en!" repeated Godfrey, staring at me. "Open! Then that is the way
Silva went!"

"Yes, yes," I agreed. "He had the key. It was he who let me out."

"And locked the gate after you?"

"Yes--I heard the key turn."

Without a word, Godfrey hurried down the stairs. At the foot we met
Simmonds.

"We've searched the grounds," he said, "but haven't found anyone. I've
left my men on guard. I 'phoned for some more men, and notified
headquarters."

"He's not in the grounds," said Godfrey. "He went out by the gate,"
and he told of Hinman's discovery.

"I'll stretch a net over the whole Bronx," said Simmonds. "I don't see
how a fellow dressed as he is can get away," and he hastened off to do
some more telephoning.

"Well, we can't do anything," said Godfrey, "so we might as well rest
awhile," and he passed into the library and dropped into a chair.

I followed him, but as I sat down and glanced about the room I saw
something that fairly jerked me to my feet.

A section of the shelving had been swung forward, and behind it the
door of the safe stood open.

In an instant, I had flung myself on my knees before it, groped for
the locked drawer, pulled it out, and hurried with it to the table.

The five packets of money were gone.

"What is it, Lester?" asked Godfrey, at my side.

"There was--fifty thousand dollars--in money in--this drawer," I
answered, trying to speak coherently.

Godfrey took the drawer from my hands and examined its contents.

"Well, it isn't there now," he said, and replaced the drawer in the
safe. "Sit down, Lester," and he pressed me back into my chair and
flung himself into another. "I wish I knew where Vaughan kept his
whiskey!" he murmured, and ran his fingers furiously through his hair.
"This is getting too strenuous, even for me!"

He fell silent for a moment, and sat looking at the open safe.

"What astonishes me," he mused, "is the nerve of the man, stopping at
such a moment to work that combination. Think what that means, Lester;
to work a combination, a man has to be cool and collected."

"A man who could sit without stirring through that scene upstairs," I
said, "has nerve enough for anything. Nothing Silva does can surprise
me after that!"

"I wonder how he knew the combination?"

"I was sure he knew it. I had to stop Miss Vaughan to keep her from
telling it to me."

"Well, he lessened his chance of escape by just that much. Every
minute he spent before that safe was a minute