myself."

"Let's hurry to the hospital," suggested Grace. "I'd rather go with
you than with that detective. He is to be here at eleven o'clock,
and it's only ten now. Let's hurry away."

Larry agreed, and they left the house. Grace explained that she had
caught the first express out of Lakewood that morning and had been
home only half an hour when Larry called.

They were so busy talking over all the details of the queer case
that they arrived at the hospital much quicker than they
anticipated.

"Here we are," said Larry, as he led the way up the broad stone
steps of the institution.

"I'm almost afraid to go in," remarked Grace, her voice showing a
nervous dread. "It seems so strange. I'm quite frightened, Larry."

"Don't think of anything but that you're going to see your father,"
the reporter replied, reassuringly. "He'll be so glad to see you. I
believe he would have been home long before this if it had not been
for the accident."

Larry entered the office of the institution. No sooner had he
stepped inside than he was made aware that something unusual had
occurred. Nurses and doctors, with anxious looks, were hastening
here and there. Orderlies and messengers were hurrying to and fro,
and there was a continuous ringing of signal and telephone bells.

"Must have been an accident and a lot of patients bought in," said
Larry, for he had seen such activity in hospitals before when a
number of injured persons required treatment at once.

"Oh, how terrible!" exclaimed Grace. "Do you suppose many are
killed?"

"I hope not. But it looks as if something very unusual had
happened."

Just then Larry saw the nurse who had been at the bedside of the
patient whom he and Grace had come to see.

"I've brought his daughter," he said to the uniformed attendant.
"May we go up now?"

The nurse seemed confused.

"I don't know--I'll see!" she remarked. "Here is the superintendent.
Perhaps you had better speak to him," and she whispered something to
the official.

"There's something wrong about Mr. Potter!" was Larry's first
thought. "I wonder if he could have suddenly died?"

Even Grace, unaccustomed as she was to hospital scenes, was aware
that all was not as it should be.

"Oh, Larry!" she exclaimed. "What is the matter? Have they taken him
away?"

"I don't know," the reporter answered in a low tone. "I'll soon find
out."

The superintendent approached them.

"You wanted to see that patient who was broug