still he hesitated, glowering with
suspicion; unwilling to trust them alone. His face lit with an ugly
smile.

"Mr. Carey's very bad to-night," he said; "he won't keep his bed and
he's wandering about the house. If he found you by yourselves, he
might----"

The young man, who had been staring at the fire, swung sharply on his
heel.

"Get-to-hell-out-of-here!" he said. The watchman stepped into the hall
and was cautiously closing the door when a man sprang lightly up the
front steps. Through the inch crack left by the open door the
trespassers heard the newcomers eager greeting.

"I can't get him right!" he panted. "He's snoring like a hog."

The watchman exclaimed savagely:

"He's fooling you." He gasped. "I didn't mor' nor slap him. Did you
throw water on him?"

"I drowned him!" returned the other. "He never winked. I tell You we
gotta walk, and damn quick!"

"Walk!" The watchman cursed him foully. "How far could we walk? I'LL
bring him to," he swore. "He's scared of us, and he's shamming." He
gave a sudden start of alarm. "That's it, he's shamming. You fool!
You shouldn't have left him."

There was the swift patter of retreating footsteps, and then a sudden
halt, and they heard the watchman command: "Go back, and keep the
other two till I come."

The next instant from the outside the door was softly closed upon them.

It had no more than shut when to the surprise of Miss Forbes the young
man, with a delighted and vindictive chuckle, sprang to the desk and
began to drum upon it with his fingers. It were as though he were
practising upon a typewriter.

"He missed THESE," he muttered jubilantly. The girl leaned forward.
Beneath his fingers she saw, flush with the table, a roll of little
ivory buttons. She read the words "Stables," "Servants' hall." She
raised a pair of very beautiful and very bewildered eyes.

"But if he wanted the servants, why didn't the watchman do that?" she
asked.

"Because he isn't a watchman," answered the young man. "Because he's
robbing this house."

He took the revolver from his encumbering greatcoat, slipped it in his
pocket, and threw the coat from him. He motioned the girl into a
corner. "Keep out of the line of the door," he ordered.

"I don't understand," begged the girl.

"They came in a car," whispered the young man. "It's broken down, and
they can't get away. When the big fellow stopped us and I flashed my
torch, I saw their car behind