tched upon a bed or couch of some sort, and that his wrists
were lashed together, and his ankles. He was not gagged, however.

Gradually the pain ceased, Murk's senses cleared and he became aware of
what was going on around him. He could hear whispered voices, but could
not distinguish words and sentences; neither could he tell whether the
voices were those of men or women.

Finally Murk opened his eyes.

He found that he was in a small room furnished in quite an ordinary
manner. He was stretched on an old-fashioned sofa. There were a few
chairs scattered about, and a cupboard in one corner. In the middle of
the room was an ordinary table covered with a red cloth. Upon the table
a kerosene lamp was burning.

Murk groaned and made an attempt to sit up, but fell back again because
of a fit of dizziness. It became evident that his groan had been heard
in the room adjoining, for the door, which had been ajar, now was thrown
open wide, and two men entered.

Murk knew them instantly; they were the men who had attacked Sidney
Prale in the Park.

"Back to earth, are you?" one of them snarled. "If I had my way, you'd
have been cracked on the head for good."

Murk snarled in reply, despite the fact that he was bound and at the
mercy of these men.

"Sore because I smashed your face!" Murk said.

"That'll be about all out of you! I may take a smash at you yet!"

"You've got a good chance while my hands and feet are tied," Murk
replied. "It's the only time you could get away with it, all right! Turn
me loose and I can clean up the two of you!"

"You're not doin' any cleanin' for the present," he was told.

Murk began wondering at the object of the assault upon him. He could
feel the roll of bills Prale had given him bulging his vest pocket, so
he guessed robbery was not the motive. He managed to sit up on the sofa
now, and he glared at the two thugs before him with right good will.

One of the men went back into the adjoining room, and the other remained
standing before Murk, sneering at him, his hands opening and closing as
if he would take Murk's throat in them and choke the life out of Sidney
Prale's valet and comrade in arms.

Then the man who had left the room returned, and there was another with
him. Murk looked at this stranger with sudden interest. He was well
dressed, Murk could see, but he wore an ulster that had the wide collar
turned up around his neck, and he had a mask on his face--a home-made
mask tha