l competition, and of crime; he who was prepared to help the
escaping murderer or to embrace the impenitent thief, found, to the
overthrow of all his logic, that he objected to the use of dynamite. The
dawn crept among the sleeping villas and over the smokeless fields of
city; and still the unfortunate sceptic sobbed over his fall from
consistency.

At length he rose and took the rising sun to witness. "There is no
question as to fact," he cried; "right and wrong are but figments and
the shadow of a word; but for all that, there are certain things that I
cannot do, and there are certain others that I will not stand."
Thereupon he decided to return, to make one last effort of persuasion,
and, if he could not prevail on Zero to desist from his infernal trade,
throw delicacy to the winds, give the plotter an hour's start, and
denounce him to the police. Fast as he went, being winged by this
resolution, it was already well on in the morning when he came in sight
of the Superfluous Mansion. Tripping down the steps, was the young lady
of the various aliases; and he was surprised to see upon her countenance
the marks of anger and concern.

"Madam," he began, yielding to impulse and with no clear knowledge of
what he was to add.

But at the sound of his voice she seemed to experience a shock of fear
or horror; started back; lowered her veil with a sudden movement; and
fled, without turning, from the square.

Here, then, we step aside a moment from following the fortunes of
Somerset, and proceed to relate the strange and romantic episode of THE
BROWN BOX.

DESBOROUGH'S ADVENTURE

THE BROWN BOX

Mr. Harry Desborough lodged in the fine and grave old quarter of
Bloomsbury, roared about on every side by the high tides of London, but
itself rejoicing in romantic silences and city peace. It was in Queen
Square that he had pitched his tent, next door to the Children's
Hospital, on your left hand as you go north: Queen Square, sacred to
humane and liberal arts, whence homes were made beautiful, where the
poor were taught, where the sparrows were plentiful and loud, and where
groups of patient little ones would hover all day long before the
hospital, if by chance they might kiss their hand or speak a word to
their sick brother at the window. Desborough's room was on the first
floor and fronted to the square; but he enjoyed besides, a right by
which he often profited, to sit and smoke upon a terrace at the back,
which lo