uarry about to throw open the hall door. Jimmie
dove for his gun, only to encounter the Professor's mysterious vial,
which, though forgotten, still lay in his pocket. With no time to
think, he acted purely upon instinct. His arm drew back and the bottle
flew straight for the Professor's head.

* * * * *

By a miracle the missile missed its mark. Came a shivering crash, as the
bottle struck a stud in the massive door. Of a sudden recalling the
terrific potency of the contents of that particular bottle, Jimmie
gasped in dismay. Norma Manion's safety drove every other thought from
his mind. At any cost he must remove her from the proximity of those
lethal fumes.

Hastily and without a backward glance, he gathered the girl into his
arms and dashed into the room where he had first found her. Ascertaining
that she had but swooned he placed her gently on the bed. In some
perplexity as to his next move he stared at the beautiful face now so
wan and white. Queer that he hadn't noticed the fact before--she was
beautiful. He even took a second look, then noting a continued absence
of all sound from the laboratory decided to investigate.

Gingerly he pushed open the door, sniffing the air cautiously as he
advanced. To his nostrils gradually came a slight scent, which though
almost imperceptible made his senses reel. As he approached the hall
door he found the atmosphere heavy with the soporific vapors from the
broken vial, and he staggered drunkenly.

He gave a start of surprise. On the floor, lying in a grotesque huddle
which suggested a most unpleasant possibility, was the inert body of
Professor Kell.

* * * * *

Jimmie bent over the body and put an experienced ear to the heart. Yes,
there as a faint beat--very faint. Even as he listened he perceived a
slight increase in the respiration. Now the breath began coming in
great, choking gasps, only to die suddenly to next to nothing. At last
with a rueful sigh Jimmie reached to his hip and produced the private
O'Hara flagon. He stooped over the Professor's form once more and by
dint of much prying at clenched jaws managed to force a sizeable charge
of fiery liquid down the old man's throat. Jimmie had just begun to
entertain a strong hope that this latter effort would bring the
Professor to life, when his keen ear detected signs of a commotion
below.

He sprang from his position over the slowly reviving Kell and