ur of voices, quickly growing
louder.

"They have discovered my escape," he told himself. And then he blamed
himself for not having made better use of his time in an endeavor to
get away.

He stepped out of the vault, and listened with strained ears. The
counterfeiters had separated, and were searching in all directions for
him.

"If they come this way, I'll have to fight," he reasoned. "I might as
well die that way, as to be killed in cold blood."

But then a sudden idea came to him, and as quickly as he had left the
vault, he returned to it. Footsteps were coming closer, and he had no
time to spare.

One of the shelves of the vault was close to the top and very broad.
Up on this climbed the detective, and laid out at full length, as close
to the wall as possible. In front of him he held two of the wooden
boxes containing the haired paper.

Somebody came closer, and he heard talking in the passageway at the
foot of the stone steps. A hand was placed on the door of the vault.

"Who left this unlocked?" came in Matlock Styles' voice.

"Is it unlocked?" asked another of the band.

"Yes."

"That is strange. It was locked yesterday; I am sure of it."

"Maybe that bloody rascal got here!" growled the Englishman.

"How could he work the combination?"

"Oh, some of those chaps are keener than you think. Wait, hold up the
light."

Matlock Styles opened the door and gazed into the vault. For the
moment he saw nothing.

"Not here," he said briefly. "Come on; we'll have to look elsewhere."

CHAPTER XXVI

DOOMED TO DIE

"Wait a minute!" came from the other man, as Matlock Styles was on the
point of coming out of the vault.

"What do you want?"

"I want to get some of that new paper."

"Oh, you can get there after we have caught our man."

"I'll take it now--it won't take a minute."

The man pushed his way into the vault. He took hold of a box. Then he
suddenly backed away.

"He's in there!" he gasped.

"In there? Where?"

"There--on the shelf! Look out!"

"Ha! So he is!" ejaculated Matlock Styles. He, too, leaped back.
"I've got him, too, the skunk!"

Both of the counterfeiters leaped into the passageway. Adam Adams came
down from the shelf. But the movement was not swift enough. As he
leaped towards the iron door, it was banged shut in his face. Then the
combination knob was twirled around.

"Ha! ha! That's the time we caught you like a rat in a trap!" sang out
t