the door and made his way into the
demolished room in search of Eva, a cold fear gripping his heart. How
could any living thing have lived after such an occurrence? But in
another instant he saw her, as she half swooned and staggered into the
room.

"Quentin!" she gasped.

He caught her in his arms. But the next moment she remembered what she
had witnessed in the hallway below and she drew herself away from him.

"Go to the girl you really love," she scorned.

"The girl--I really love?" repeated Locke; then there ran through his
mind what had happened, as though it had been ages ago.

He protested and tried to explain. But protestations and explanations
only made matters worse, as usual. Had she not with her own eyes seen
Locke in Zita's arms?

"Eva," he persisted, manlike, "I swear that she was only trying to save
my life. I cannot help it if she--"

Locke saw that his defense was only making an innocent matter worse, and
checked himself. His mind recalled that some one had once said that a
jealous woman believes a man guilty until he proves himself innocent;
when he has proved himself innocent she merely still suspects. Eva's
manner was very constrained.

At that moment a policeman, followed by Zita, entered, and Zita, running
up to Locke, cried, anxiously, "You're not hurt--are you?"

Locke answered in an annoyed negative.

The policeman now questioned them very closely and examined the dead
inventor's body. Then he entered their names and addresses in his
note-book.

Next the officer lead the entire group down to the garden. There the
horribly injured emissary was trying miserably to crawl away.

The Automaton had totally disappeared.

Eva immediately ordered that the injured man be taken to Brent Rock in
her car. Then she turned sharply to Zita.

"How did you come to be here?" she demanded.

Zita was startled and confused. It lasted only a minute. Then, her mind
made up, she replied, defiantly:

"I came here to discover the secret of my birth. I have been told that I
am Mr. Brent's daughter."

Eva was stricken dumb with astonishment at this startling claim, but
Locke laughed outright.

"What nonsense!" he scoffed. "Eva, don't listen to it."

Zita glared at him and with a haughty nod to Eva swept out of the
garden.

Eva was still frightfully indignant with Locke and insisted on going
home alone. However, they arrived at Brent Rock at about the same time.

The emissary had been placed on