rr Winckel would
have laughed at any suspicion of his being anything else but a butler.
Herr Winckel was so fond of saying and repeating that the man had a
butler mind it could never grasp anything outside of that.

In reality, Jones was shrewd, keen, able to obtain information without
creating suspicion. He had been one of Strong's best men and the
latter felt he could count on him.

Could it be a trap, he wondered?

Strong was uncertain as to what he should do. To miss this meeting,
which perhaps was important; to go there, on the other hand, and
endanger the chances of his getting to that night meeting?

"I wish I knew what to do, Walker." Together they went over the phases
of it as they walked down to the office.

"I'd go," advised Walker. "You say that the boy could do his part. If
they do want you out of the way, should this be a trap, they will hold
us until morning; they would not dare hold us any longer. And, if they
do, they will not feel the need for carefulness and the boy will thus
have a better chance. It works well both ways."

When they came to the office, Strong read the message again.

"We'll go, Walker," he decided. "Dress up. Be sure not to carry any
papers."

Two men came out of one of the inner offices a few minutes later. They
would have been taken anywhere for two English servants; they might
have been valets, footmen, even butlers. Each one looked the other
over critically, but the disguise was thorough.

At fifteen minutes past the hour they reached the Winckel house,
knocked at the servants' entrance. The maid answered and they asked
for Mr. Jones. They appeared to be very superior, upper-class
servants. Very English, too. She escorted them in and then opened a
door for them to enter. They passed through. As they did, each one of
them was pounced upon. They struggled against the sickening smell of
the chloroform held tightly against their noses. Then they knew
nothing more for a while.

An hour later they awoke with a feeling of nausea and the smell of
chloroform all about them. They found themselves tied hand and foot
and unable to move. From all appearances they seemed to be in the
cellar of the house.

"Are you there, chief?" asked Walker, in a sick and very low voice.

"Yes, I'm here; going to stay awhile, I guess."

"I wonder what happened? Suppose they got on to----?"

"They are probably gloating somewhere within earshot," Strong warned
him in a whisper. "They certainly