e police vacate. It's the last one in the hall leading
to the negro quarters. If you shake it hard enough, the catch falls
back and any one can raise it even from the outside."

"I will see to it," he replied, dropping his eyes, possibly to hide
their curious twinkle. "But what do you mean about finding something
in the wall behind that old picture? I've never heard--"

But though he spoke quickly and shouted the last words after me at
the top of his voice, I was by this time too far away to respond
save by a dubious smile and a semi-patronizing wave of the hand. Not
until I was nearly out of earshot did I venture to shout back the
following words:

"I'll be back in an hour. If anything happens--if the boys annoy
you, or any one attempts to enter the old house, telephone to the
station or summon the officer at the corner. I don't believe any
harm will come from leaving the place to itself for a while." Then
I walked around the block.

When I arrived in front again it was quite dark. So was the house;
but there was light in the library. I felt assured that I should
find Uncle David there, and I did. When, after a noiseless entrance
and a careful advance through the hall, I threw open the door beyond
the gilded pillars, it was to see the tall figure of this old man
mounted upon the chair I had left there, peering up at the nail from
which I had so lately lifted the picture. He started as I presented
myself and almost fell from the chair. But the careless laugh I
uttered assured him of the little importance I placed upon this
evidence of his daring and unappeasable curiosity, and he confronted
me with an enviable air of dignity; whereupon I managed to say:

"Really, Mr. Moore, I'm glad to see you here. It is quite natural
for you to wish to learn by any means in your power what that picture
concealed. I came back, because I suddenly remembered that I had
forgotten to rehang it."

Involuntarily he glanced again at the wall overhead, which was as
bare as his hand, save for the nail he had already examined.

"It has concealed nothing," he retorted. "You can see yourself that
the wall is bare and that it rings as sound as any chimneypiece ever
made." Here he struck it heavily with his fist. "What did you
imagine that you had found?"

I smiled, shrugged my shoulders in tantalizing repetition of my
former action upon a like occasion and then answered brusquely:

"I did not come back to betray police