ilfully that a person
passing would be unlikely to observe it. The box fitted the niche so
nicely that Stevens was obliged to use his knife to pry it out. The box
was locked. He found no key and was about to attempt to pry open the
cover with his knife when he paused.

"No. I won't do it. That wouldn't be fair. Miss Thurston is the real
discoverer. She shall open the box, or I will open it in her presence
unless Mr. Presby wishes to do so himself." Saying which, Bob Stevens
pocketed his curiosity as well as the little metal box. The rope now
being at hand, he slipped the loop about his waist, reached up and
grasped the lower rung of the ladder, drawing himself up easily until
the lower rung was beneath his feet. From that point on he climbed
rapidly to the platform. From there he was obliged to use the rope in
place of the missing section of the ladder. A few seconds later he was
standing in the garret.

"How is Miss Mollie?" were his first words.

"Just coming to," answered one of the hands. "Miss Ruth was just up here
to see if you had gotten up yet. She wishes to see you."

"Hold up the lantern. I want to look at this wall a moment." Bob had
found the maul lying on the floor in the gable. He returned it to the
garret. He now recalled the crash that had followed his final chopping.
Since then the young man had reasoned out what he thought was the
mechanism that had caused all the trouble.

Stevens pushed gently on the panel against which he had originally
struck so hard a blow. To the amazement of the onlookers, the panel fell
into the gable with a mighty crash.

"I thought so," he nodded. The others had leaped to the far side of the
room. Mr. Presby came hobbling up, fearing that still another disaster
had fallen upon the house.

"Please look here, Mr. Presby," called Bob. "Here is the secret. See
that narrow panel? It is a little wider than a man's body. It is hinged
at the bottom. Attached to it were ropes running over pulleys in wooden
tunnels. At the ends of these ropes are heavy weights. So nicely
balanced were the weights that the pressure of a few pounds from this
side would throw the panel inward. Any person leaning against it on this
side would be dumped into the other room so quickly that unless he
understood the mechanism, he would not know what had occurred."

"Wonderful," breathed the owner.

"It was evidently intended to afford a quick get-away in case the
occupants of the house found it nece