is that in wireless we have been able to discard coherers and relays and use detectors and microphones in their places4 ,but in telautomatics you have to keep the coherer4 ,that has been the barrier4 ,the coherer until recently has been spasmodic1 until we got the mercury steel disk cohererand now this one4 ,see how she worksif only it could be working for us instead of against us60 ,on sped the destroyer4 ,it was now only a matter of seconds when it would be directed squarely at the yacht4 ,in our excitement we shouted1 forgetting that it was of no use1 that they would neither hear nor1 most likely1 know what it was we meant4 ,paquita's words rang in my ears4 ,was there nothing that could be done8 ,just then we saw a sailor rush frantically and haul in a boat that was fastened to a boom extending from the yacht's side4 ,then another and another ran toward the first4 ,they had realized at last our warning was intended for them4 ,the deck was now alive and faintly over the water we could hear them shouting in frantic excitement1 as they worked to escape destruction coming at them now at express train speed4 ,suddenly there came a spurt of water1 a cloud of spray1 like a geyser rising from the harbor4 ,the ,sybarite seemed to be lifted bodily out of the water and broken4 ,then she fell back and settled1 bow foremost1 heeling over1 as she sank down to the mud and ooze of the bottom4 ,the water closed over her and she was gone1 nothing left but fragments of spars and woodwork which had been flung far and wide4 ,through my mind ran the terrible details ,i had read of ships torpedoed without warning and the death and destruction of passengers4 ,at least there were no women and children to add to this horror4 ,kennedy slowed down his engine as we approached the floating wreckage1 for there was not only the danger of our own frail little craft hitting something and losing rudder or propeller1 but we could not tell what moment we might run across some of those on the yacht1 if any had survived4 ,other boats had followed us by this time1 and we bent all our energies to the search1 for pursuit of the scout cruiser was useless4 ,there was not a craft in the harbor capable of overtaking one of her type1 even in daylight4 ,at night she was doubly safe from pursuit4 ,there was only one thing that we might accomplishrescue4 ,would we be in time1 would we be able to find ,shelby8 ,as my mind worked automatically over the entire swift succession of events of the past few days ,i recalled every moment we had been observing him1 every action4 ,i actually hated myself now for the unspoken suspicion of him that ,i had entertained4 ,i could see that1 though ,kennedy had been able to promise him nothing openly1 he had in reality been working in ,shelby's real interests4 ,there flashed through my mind a picture of ,winifred4 ,and at the same time the thought of what this all meant to her brought to me forcibly the events of the night before4 ,one attack after another had been leveled against us1 starting with the following and shooting at ,hastings at our very laboratory door4 ,burke had been attacked4 ,then had come the attack on ,kennedy1 which had miscarried and struck me4 ,death had been leveled even at ,mito1 as though he had possessed some great secret4 ,next had come the attempted abduction of ,winifred ,walcott4 ,and at last it had culminated in the most spectacular attack of all1 on ,shelby himself4 ,try as ,i could by a process of elimination1 ,i was unable to fix the guilt on any one in particular1 even yet4 ,fixing guilt1 however1 was not what was needed now4 ,we had come into the area of the floating debris1 and the possibility of saving life was all that need concern us4 ,in the darkness ,i could make out cries1 but they were hard to locate4 ,we groped about1 trying hard to cover as much area as possible1 but at the same time fearful of defeating our own purposes by striking some one with bow or propeller of our speed boat4 ,every now and then a piece of the wreckage would float by and we would scan it anxiously in mingled fear and hope that it would assume a human form as it became more clearly outlined4 ,each time that we failed we resumed the search with desperate determination4 8,look60 cried ,burke1 pointing at a wooden skylight that seemed to have been lifted from the deck and cast but into the waves1 the glass broken1 but the frame nearly intact4 8,what's that on it80 ,kennedy swung the boat to port and we came alongside the dark1 bobbing object4 ,it was the body of a man4 ,with a boat-hook ,craig hauled the thing nearer and we leaned over the side and together pulled the limp form into our boat4 ,as we laid him on some cushions on the flooring1 our boat drifted clear and swung around so that the flare shone in his face4 ,he stirred and groaned1 but did not relax the grip of his fingers still clenched after we had torn them loose from the skylight grating4 ,it was ,shelby ,maddoxterribly wounded1 but alive4 ,others of the crew were floating about1 and we set to work to get them1 now aided by the volunteer fleet that had followed us out4 ,when it was all over we found that all had been accounted for so far1 except the engineer and one sailor4 ,just at present we had only one thought in mind4 ,shelby ,maddox must be saved1 and to be saved he must be rushed where there was medical assistance4 ,shouting orders to those who had come up to continue the search1 ,kennedy headed back toward the town of ,westport4 ,the nearest landing was the town dock at the foot of the main street1 and toward this ,craig steered4 ,there was no emergency hospital1 but one of the bystanders volunteered to fetch a doctor1 and it was not long before ,shelby was receiving the attention he needed so badly4 ,he had been badly cut about the head by flying glass1 and the explosion had injured him internally1 how serious could not be determined1 although two of his ribs had been broken4 ,only his iron will and athletic training had saved him1 for he was weak1 not only from the loss of blood1 but from water which he had been unable to avoid swallowing4 ,the doctor shook his head gravely over him1 but something had to be done1 even though it was painful to move him4 ,he could not lie there in an open boat4 ,kennedy settled the matter quickly4 ,from a tenant who lived over a store near the waterfront he found where a delivery wagon could be borrowed4 ,using a pair of long oars and some canvas1 we improvised a stretcher which we slung from the top of the wagon and so managed to transport ,shelby to the ,harbor ,house1 avoiding the crowd of curious onlookers at the main entrance1 and finally depositing him in the bed in the room which he usually occupied4 ,the pain from his wounds was intense1 but he managed to keep up his nerve until we reached the hotel4 ,then he collapsed4 ,as we tried to help the doctor to bring him around ,i feared that the injury and the shock might have proved fatal4 8,pretty serious10 muttered the doctor1 in answer to my anxious inquiry1 8but ,i think he'll pull through it4 ,call up ,main #ba4 ,there's a trained nurse summering at the house4 ,get her down40 ,i hastened to do so and had hardly finished when ,kennedy came over to me4 8,i think we ought to notify his sister10 he remarked4 8,see if you can get ,mrs4 ,walcott on the house 'phone40 ,i called1 but the voice that answered was not that of ,frances ,walcott4 ,it took me a few seconds before ,i realized that it was ,winifred ,walcott1 and ,i covered up the transmitter as ,i turned to ,kennedy to tell him and ask what he wanted me to do4 8,let me talk to her10 decided ,craig4 8,i think ,i won't let events take their course any longer4 ,she can be the best nurse for ,shelbyif she will40 ,craig had evidently prepared to break the news gently to her1 but1 as nearly as ,i could make out1 it was not necessary4 ,she had already heard what had happened4 8,no10 ,i heard him say1 as if in answer to an anxious question from her4 8,he is seriously hurt1 to be sure1 but the doctor says that with proper nursing he will pull through40 ,i did not hear the reply1 of course1 but ,i recognized the appeal hidden in ,kennedy's answer1 as he waited4 8,just a moment10 ,i heard him say next4 ,his forehead wrinkled as he listened to something1 evidently trying to make it out4 ,then he said1 suddenly3 8,i think ,i had better say no more over the telephone1 ,miss ,walcott4 ,some one is listening to us40 ,an angry look flashed over his face1 but his voice showed no anger as he said good-by and hung up4 8,what was it80 ,i asked4 8,what did she do80 8,it wasn't ,miss ,walcott10 he replied1 scowling4 8,you heard me say that some one was listening8 ,well1 just as ,i said it there came a laugh over the wire from somewhere1 and a voice cut in1 #8,yes1 there is some one listening4 ,you haven't caught me yet1 ,kennedyand you won't4' ,i said good-by after that4 ,oh1 have no fear about ,miss ,walcott40 ,kennedy was right4 ,it seemed an incredibly short time when there came a light tap on the door and he sprang to open it4 8,can ,ibe of any assistance80 pleaded a softly tremulous voice4 8,perhaps ,icould play at nursing80 ,kennedy glanced at the doctor and the figure lying so quietly on the bed1 then at the girl1 and decided4 ,she had hesitated not a moment1 when she had heard how close ,shelby was to death1 but had hurried to him4 ,he opened the door and she entered softly1 tiptoeing toward the bed4 ,it must have been by some telepathic influence that ,shelby1 who had a moment before been scarcely conscious1 felt her presence4 ,she had scarcely whispered a word to the doctor1 as she bent over him1 but he opened his eyes1 caught just a glimpse of her face1 and seemed to drink it in as his eyes rested on the bunch of flowers she was wearinghis flowers1 which he had sent her4 ,he smiled faintly4 ,not even by a word or look was any reference made to their misunderstanding4 ,it was a strange meeting1 but it seemed that the very atmosphere had changed4 ,even the doctor noticed it4 ,in spite of his pain1 ,shelby had brightened visibly4 8,i don't think we need that nurse10 whispered the doctor to ,kennedy1 with an understanding glance4 8,what was that you said about some one listening over the telephone8 ,who could it have been80 ,the doctor said it in a low enough tone1 but it seemed that ,maddox's senses must have been suddenly made more acute by the coming of ,winifred4 ,he had reached out1 weakly but unhesitatingly1 and had placed his hand on hers as it rested on his pillows4 ,at the mention of the telephone he turned toward us with an inquiring look4 ,it seemed to recall to his mind something that had been on it before the accident4 8,some onelistening10 he repeated1 more to himself than to us4 ,winifred looked inquiringly at us1 too1 but said nothing4 ,kennedy tried to pass the thing over1 but the doctor's remark seemed to have started some train of thought in ,shelby's mind1 which could not be so easily stopped4 8,some onepounding ,maddox ,munitions10 he murmured1 brokenly1 as if feeling his way through a maze4 8,now ,i'm outthey'll succeed4 ,what can ,i do8 ,how can ,i hold up the market80 ,he repeated the last two questions as though turning them over in his mind and finding no answer4 ,evidently he was talking about his operations in the market which had been so puzzling to ,hastings as well as ourselves4 ,i was about to say something that would prompt him to go on with his revelation1 when ,kennedy's look halted me4 ,apparently he did not wish to interfere with the train of thought the doctor's remark had started1 inasmuch as it had been started now4 8,some onelisteningover the telephone10 strove ,shelby again4 8,yeshow can ,i do it8 ,no more secrecylaid up here,i'll have to use the telephone4 ,will those ,broad ,street brokers take orders over long distance8 ,everybody will knowwhat ,i'm doing4 ,they'll delayplay me for a sucker4 ,what am ,i to do80 ,it was evident now what ,shelby had been doing1 at least in part4 ,the tragedy to his brother had quite naturally depressed the stock of the company4 ,indeed1 with ,marshall ,maddox1 its moving spirit1 gone1 it was no wonder that many holders had begun to feel shaky4 ,once that feeling began to become general1 the stock1 which had had a meteoric rise lately along with other war stocks1 would begin to sag and slump sadly4 ,there was no telling where it would stop if once the downward trend began4 ,as ,i looked at the young man ,i felt a new respect for him4 ,even though ,i had not a much clearer idea than at the start of how or by whom ,marshall ,maddox had been killed1 still ,i do not think any of us had believed that ,shelby was capable of seeing such a crisis so clearly and acting upon what he saw4 ,evidently it was in his blood1 bred in the ,maddox nature4 ,he was a great deal more clever than any of us had suspected4 ,not only had he realized the judgment of outsiders about himself1 but had taken advantage of it4 ,in keeping the stock up1 if it had been known that it was he who was doing it1 it would not have counted for half what it did when the impression prevailed that the public was doing it1 or even some hazy financial interest determined to maintain the price4 ,both possibilities had been discussed by the market sharps4 ,it had never seemed to occur to them that ,shelby ,maddox might be using his personal fortune to bolster up what was now in greater measure his own company4 ,for a moment we looked blankly at ,kennedy4 ,then ,shelby began to talk again4 8,suppose the bear raid continues80 he murmured4 8,i must meet it,i must60 ,the doctor leaned over to ,craig4 8,he can't go on that way10 he whispered4 8,it will use up his strength in worry40 ,kennedy was thinking about that1 too1 as he considered the very difficult situation the telautomaton attack had placed ,shelby in4 ,it was more than a guess that the attack had been carefully calculated4 ,some one else1 perhaps some hidden group1 was engaged in taking advantage of the death of ,marshall ,maddox in one way1 ,shelby in another4 ,as for ,shelby1 here he was1 helpless1 at the ,harbor ,house4 ,surrounded by spies1 as he seemed to be1 what could he do8 ,every message in and out of the hotel was most likely tapped4 ,to use the telephone was like publishing abroad one's secrets4 ,kennedy moved over quietly to the bedside1 as ,winifred looked appealingly at him1 as much as to say1 8,isn't there something you can do to quiet him80 ,he bent down and took ,shelby's hand4 8,ohit's you1 ,kennedyis it80 wandered ,shelby1 not quite clear yet where he was1 in the fantasy of impressions that crowded his mind since the accident4 8,i asked you to work with me once4 ,you said you would play fair40 8,i will10 repeated ,kennedy1 8as far as the interests of my client go1 ,i will give you every assistance4 ,but if you are to do anything at all to-morrow1 you must rest to-night40 8,have ,ihave ,i been talking80 queried ,shelby1 as though in doubt whether he had been thinking to himself or aloud4 ,kennedy ignored the question4 8,you need rest10 he said1 simply4 8,let the doctor fix you up now4 ,in the morningwell1 to-morrow will be another day40 ,shelby passed his hand wearily over his aching head4 ,he was too weak to argue4 ,while the doctor prepared a mild opiate ,kennedy and ,i quietly withdrew into the next room4 8,professor ,kennedywon't you help us80 pleaded ,miss ,walcott1 who had followed4 8,surely something can be done40 ,i could not help noticing that she said 8us10 not 8him40 ,as ,i watched her the scene on the float1 hours before1 flashed over me4 ,there another woman1 under quite different circumstances1 had made the same appeal4 ,where did ,paquita fit into the scheme of things8 ,two women had been striving over ,shelby's life4 ,did one represent his better nature1 the other his worse8 ,kennedy looked frankly at ,winifred ,walcott4 8,you will trust me80 he asked in a low tone4 8,yes10 she said1 simply1 meeting his eyes in turn4 8,then when the nurse arrives10 he directed1 8get some rest4 ,i shall need you to-morrow40 ,,xxiii ,,the ,,curb ,,market 8,it's impossible to trace all the telephone lines back10 considered ,kennedy1 thinking still of the eavesdropping1 as we met ,burke again down-stairs4 8,perhaps if we begin at the other end1 and follow the wires from the point where they enter the building to the switchboard1 we may find something4 ,if we don't1 then we shall have to work harder1 that's all40 ,with the aid of ,burke1 who had ways of getting what he wanted from the management of anything1 from a bank to a hotel1 we succeeded in getting down into the cellar quietly4 ,kennedy began by locating the point in the huge cellar of the ,lodge where the wires of the two telephones1 #ajj and #aja ,main1 entered underground1 that system having been adopted so as to avoid unsightly wires outside the hotel4 ,carefully ,craig began a systematic search as he followed the two lines to the point underneath the switchboard up-stairs4 ,so far nothing irregular had been apparent4 ,craig looked up perplexed1 and ,i feared that he was about to say that the search must be continued wherever the wires led through the house1 a gigantic and almost impossible task4 ,instead1 he was looking at a little dark store-room that was near the point where we were standing4 ,he walked over to it curiously and peered in4 ,then he struck a match4 ,in the flickering light we could see a telephone receiver and a little switchboard standing beside it4 ,for a moment his hand hesitated on the receiver1 as though he were afraid that by taking it off the hook it might call or alarm somebody4 ,finally he seemed to decide that unless something were risked nothing would be gained4 ,he took the receiver deliberately and held it up to his ear4 8,do you hear anything80 ,i asked4 ,he shook his head as if to discourage conversation4 ,then he changed the plugs and listened again4 ,several times he repeated it4 ,at last he kept the plugs in for some time1 while we waited in the darkness1 in silence4 8,evidently some one has tapped the regular telephone wires10 he said to us at length1 8and has run extensions to this little switchboard in the store-room1 prepared to overhear almost anything that goes on over either set of wires that come in4 ,and they have done more4 ,they must have tampered with the switchboard up-stairs4 ,just now ,i heard the girl call ,shelby's room4 ,the doctor answered4 ,that trained nurse has arrived and ,miss ,walcott has gone to her room as she promised4 ,we can't take the time to trace out how it is done1 and besides it is too dark at night to do it1 anyhow4 ,shelby was right40 ,for a moment ,kennedy tried to puzzle the thing out1 as though determining what was the best course to pursue4 ,then he stooped down and began picking up even the burnt matches he had dropped4 8,don't disturb a thing10 he said to ,burke4 8,we must circumvent this scheme4 ,has the last train back to the city gone80 ,burke looked at his watch4 8,yes1 unfortunately10 he nodded4 8,then ,i'll have to send some one back to the city to my laboratory by automobile10 continued ,kennedy4 8,i can't wait until morning1 for we shall have to go to the city then4 ,there's that student of minebut he's pretty tired40 8,i can get a car and a fresh driver for him10 remarked ,burke4 8,perhaps he could doze off during the ride4 ,how would that do80 8,it will have to do10 decided ,kennedy4 8,get the car40 ,we went back up-stairs by the way of the kitchen to avoid suspicion1 and while ,burke hunted up a car and driver ,kennedy found ,watkins and gave him detailed instructions about what he wanted4 8,i calculate that it will take him at least four hours to go and get back10 remarked ,kennedy1 a few minutes later4 8,there isn't anything we can do yet4 ,i think we had better get a little rest1 for ,i anticipate a strenuous time to-morrow40 ,we passed through the lobby4 ,there was ,sanchez1 talking to the night clerk4 8,i was down on the dock in front of the ,casino when the explosion came10 we could hear him telling the clerk4 8,yes1 sir1 it's a wonder any of them were saved40 8,what did you think of that80 queried ,burke1 in the elevator4 8,a crude attempt at an alibi80 ,kennedy shrugged non-committally4 8,i think ,i'll have ,riley watch him until he goes to bed10 continued the ,secret ,service man4 8,i can telephone down from the room4 ,no one is listening now1 at least40 8,by all means10 agreed ,craig4 ,tired though we were1 ,i do not think we slept very much as we waited for the return of the car from ,new ,york4 ,still1 we were at least resting1 although to me the hours seemed to pass as a shifting phantasmagoria of fire-balls and explosions strangely blended with the faces of the two beautiful women who had become the chief actresses in the little drama4 ,from one very realistic dream in which ,i saw ,winifred1 ,paquita1 ,irene ,maddox1 and ,frances ,walcott all fantastically seated as telephone operators and furiously ringing ,shelby's bell1 ,i woke with a start to find that it was our own bell ringing and that ,kennedy was answering it4 8,the car is back from the city10 he said to me4 8,you needn't get up4 ,i can do this job alone40 ,there was no sleep for me1 however1 ,i knew1 and with a final yawn ,i pulled myself together and joined ,craig and ,burke in the hall as we went down-stairs as quietly as we could4 ,riley had left a hastily scribbled report in the letter-box for ,burke1 saying that ,sanchez had done nothing further suspicious1 but had gone to bed4 ,paquita was in her room4 ,winifred1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,walcott1 ,irene ,maddox1 and all the rest were present and accounted for1 and he had decided on resting1 too4 ,kennedy sent ,watkins off to bed1 after taking from him the things he had brought back from the city1 and the early morning1 just as it was beginning to lighten a bit1 found us three again in the cellar4 ,kennedy carefully reconnoitered the store-room where the telephone outfit had been placed4 ,it was deserted1 and he set to work quickly4 ,first he located the wires that represented the number #ajj ,main and connected them with what looked very much like a seamless iron tube1 perhaps six inches long and three inches in diameter4 ,then he connected in a similar manner the other end of the tube with the wires of ,main #aja4 8,this is a special repeating coil of high efficiency10 he explained to ,burke1 whom he was instructing1 as it occurred to him1 just what he wanted done later4 8,it is absolutely balanced as to resistance1 number of turns1 everything4 ,i shall run this third line from the coil itself outside and up-stairs through ,shelby's window4 ,before ,i go to the city ,i want you to see that the local telephone company keeps a couple of wires to the city clear for us4 ,i'll get them on the wire and explain the thing1 if you'll use your authority at this end of the line40 ,in spite of the risk of disturbing ,shelby ,maddox1 ,kennedy finished leading the wires from the coil up to his room and placed a telephone set on a table near the bed4 ,then he carefully concealed the tube in the cellar so that under ordinary circumstances no one could find it or even guess that anything had been done with the two trunk lines4 ,shelby was resting quietly under an opiate and the nurse was watching faithfully4 ,i did not hear ,kennedy's instructions entirely1 but ,i remember he said that ,burke was to be allowed into the outer room and that ,shelby ,maddox and ,winifred were to talk only over the new line as he would later direct4 ,again we retired to our rooms1 and ,i fell asleep listening to ,kennedy instruct ,burke minutely in something which ,i think was just as much ,greek to the ,secret ,service man as it was to me4 ,kennedy saw that it was and wrote down what he had already said1 to make doubly sure4 ,my sleep was dreamless this time1 for ,i was thoroughly tired4 ,whether ,kennedy slept ,i do not know1 but ,i suspect that he did not1 for when he was conducting a case he seemed unable to rest as long as there was something over which he could work or think4 ,it seemed almost no time before ,kennedy roused me4 ,he was already dressedin fact1 ,i don't think he had taken time for more than a change of linen4 ,a hasty bite of breakfast and we were again on the first accommodation train that went into the city in the cool gray dawn1 leaving ,burke with instructions to keep us informed of anything important that he discovered4 ,no one for whom we cared saw us leave and we had the satisfaction of knowing that we should be in the city and at work long before any one probably knew it4 ,that was a quality of ,kennedy's vigilance and sleeplessness4 8,it's just as important to guard against prying ears at this end of the line as the other10 remarked ,kennedy1 after hurriedly mapping out a course for ourselves1 which included1 first of all1 calling out of bed an officer of the telephone company with whom he was intimately acquainted and whom he could therefore afford to take into his confidence4 ,without a moment's more delay we hurried down-town from the railroad station4 ,shelby ,maddox had given ,craig the names of two ,curb brokers with whom he was dealing in confidence1 for1 although ,maddox ,munitions was being traded in largely1 it was still a ,curb market stock and not listed on the big exchange4 8,they are in the same building on ,broad ,street10 remarked ,kennedy as we left the ,subway at the ,wall ,street station and took the shortest cuts through the basements of several tall buildings in the financial district4 8,and ,i don't trust either one of them any farther than ,i can see him40 ,it was very early1 and comparatively few people were about4 ,craig1 however1 managed to find the janitor of the building where the brokers' offices werea rather old structure overlooking that point where ,broad ,street widens out and has been seized on by that excited1 heterogeneous collection of speculators who gather daily in a corner roped off from traffic1 known as the ,curb market4 ,from the janitor he learned that there was one small office in the front of the building for rent at a seemingly prohibitive rate4 ,it was no time to haggle over money1 and ,kennedy laid down a liberal deposit for the use of the room4 ,his tentative arrangements with the janitor had scarcely been completed when two men from the telephone company arrived4 ,into our new and unfurnished office ,craig led them1 while the janitor1 for another fee1 agreed to get us a flat-topped desk and some chairs4 8,whatever we do10 began ,craig in a manner that inspired enthusiasm1 8must be done quickly4 ,you have the orders of the company to go ahead4 ,there's one line that runs into the office of ,dexter ,co41 on the second floor1 another to ,merrill ,moore on the fourth4 ,i want you to locate the wires1 cut in on them1 and run the cut-in extensions to this office4 ,it's not a wire-tapping game1 so you need have no fear that there will be any come-back on what you do40 ,while the telephone men were busy locating the two sets of wires1 ,kennedy laid out on the desk which the janitor brought up on the freight elevator a tube and coil similar to that which ,i had already seen him employ at ,westport4 ,though the telephone men were as clever as any that the official of the company could have sent1 it was a complicated task to locate the wires and carry out the instructions that ,kennedy had given1 and it took much longer than he had anticipated4 ,at least1 it seemed long1 in our excited frame of mind4 ,every minute counted now1 for the advance guard of office boys1 stenographers and clerks had already begun to arrive at the offices in preparation for the work of the day4 ,we had fortunately been able to start early enough so that that part of the work which would have excited comment was already done before the office workers arrived4 ,as for the rest1 on the surface it appeared only as though some one had rented the vacant office and had been able to hurry the telephone company along in installing its service4 ,there was no difficulty about connecting up our own regular telephone1 and as soon as it was done ,kennedy hastened to call ,westport and the ,lodge on long distance4 8,shelby has awakened much improved after his night's rest10 he announced1 after a rapid-fire conversation4 8,miss ,walcott is with him now1 as well as the nurse4 ,i think we can depend on ,burke to handle things properly out there4 ,it's an emergency and we'll have to take chances4 ,i don't blame ,shelby for feeling impatient and wishing he could be here4 ,but ,i told the doctor that as long as things were as they are he had better humor his patient by giving him an outlet for his excitement than to keep him fuming and eating his heart out in bed1 helpless4 ,between ,winifred and ourselves we ought to keep him occupied40 ,i do not think that the telephone men had the faintest idea what it was that ,kennedy was planning to do1 and ,i am quite sure that ,i did not4 ,for1 in addition to the outfit like that at ,westport1 he now laid on the table a peculiar arrangement4 ,it seemed to consist of a metal base1 which he placed near the telephone receiver4 ,from the base three prongs reached up1 and there was attached to it on one side one of those little flat1 watch-case receivers such as are used on office telephones4 ,it was getting late1 and ,kennedy and the men from the telephone company were working as rapidly as possible1 testing and adjusting the connections he had caused to be made4 ,as ,i stood by the window1 watching the gathering crowd below1 ,i suddenly realized that the market had opened4 ,it was as ,kennedy had expected4 ,pandemonium seemed to reign on the ,curb4 ,buyers and sellers crowded and elbowed one another1 wildly shouting and gesticulating4 ,from the thick of what looked like a huge free-for-all fight orders and sales were relayed by word of mouth to clerks standing on the sidewalk1 who in turn shouted them to other clerks in the windows of our own building or others about1 or despatched messengers to offices farther away4 ,it was a curious sight1 and one never to be forgotten4 ,passers-by stopped on both sides of the street to look and listen to the struggling mob1 and ,i soon saw that even the usually electrified atmosphere of the ,curb was this morning more than ordinarily surcharged with excitement4 ,far above all the noise and bustle ,i made out that there had been overnight a veritable flood of orders from weak holders1 as well as others1 to sell ,maddox ,munitions4 ,it was not the weak holders we feared so much as the hidden 8others0 who were seeking to manipulate the stock4 ,our telephone rang and ,craig answered it1 while the men still worked on the new line4 ,it was ,shelby4 ,he had called up his brokers and had heard of the market opening4 8,not quite ready yet10 hastened ,kennedy4 8,go ahead and place your orders over the regular wire with the brokers4 ,i'll let you know when we're ready and what to do4 ,don't worry40 ,kennedy had stationed me now permanently at the window to report what was happening below4 ,from my eery point of vantage ,i could now see that the first flood of selling orders was receding1 as ,shelby's brokers wormed their way in and now and then snapped up a lot of stock offered for sale4 ,the buying momentarily seemed to stiffen the price which before had threatened to toboggan4 ,yet no sooner had the buying begun than it seemed as if other blocks of stock were brought up for sale4 ,it was1 for all the world1 like a gigantic battle in which forces were hurled here and there1 with reinforcements held in reserve to be loosed at just the right moment4 ,who was back of it8 ,gradually1 in spite of the large purchases which ,shelby had made1 the price of the stock worked its way down4 ,i began to understand something of what was going on4 ,actually it seemed as though every time there was an order to buy1 coming from either ,dexter or ,merrill ,moore1 there was a corresponding new order to sell by some other broker4 ,thousands of shares were thus being dumped on the market1 recklessly1 relentlessly4 ,it looked as though some one was 8wise40 ,were the brokers with whom ,shelby was dealing straight8 ,i said as much to ,kennedy1 but he merely shook his head and plunged into work deeper4 ,one after another blocks of stock appeared for sale4 ,there could be no doubt now that there was a carefully planned quick assault being made at the very opening of trading to take people by surprise at the suddenness of the bear raid4 ,more and more frenzied became the selling and buying4 ,i could imagine the strain that it placed on ,shelby1 miles away1 forced to take only the reports that his brokers sent him1 and to fling back other and larger orders to buy4 ,as the trading progressed it became evident that the offerings of stock were coming with more surprising regularity4 ,the more ,i observed the more ,i was convinced that there was some collusion here4 ,it was not chance4 ,some one was informed of each move of ,shelby's1 even before it could be executed1 was enabled to prepare for it1 to meet it with a decided advantage4 ,it was a game being played for high stakes1 but as far as ,shelby was concerned1 the cards were stacked and marked4 ,our telephone rang insistently and ,kennedy answered it4 ,it was from ,dexter4 ,they were feeling shaky and worried4 ,our door opened and a clerk from the ,merrill ,moore firm entered4 ,he was suave and polite4 ,but back of it all could be discovered the eagerness to stand from under a possible crash4 8,you will readily understand10 the broker hinted1 8that under the circumstances we cannot continue to take ,mr4 ,maddox's orders over the telephone indefinitely4 ,suppose he should repudiate some of them8 ,where would we find ourselves80 ,kennedy glanced at the two telephone men1 one of whom had straightened up and was watching the other4 8,i understand10 he said1 simply1 a grim smile flickering about his mouth4 8,just a moment1 sir4 ,walterkeep ,dexter on this wire40 ,below on the street ,i could hear the babel of voices4 ,i knew what it meant4 ,at both ends of ,shelby's telephone line were traitors4 ,a panic in the stock was not only threatened4 ,it was here4 ,maddox ,munitions was on the verge of collapse6 ,,xxiv ,,the ,,phantom ,,circuit ,i looked at ,kennedy in despair4 ,he was not even perturbed4 ,it was for just this moment that he had hurried to ,new ,york and had worked so intensely4 ,over the telephone that ,i was holding1 ,dexter himself politely informed us that he had reached a point where orders from ,mr4 ,maddox to be filled must have some more binding force than word of mouth over the telephone4 8,tell him to wait just a moment10 directed ,kennedy1 turning to the other broker who had come to us4 8,will you1 sir1 tell ,mr4 ,merrill to step down to the office of ,mr4 ,dexter8 ,i shall be there in a moment myself4 ,walter10 he added1 calmly1 8ring ,dexter off4 ,get ,shelby ,maddox and tell him to use the new wire connections40 ,i did as ,i was told4 ,even over the telephone ,i could feel that the strain was telling on ,shelby's shattered strength4 ,his voice was shaky as he inquired thickly for news4 ,i shouted something encouraging back1 and urged him to get on the other wire1 at which1 at our end1 ,kennedy was already impatiently waiting4 ,a moment later ,i heard ,kennedy and ,shelby exchange a few words4 ,shelby was evidently much alarmed over the sudden turn of events4 ,as ,i waited1 ,i saw ,kennedy jam the receiver down on the little metal base4 ,the three prongs1 reaching upward1 engaged the receiver tightly1 fitting closely about it4 ,then he took the small disk receiver from its hook and placed it to his ear instead of the regular one4 ,i wondered what it all meant4 ,craig's face showed that1 whatever it was1 it was most important4 8,yes10 ,i heard him call back1 8give whatever orders you want now to me4 ,i will see that they are delivered4 ,pay no attention to the other telephone4 ,let it ringuntil ,i tell you4 ,go ahead40 ,evidently ,shelby was giving orders for stock up to the limit of his resources that were available4 ,for a moment there evidently came a pause in what was being said over the telephone at the ,westport end1 and ,kennedy gazed impatiently about the room4 8,what good will that do80 ,i objected1 seeing that ,kennedy was not occupied4 8,don't you suppose they'll hear what is said over this line1 too8 ,we know they've cut in on the two trunk lines at the ,harbor ,house1 and there is every reason to suppose that some one taps the brokers' wires hereunless the brokers are crooks1 too4 ,they'll know what ,shelby is going to do40 ,kennedy shook his head4 8,no10 he replied1 calmly1 8no outsider knows a thing about this4 ,you see1 ,i'm not using any ordinary means to prepare against the expert who has brought this situation about4 ,the messages that ,i am receiving are coming over what we call the #8phantom circuit4'0 8#8,the phantom circuit8'0 ,i repeated1 mystified4 8,yes4 ,it seems fantastic at first1 ,i suppose10 he pursued1 8but1 after all1 it is in accordance with the laws of electricity4 ,they know nothing and they cannot cut us off or interfere4 ,you see1 ,i am taking advantage of the fact that additional telephones or so-called phantom lines can be superposed on existing physical lines4 ,it is possible to obtain a third circuit from two similar metallic circuits by using for each side of this third circuit the two wires of each of the other circuits in multiple4 ,all three circuits are independent1 too40 ,he was growing more and more impatient4 ,apparently there was some delay at the other end4 8,the third telephone current10 he went on1 hurriedly1 covering up his nervousness by talking about his machine1 8enters the wires of the first circuit1 as it were1 and returns along the wires of the second circuit4 ,there are several ways of doing it4 ,one is to use retardation or choke-coils1 bridged across the two metallic circuits at both ends1 with taps taken from the middle points of each4 ,but the better method1 ,i think1 is the one you have seen me install4 ,i have introduced repeating coils into the circuits at both ends4 ,technically1 the third circuit is then taken off from the mid-points of the secondaries or line windings of these repeating coils4 ,i don't know what's the matter10 he added1 calling vainly for ,shelby ,maddox4 8,oh1 all right4 ,yes1 ,i'll wait4 ,but hurry1 please40 ,i could appreciate ,kennedy's eagerness1 for below on the street the tumult was rising4 8,it's working all right10 he reassured4 8,i suppose you know that the current on a long-distance line is alternating in character1 and it passes readily through a repeating coil4 ,the only effect it has on the transmission is slightly reducing the volume4 ,the current passes into the repeating coil1 then divides and passes through the two line wires4 ,at the other end1 the halves balance1 so to speak4 ,thus currents passing over a phantom circuit don't set up currents in the terminal apparatus of the side circuits4 ,consequently1 a conversation carried on over the phantom circuit will not be heard on either side circuit1 nor does a conversation on one side circuit affect the phantom4 ,you get three messages at once on two sets of wires4 ,we can all talk at once without interfering with one another40 ,at any other time ,i should have been more than interested1 but just now the delay was galling4 8,what's the trouble80 ,i inquired4 ,kennedy shook his head4 8,shelby is talking to ,winifred about something4 ,i can hear only a word now and then4 ,but he said it was important and asked me to hold the wire4 ,evidently she wants to do something he doesn't want her to do4 ,yeshelloyes1 this is ,kennedy4 ,say1 you'll have to ,oh1 good morning1 ,miss ,walcott4 ,yes1 fine4 ,what8 ,whycertainlyif he says so1 you may4 ,that's right4 ,go right ahead4 ,i am attending to everything at this end now40 ,a moment later when ,craig restored the telephone to its normal condition he looked at me with a smile4 8,winifred ,walcott is a trump60 he exclaimed1 jumping up4 ,just then our other telephone rang1 and ,i answered it4 8,i'm down here in ,mr4 ,dexter's office10 called a voice which ,i took to be that of the other broker4 8,we have been talking the situation over4 ,of course1 if ,mr4 ,maddox were here himself1 you know10 he went on apologetically1 8it might be different4 ,we could have him sign his name to orders1 butreallywell1 you understand1 under the circumstanceswe feel1 both ,mr4 ,dexter and myself1 that we have gone about far enough4 ,it's not that we question ,mr4 ,maddox's intentions in any way1 you understand1 butperhaps if he were on the ground1 he might protect us from loss1 which he may not be able to do over the telephone4 ,we're sorry1 but0 8,tell them ,i'll be right down10 interjected ,kennedy1 sensing from my look the tenor of what was being said4 ,i interrupted the broker at the first opportunity1 then turned to ,kennedy4 ,he had pulled from a compartment of the metal base a little wax cylinder and dropped it into his pocket carefully4 8,come on10 he cried1 dashing for the door and taking the stairs1 not even waiting for the elevator to come up4 ,a moment later we burst into the board room of the broker4 ,customers were standing about in a high state of excitement1 while the boys at the board scurried about1 replacing the figures on little bits of green cardboard which fitted under the abbreviated names of the active stocks listed on the board at one end of the room4 ,others were gathered about the ticker1 reading the words that the printed tape was pushing forth4 ,all seemed talking at once4 ,kennedy did not pause1 however1 but walked unceremoniously into the private office of ,dexter4 ,there already were several men representing the two brokerage houses4 ,evidently they had been having a hasty conference on what they should do in view of the situation in ,maddox ,munitions4 ,i felt a sort of frigidity in the air as we entered4 ,it was not that anything was either said or done1 but ,i have felt the same thing several times when as a reporter it was my duty to be present at some event that marked the freezing out of some person financially4 8,maddox ,munitions10 began ,dexter1 clearing his throat with dignity1 8seems to have occasioned somewhat of a flurry on the market to-day in which it is the chief sufferer itself4 ,our latest quotation shows that it has declined steadilytwo points1 for instance since the quotation before1 and twenty-five under the opening of the market4 ,i think you will readily appreciate1 ,mr4 ,kennedy1 our position in the matter40 ,before ,kennedy could reply1 however1 another took up the conversation4 8,yes10 he remarked1 8we have been observing the trend of events for the last few days4 ,of course1 we can readily appreciate the feeling of ,mr4 ,maddox in the matter1 and1 indeed1 ,i must say that at the beginning ,i thought that all that was necessary was a good strong show of buying and that the run would end4 ,now1 however1 it begins to look as though there were other factors entering in4 ,you know the newspapers have given a great deal of unpleasant notoriety to the ,maddox family and ,maddox ,munitions4 ,perhaps the general public does not like it4 ,at least it begins to seem as though even ,mr4 ,shelby ,maddox might not have the resources to stem the tide40 8,this is ,mr4 ,merrill1 of ,merrill ,moore1 ,i believe80 asked ,craig1 quietly1 reminding them that in their suave haste they had forgotten to introduce him4 8,yes10 returned ,merrill1 flushing a bit1 for he was a great stickler for punctilious etiquette1 and his failure had betrayed the anxiety he sought to conceal4 ,it was a ticklish situation and the brokers1 always conservative1 were making it worse4 ,nor could one blame them4 ,the case for the stock looked at its darkest1 verging rapidly on panic4 ,kennedy knew it all just as well as they did4 ,but he kept his coolness admirably and never betrayed that he was doing a thing more than to drive a bargain1 whereas another might have given them an impression of merely stalling for time4 ,as the downward trend continued1 ,i saw that ,craig was indeed calculating how far he would let it go1 as though one were letting himself down a hill and testing just how little he needed to apply the brakes not to have the car run away from him4 ,it seemed to nettle the brokers4 ,they wanted to close the whole matter up brusquely4 ,yet ,kennedy's commanding personality checked them4 ,i felt sure that they would even have ridden rough-shod over ,shelby4 ,kennedy was another matter4 ,dexter rose decisively4 8,this must stop10 he frowned4 8,i have orders from ,mr4 ,maddox to buy shareswell1 ,i shall not say what it totals1 but the first order is for ten thousand10 cut in ,kennedy1 quietly4 ,there was a moment of silence during which the brokers looked at each other1 waiting for one to take the initiative4 8,that is just the point10 began ,merrill1 finally4 8,you see1 we have been buying steadily for ,mr4 ,maddox4 ,if he had authorized us by letteror if he had handed us a check1 certified0 8,but he could not well have foreseen this raid this morning10 temporized ,kennedy4 8,true1 no doubt4 ,but it does not protect us4 ,for example1 where is your authority1 something1 anything1 that may be binding on him for this new order of ten thousand shares80 ,there was an air of triumph about the way he said the words4 ,it was evidently intended to be a poser1 to leave ,kennedy floored and flat4 8,authority80 repeated ,craig1 quietly1 looking about4 8,i wonder whether you have one of those dictating machines1 a dictaphone1 in the office8 ,perhaps some one in the building has one40 8,we have one10 returned ,dexter1 still coldly4 8,i do not see how anything you might dictate to it and which a stenographer might transcribe would have any bearing on the question40 8,it would not10 agreed ,kennedy1 blithely4 8,that was not what ,i intended to do4 ,there is another use ,i wished to put it to4 ,ah,i see4 ,may ,i use this transcribing apparatus8 ,or better yet1 would you gentlemen be so kind as to listen to what ,i have here80 ,he deliberately drew from his pocket the cylinder ,i had seen him detach from the instrument up-stairs and slid it on in the proper place in the new machine4 ,as it began to revolve ,i studied the faces about me1 intent on listening to what would be said4 8,is that good enough80 queried ,kennedy4 8,it is a record on an instrument devised for just this purpose with you brokers who wish to hold your customers to an agreement over the telephone40 ,the needle of the machine sputtered a bit as ,craig added1 8,it is the telescribea recent invention of ,edison which records on a specially prepared phonograph cylinder all that is saidboth waysover a telephone wire4 ,as nearly as ,i can make out some oneunknownhas been playing animated telescribe in this case4 ,let us see now whether your utmost demands for safety and security cannot be satisfied in this modern way40 ,not a word was said4 ,the novelty of the turn of events seemed to leave them no objection4 ,in ,shelby's own voice came1 clear and distinct1 the order to buy ten thousand shares of ,maddox ,munitions4 ,then ,kennedy stopped the machine4 8,let us see how that works before we go any further10 he said1 significantly4 8,his buying orders seemed forestalled by selling orders when they were given over the regular telephone4 ,before the next is given perhaps we may find we have stopped part of the leak40 ,kennedy's calm assurance seemed to have completely changed their attitude4 ,they were not convinced1 but at least silent4 ,out on the ,curb we could hear the shouting as brokers with stock to sell crowded about the man with the order to buy4 ,whoever was back of it1 it was a well-planned raid4 ,the order for ten thousand scarcely stemmed the flood4 ,quickly ,kennedy let the little cylinder revolve4 ,another order was placed1 and another4 ,i could not help noticing1 however1 that each succeeding order was smaller than the rest and it was hard to escape the implication that ,shelby was really reaching the limit of his available resources4 ,anxiously ,i listened to the turmoil on the ,curb4 ,now it would abate1 only to start up again4 ,i glanced at ,craig4 ,what would he do8 ,just then word was passed up that another block of stock had suddenly been hurled on the market4 ,the brokers looked skeptically at ,kennedy4 ,would ,shelby be able to meet this final assault8 ,craig released the revolving cylinder again4 ,i gasped as ,i listened1 remembering the pause over the wire up-stairs1 the apparent reluctance of ,shelby over something1 and ,craig's remark that followed4 ,winifred ,walcott was placing orderstwo of themone to ,dexter1 the other to ,merrill ,moore4 ,they were large orders1 too1 a great deal larger than the selling order which had last bombarded the market4 ,i glanced at ,kennedy4 ,not for a moment did he betray the anxiety ,i know he now felt4 ,for the orders must have involved a large part of ,miss ,walcott's own private fortune4 ,in his abstraction ,kennedy had forgotten to stop the telescribe and ,i heard over it another voice that sounded like ,burke's4 8,oh1 say10 he announced4 8,i've got a clue on that store-room in the cellar4 ,i0 8,never mind now1 ,burke10 ,i heard ,kennedy answer over the telescribe4 8,that will keep4 ,just now there isn't a minute to spare40 ,i heard no more1 for ,kennedy realized what he was doing and shut the reproducer off1 pulling off the recording cylinder4 ,would ,miss ,walcott's order be enough to turn the scale8 ,the stock was down4 ,her money would purchase more shares than before4 ,if it did and the stock rose1 she stood to win4 ,if it went lower she might lose all4 ,i jumped to the window again4 ,the news of the order1 two orders1 in fact1 and large ones1 came like a bombshell on the overwrought market4 ,was the supporting power of ,maddox unlimited8 ,one could feel the air tingle with the question4 ,i saw some speculators hold a hasty conference4 ,though ,i did not know it at the time1 they decided that an interest that could weather such an assault could weather anything1 that some one had been buying all the way down1 to boost back the stock far above the old high mark4 ,they wanted to share in the upward turn1 and were ready to take a gambler's chance4 ,others caught the spirit1 for if the ,curb is anything it is a driven herd4 ,slowly the stock began to climb4 ,the speculative public were in it now4 ,selling orders almost fell off4 ,up jumped the price4 ,kennedy drew a long breath as he pulled a ,westport time-table from his pocket1 to cover his revulsion of feeling4 ,maddox ,munitions was saved6 ,,xxv ,,the ,,adventuress ,there was no use in our staying longer in ,new ,york1 for the turn in the market had come1 and it was able to take care of itself4 ,up in our little office1 ,kennedy began hastily to pack up what of the stuff he wanted to save1 and was just finishing when the telephone rang4 ,it was ,hastings1 who had been trying to locate us all the morning4 ,the flurry in the market had very much excited him1 and the final upward turn had not served to decrease his excitement4 8,there don't seem to be many trains to ,westport in the middle of the day10 ,i heard ,kennedy consider over the wire4 8,your car is here8 ,well1 can you go back there with us8 ,yesright away40 ,as he hung up he turned to me4 8,poor old ,hastings hasn't been able to practise his profession for the last few days10 ,craig smiled4 8,he wants me to hurry up the case4 ,we'll see what we can do4 ,he's coming for us in his car1 and then we'll shoot out to ,westport40 ,it was a beautiful day1 but none of us appreciated it much as we slid along the splendid roads from the city4 ,there was only one subject uppermost in my mind1 at least4 ,whence had come this new stock-market attack8 ,who was back of the series of violent deeds which had taken place in less than a week8 ,above all1 where were the precious telautomaton plans8 ,at least it was some relief1 when we swung into ,westport1 to know that we were back again at the main scene of action1 and ,i felt that now events would develop rapidly4 ,burke was waiting impatiently at the ,lodge1 though it did not seem as though our arrival was the only thing he had on his mind4 8,what was it you found in the little store-room in the cellar80 demanded ,kennedy1 jumping from the car as we pulled up at the ,lodge porte-cochre4 ,without comment1 ,burke pulled a crumpled bit of paper from his pocket and handed it to ,craig4 ,we crowded around and read3 ,if a hair of her head is harmed ,i will have revenge1 though it sends me to prison for life4 ,we looked at the ,secret ,service man inquiringly4 8,not a soul has been near the store-room since we began to watch it this morning10 he explained1 hurriedly4 8,it must have been left there before we got upjust tucked under the telephone instrument4 ,paquita's disappeared60 8,disappeared80 we exclaimed1 almost together1 as ,burke blurted out his startling budget of news4 8,yesand not a trace of her4 ,she must have got away before you fellows were up40 ,i looked again at the crumpled bit of paper4 ,what did it mean8 ,was it that some one had actually kicked over the traces in working for one higher up8 ,to whom did it refer8 ,instantly there flashed through my mind the picture of ,winifred as we had seen her borne off by the abductors whom we had foiled4 ,could it be she8 ,taught by ,kennedy1 ,i did not allow a first impression to rule4 ,might it be any one else8 ,i thought of ,irene ,maddox1 of ,frances ,walcott4 ,it did not seem to fit them4 ,paquita8 ,perhaps the note referred to her4 ,if so1 who would have sent it8 ,sanchez8 ,and if from ,sanchez1 to whom was it sent8 8,how about ,sanchez80 ,i queried4 8,as much surprised at her disappearance as the rest of us10 replied ,burke4 8,how was that80 8,i picked him up and had him shadowed4 ,i know that her disappearance mystified him1 for he had no idea he was observed1 at the time4 ,he got away again1 though4 ,if we are ever to pick that girl up again1 shadowing ,sanchez may be the best way4 ,i have had ,riley out0 8,not the same hand that wrote the cipher10 interrupted ,kennedy1 studying the note4 8,i beg pardon4 ,what of ,riley8 ,any word80 8,i should say10 burst out ,burke4 8,down in the cove,little ,neck they call itin a deserted barn we've found a raceranswers the description of the one seen in ,new ,york the morning of the robbery and on the road out here4 ,it's my dope that you made the little garage here untenable1 ,kennedy1 and that whoever it was took the car to the cove to hide it40 ,he paused1 but not for want of something to say4 ,before we could urge him he added1 8,and that scout cruiser1 too4 ,she's been scuttled1 out past the point1 at the entrance to the cove4 ,whoever it is1 he's been wiping out all the evidence against him that he can40 8,no word of ,paquita or ,sanchez80 inquired ,kennedy again4 ,burke shook his head4 8,how is ,shelby ,maddox80 8,much better4 ,i was in the room during the flurry4 ,you should have seen him when the turn came4 ,we could hardly keep him in bed4 ,he was frantic40 ,kennedy had continued studying the anonymous note very carefully as we talked4 8,it squares with my theory10 he mused1 more to himself than to us4 8,yesit is time to act4 ,and we must act quickly4 ,burke1 can you get all the ,maddoxes up to ,shelby's roomright away8 ,perhaps by that time we may have word from ,riley4 ,at any rate1 we shall be ready40 ,shelby was propped up in bed with pillows1 quite reconciled now to being an invalid1 when we entered4 8,the best little nurse ever10 he greeted us1 scarcely taking his eyes from ,winifred4 8,and a financier1 too10 he added1 with a laugh2 8a power in the market40 8,you mustn't forget ,professor ,kennedy's machine10 put in ,winifred1 welcoming us with a smile that covered the trace of a blush which glowed through the pretty tan of her cheeks4 ,shelby grasped ,craig's hand4 8,you said you wouldn't work for me10 he grinned1 8but you certainly didn't work against me4 ,just let me get on my feet again4 ,you won't regret1 old man1 that you0 ,a knock on the door cut him short4 ,it was ,frances and ,johnson ,walcott4 ,for a moment the two women looked at each other4 ,not a word was said1 but each understood4 ,whatever differences had kept them apart seemed to have been swept aside by the emotions of the moment4 ,frances whispered something in ,winifred's ear as she flung her arms about the girl1 then turned to her brother and bent over him4 ,man-like1 ,johnson ,walcott stood awkwardly4 ,his wife saw it4 8,congratulate them1 ,johnson10 she cried4 8,don't you understand80 ,before he could reply there came another tap on the door4 ,it was ,burke again1 escorting ,irene ,maddox1 reluctant and suspicious4 ,surprised1 she glanced from the ,walcotts to ,shelby1 then at us4 8,congratulate whom80 she asked1 quickly4 8,what is it all about80 ,there was a moment of embarrassment1 when ,kennedy came to the rescue1 stepping forward and looking at his watch4 8,i'm waiting word from ,seorita ,paquita and ,mr4 ,sanchez10 he interrupted1 8but that is no reason why ,i should not at least begin to tell you what ,i have discovered40 ,we watched him as he slowly drew from his pocket the crumpled note which ,burke had discovered that morning1 and the apparently blank sheet of paper we had picked up in ,paquita's room4 ,it seemed as if ,kennedy's words had recalled them all to their former selves4 ,in an instant each seemed to be on guard1 even ,shelby4 8,i suppose you have heard of what we call the science of graphology80 he inquired1 motioning in pantomime to me to fill a basin with warm water4 8,it is the reading of character in handwriting40 ,into the basin he dropped the blank sheet4 ,we waited in silence4 ,i1 at least1 was not surprised when he held up the wet paper1 now covered with figures scrawled over it4 8,even though there is writing on this sheet10 he observed1 holding up the note1 8and figures on the other1 ,i think any one could tell at a glance that they were not made by the same hand4 ,this was by no means my first clue40 ,he was waving the wet paper with the figures4 8,but it decided me4 ,though the message was hidden both by sympathetic ink and a cryptogram1 still1 in the light of this new science1 the character of the writer stands out as plain as if it were shouted from the house-top40 ,he paused again4 8,graphology tells me10 he proceeded1 slowly1 8that the hand that wrote these figures is the hand of one who has all the characteristics of a spy and a traitor4 ,before we go further1 let me call to your mind some rather remarkable deductions and discoveries ,i have made4 ,by the way1 ,burke1 you left word where we were1 in case we get any news80 ,the ,secret ,service man nodded1 but said nothing1 as if he did not wish his voice to break the thread of ,kennedy's disclosure4 8,the plot against ,maddox ,munitions and particularly the wonderful telautomaton10 continued ,kennedy1 gravely1 8was subtle4 ,apparently all was to be accomplished at one coup4 ,the plans were to be stolen on the ,sybarite the same night that the model was to be taken from the safe in ,new ,york4 ,how the latter was accomplished we know well enough1 now1 for all practical purposes4 ,marshall ,maddox's keys were to admit the thief to the office4 ,the burglar's microphone did the rest4 8,how it was accomplished here ,i know1 too4 ,without a doubt1 the ,japanese1 ,mito1 admitted the plotter to the ,sybarite1 at least signaled so that it was possible to creep up quietly in a cruiser and throw a chlorine-gas bomb through a marked port4 ,marshall ,maddox was overcomekilled4 ,through the same port-hole his body was thrown4 8,thus at once both the plans and the keys that gave access to the model were obtained40 ,as ,craig spoke1 my mind hastily reviewed the events of what seemed now weeks instead of days past4 ,it was as though he had failed in an explanation of the events in a silent drama4 8,mito was seen ashore that night10 he resumed4 8,he was suspected4 ,i was watching him4 ,worse than that1 he knew too much4 ,he was a weak link1 an ever-present danger4 ,therefore he must be got out of the way4 ,he was killed4 ,but his mute lips tell quite as eloquent a story as if he were here before us now4 ,there is another who played an even more important part4 ,she is not here1 but ,i know you all know whom ,i mean40 ,kennedy had thus deftly shifted the picture to the little dancer4 ,as he spoke1 ,irene ,maddox leaned forward1 her face burning with indignation at the mere mention of her hated rival4 8,paquita10 ,kennedy continued1 carefully choosing his words1 8has been an enigma to me in this case4 ,there is no use mincing matters4 ,there had long been a feud in the family1 before she appeared4 ,i think there is no need for me here to elaborate how she has brought matters to a crisis1 or the enmity which she stirred up40 ,mrs4 ,maddox murmured something bitterly under her breath1 but ,kennedy quickly changed the subject4 8,we know1 also1 that ,paquita met ,shelby ,maddox10 he hurried on4 8,in the minds of some it looked as though she might break ,shelby1 too4 ,but it was just because of the reasons that made them think so that precisely the opposite happened4 ,strangely enough1 the little dancer seems to have fallen in love with him herself40 ,out of the corner of my eye ,i was watching ,winifred4 ,her face was set in deep lines as ,kennedy went ahead in his merciless analysis of the case4 ,shelby colored1 but said nothing1 though his manner was of the man who might have said much1 if he had not learned that defense was worse than silence4 ,winifred's face questioned as plainly as words whether there must always be present that sinister shadow of ,paquita4 ,i wondered whether she was yet convinced that he had never loved the little dancer4 ,kennedy seemed to feel the situation4 8,but10 he added1 slowly and significantly1 8in the mean time something else had happened4 ,shelby ,maddox had met some one else40 ,he had not dwelt on the gossip about ,paquita4 ,i could almost feel the relief of ,shelby1 for ,paquita had been a cause of disagreement even between ,mrs4 ,walcott and the others4 8,even this new turn of events was used in desperation by the criminal4 ,in aiming a blow at ,shelby1 after having been defeated at every other point1 as a last desperate resort an attempt was directed at ,winifred ,walcott herself4 ,it was as though some one tried to strike at ,shelby himself1 and had decided that the surest way to control him was through some one whom he loved4 ,who was it10 he concluded1 facing us pointedly1 8that kidnapped ,winifred1 and why80 ,as far as ,i was able to answer1 it might have been anybody4 ,i had even considered the possibility that ,shelby might have carried her off himself in order to make her turn to him for protection4 ,in fact1 ,i had never been able to account for the presence of ,sanchez with us at the time4 ,had ,i been mistaken in ,sanchez8 8,attack after attack on those who were getting closer had failed10 continued ,kennedy4 8,that being the case1 those who might talk must be silenced4 ,mito was dead4 ,still ,paquita remained4 ,she1 too1 must be silenced4 ,and so my suspicion1 in turn1 was thrown on her4 ,by this cipher which ,i have here she was ordered to go to ,new ,york1 in order to mislead me4 ,the plan failed4 ,always in the most clever schemes of crime1 they fail at some point4 ,unless ,i am very much mistaken1 ,paquita has seen through the designs4 ,what she will do ,i do not profess to know4 ,for1 in addition to the mixed motives of her hopeless love for ,shelby ,maddox and jealousy of ,miss ,walcott1 her disappearance this morning indicates that she is in mortal fear of an attack inspired by the plotter40 ,unavoidably my mind raced ahead to ,sanchez1 who had followed her so jealously4 ,had he really been in love with hera love as hopeless as her own for ,maddox8 ,or was he a more sinister figure8 ,had they been playing a game1 each having an insight into the weakness of this unhappy family8 ,i recalled the conversation ,i had had with ,henri in the cabaret and his noncommittal shrug4 ,perhaps ,sanchez and ,paquita had been deeper than we had thought4 8,and now10 resumed ,kennedy1 evidently temporizing in the hope that word would soon come from the searchers whom we had out1 8now we find that a final effort has been made to remove all incriminating traces of crime4 ,the car which we could not locate in the garage here has been found hidden miles away4 ,the fast motor-boat which escaped us last night lies at the bottom of the bay4 ,at the same time an insidious stock-market attack has been wrecked1 for it was a final purpose in this ambitious scheme evidently to wreck ,maddox ,munitions in order to gain control of it4 ,even my own resources of science must have failed if it had not been for the loyalty of one who cast all into the balance at the final moment40 ,we were following ,kennedy intently now1 and ,i did not betray that ,i saw ,shelby's hand steal out and clasp that of ,winifred1 which was resting on a table beside his bed4 ,she did not withdraw her own hand4 ,the telephone rang and ,burke1 who was nearest it1 answered4 ,the conversation was brief4 ,evidently the party at the other end was doing most of the talking1 but as we scanned the detective's face we could see that something important had happened4 8,you do not know where ,sanchez has gone80 asked ,burke1 finally1 adding1 8,keep the boys on the trail then1 until you get some clue4 ,good-by40 ,he hung up the receiver slowly and turned toward ,kennedy1 but ,i do not think any of us were prepared for his message4 8,paquita has committed suicide60 he blurted out1 suddenly4 ,we looked at one another in amazement at this startling turn of events4 ,what did it mean8 ,had she seen nothing more to live for1 or had some one pursued her and was she anticipating fate8 8,it was ,riley10 recounted ,burke1 briefly4 8,evidently she had taken poison4 ,they found her body in the woods not far from where we discovered the car and the sunken boat4 ,some children say they saw a man therehe answers the description of ,sanchez4 ,riley is following the clue40 8,what drove her to it8 ,was there no word1 no note80 asked ,irene ,maddox1 awed by the tragedy4 8,yes10 replied ,burke4 8,on a piece of paper she had written1 #8,i have mailed a letter to ,shelby ,maddox4 ,may ,god forgive me for what ,i have done4 ,there is nothing left in life for me4' ,that is all40 ,we gazed at one another in consternation4 8,poor girl60 repeated ,kennedy in a low tone4 8,she was merely a pawn in the hands of another4 ,but it is a dangerous gamethis game of heartseven with the heart of an adventuress40 8,i think we should organize a search for this fellow ,sanchez before he can get away10 proposed ,johnson ,walcott1 taking a step toward ,kennedy4 8,my own car is below4 ,we can get up a posse in no time right at the ,lodge40 ,before any one could take up the suggestion the door of the room flew open4 ,there stood ,sanchez himselfpale1 his eyes staring1 his whole manner that of one who had reached the last point of desperation4 ,half-way across the room he stopped1 faced us1 and tossed down on a table before ,kennedy a package wrapped in oiled silk4 8,that is my revenge60 he exclaimed in a voice almost sepulchral4 8,i found it in the boat before ,i scuttled it40 ,craig tore it open4 ,there1 unrolled before us1 at last lay the plans of the deadly telautomaton4 ,of a sudden ,i realized that the model had destroyed itself in sinking the ,sybarite4 ,with the plans in our possession the secret was safe4 ,slowly ,sanchez raised an accusing finger1 but before he could utter a word ,craig had backed against the door and stood holding it4 8,some one has been keeping under cover here10 ,craig shot out suddenly1 8hiding behind others who were his toolsfirst ,mito1 then ,paquita1 who has been driven to her death1 now ,sanchez4 8,graphology first betrayed his fine hand of crime to me4 ,the stock-market attack confirmed my suspicion4 ,sanchez has completed ,don't shoot6 ,burke has you covered already4 ,walterwill you be so kind as to disarm ,johnson ,walcott80 ,,the ,,end ,transcriber's ,note3 ,words may have multiple spelling variations or inconsistent hyphenation in the text4 ,these have been left unchanged4 ,obsolete and alternative spellings were retained4 ,misspelled words were corrected4 ,words and phrases in italics are surrounded by underscores1 like this4 ,obvious printing errors1 such as backwards1 upside down1 or partially printed letters and punctuation1 were corrected4 ,final stops missing at the end of sentences and abbreviations were added4 ,duplicate letters at line endings or page breaks were removed4