, a cloud seemed to film a portion of the
heavens. The stars still showed through it, but they twinkled in
a peculiar fashion that Arthur could not understand.

He watched in growing perplexity. The cloud moved very swiftly. Thin
as it seemed to be, it should have been silvery from the moonlight,
but the sky was noticeably darker where it moved. It advanced toward
the tower and seemed to obscure the upper portion. A confused motion
became visible among its parts. Wisps of it whirled away from the
brilliantly lighted tower, and then returned swiftly toward it.

Arthur heard a faint tinkle, then a musical scraping, which became
louder. A faint scream sounded, then another. The tinkle developed
into the sound made by breaking glass, and the scraping sound became
that of the broken fragments as they rubbed against the sides of
the tower in their fall.

The scream came again. It was the frightened cry of a woman. A
soft body struck the earth not ten feet from where Arthur stood,
then another, and another.

XI.

Arthur urged the elevator boy to greater speed. They were speeding up
the shaft as rapidly as possible, but it was not fast enough. When
they at last reached the height at which the excitement seemed to
be centered, the car was stopped with a jerk and Arthur dashed down
the hall.

Half a dozen frightened stenographers stood there, huddled together.

"What's the matter?" Arthur demanded. Men were running, from the
other floors to see what the trouble was.

"The--the windows broke, and--and something flew in at us!" one of
them gasped. There was a crash inside the nearest office and the
women screamed again.

Arthur drew a revolver from his pocket and advanced to the door. He
quickly threw it open, entered, and closed it behind him. Those
left out in the hall waited tensely.

There was no sound. The women began to look even more frightened. The
men shuffled their feet uneasily, and looked uncomfortably at one
another. Van Deventer appeared on the scene, puffing a little from
his haste.

The door opened again and Arthur came out. He was carrying something
in his hands. He had put his revolver aside and looked somewhat
foolish but very much delighted.

"The food question is settled," he said happily. "Look!"

He held out the object he carried. It was a bird, apparently a
pigeon of some sort. It seemed to have been stunned, but as Arthur
held it out it stirred, then struggled, and in a moment was