t.

* * * * *

Marable, with Betty, went out last. Leffler was over in one corner of
the room, hidden from their sight by a corner of an amber block. They
could hear Leffler still uttering complaints about the carelessness of
the men in charge of that section of the museum, and Marable smiled at
Betty sadly.

"Poor Rooney," he said. "Betty, I feel more or less responsible, in a
way."

"No, no," cried the girl. "How could you have foreseen such a thing?"

Marable shook his head. "Those eyes, you know. I should have taken
precautions. But I had no idea it could burst from its prison so."

For the first time Marable had definitely mentioned his idea of what
had occurred. The girl had understood it all along, from their broken
conversation and from the look in the young scientist's eyes.

She sighed deeply. "You will get a revolver before you search further?"
she said. "I'm going to. Smythe has one, and I know he'll lend it to
me."

"I will," he promised. "You know, Leffler has the same idea we have, I
think. That's why he keeps talking about it being our fault. I believe
he has seen something, too. His talk about the devil inside the block
was half in earnest. I suppose he put it down to imagination, or perhaps
he did not think this fossil to be dangerous."

They went out together, and walked toward the restaurant they
frequented. Her father was there, lunching with one of the
superintendents of the museum. He smiled and waved to Betty.

Everyone, of course, was discussing the killing of Rooney.

* * * * *

After an hour, during which the two young people spoken little, Marable
and Betty Young left the restaurant and started back toward the museum.
Her father was still at his table.

They walked up the driveway entrance, and then Marable uttered an
exclamation. "Something's wrong," he said.

There was a small crowd of people collected on the steps. The outer
doors, instead of being open as usual, were closed and guards stood
peering out.

Marable and Betty were admitted, after they had pushed their way to the
doors.

"Museum's closed to the public, sir," replied a guard to Marable's
question.

"Why?" asked Marable.

"Somethin's happened up in the paleontological laboratories," answered
the guard. "Dunno just what, but orders come to clear the rooms and not
let anybody in but members of the staff, sir."

Marable hurried forward. Betty wa