orgotten. France knows and Germany knows, but only me, not what
I have. They have even tried to drive me to crime. Wait, fools, wait!"

He drew his arms tightly over his heaving breast, for he was deeply
moved, while over his face came that indefinable light which, at times,
illuminates the countenance of a great man. It came and went; as a
flash of lightning betrays the oncoming storm.

The chimney! His heart missed a beat. He had forgotten the chimney.
The reaction affected him like a blow. A snarl twisted his mouth.
What was this chimney to any other man? Only he of all men, knew. And
yet, here was some one stealthily at work, forestalling him, knocking
the bottom out of his great dream. There was nothing pleasant in the
growing expression an his face; it was the tiger, waking. There could
be only one way.

Swiftly he dashed to his trunk, knelt and examined the lock, unscrewed
it, and took out the documents more precious to him than the treasures
of a hundred Captain Kidds. Instantly, he returned to the window.
Nothing was missing. But here was something he had never noticed
before. On the face of the slip of parchment--a diagram, dim and
faded--was an oily thumb-mark. The oil from the lock; nothing more;
doubtless he himself had touched it. How many times had he found an
unknown touch among his few belongings? How often had he smiled?
Still, to quell all rising doubts, he rubbed his right thumb on the
lock, and made a second impression. The daylight was now insufficient,
so he turned on the electricity, and compared them. Slowly, the scars
deepened till they were the tint of cedar. Death's head itself could
not have fascinated him more than the dissimilarity of these two
thumb-prints. He said nothing, but a queer little strangling sound
came through his lips.

Who? Where? His heart beat so violently that the veins in his throat
swelled and threatened to burst. But he was no weakling. He summoned
all his will. He must act, and act at once, immediately.

Fitzgerald? No, not that clever, idling fool. But who, who? He
replaced the papers and the lock. A hidden menace. Question as he
would, there was never any answer.

He practised the pleasant deceit that the first mark had been there
when the diagram had been given to him. It was not possible that any
one had discovered his hiding-place. Had he not with his own hands
contrived it, alone and without aid, under that accursed mansard