s to Brent Rock, and no sooner
had he arrived there than he told Eva that her father still lived and
was uninjured, and that Zita was safe in the new den of the Automaton
which he had discovered. Then he telephoned to his chief to send
officers immediately to Brent Rock.

After the explosion that had killed Balcom and had come so near to
killing Locke, when he had finally rescued himself and had drawn himself
out of the hole, there was one who watched him.

It was none other than that mysterious being, Doctor Q. What twist of
that disordered brain had brought him to the spot was not at once
evident. However, as soon as Locke had left to go toward Eva, Doctor Q
came from his hiding-place, madly smiling and wagging his head. He
peered into the hole and, seeing nothing, lighted a match and thrust it
far down into the darkness.

There was a sharp intake of his breath, for the match revealed to him
the dead face of Herbert Balcom.

Doctor Q drew back and stood erect.

"Dead!" he muttered, as he ran his fingers through his hair dazedly.

"Dead!"

A strange thing happened. The mad light fled from the eyes of Doctor Q
and the twisted brain seemed to become clear.

Suddenly in the very field the old man knelt down and prayed a thankful
prayer for his recovery.

What was the strange power which Balcom had wielded over him, which
death had snapped?

The officers arrived at Brent Rock and Locke was ready. The party left
immediately to go to the rescue of Brent and Zita, and it took them only
a short time to reach the spot which Locke had located.

Disposing some of his force below the hanging rock, Locke and some
others went farther upstream. The two parties looked at their watches,
waiting a certain time agreed on.

Then the two parties moved toward each other. As they came in sight of
the spot, Locke experienced a keen disappointment. He could see no one.
Advancing farther, he discovered Brent still on the same rock. Guarding
him were three emissaries. That was all. Zita, the Automaton, and the
other emissaries were gone.

The three emissaries, seeing the numbers opposed to them, did not even
offer to resist. They were placed under arrest, but nothing could induce
them to tell where the others had gone.

To fail Zita after she had so nobly saved his life in the lair of the
hypnotist was an unwelcome thought to Locke, and he resolved to rescue
her at any risk. But first he felt he must restore Brent to his
daugh