ring in the hall, in abject terror, was De Luxe Dora.

How and why she had come there was a mystery. But the Automaton did not
hesitate. It raised its hands and, as it did so, long flashes of blue
flame leaped from the steel finger-tips toward the unfortunate woman.
Once she shrieked, then crumpled and fell dead.

The monster then turned its attention to Locke, striding toward him with
a menacing gesture. But the diversion due to Dora had given all just the
time they needed to make good their flight. Locke threw a chair to
impede the progress of the monster, and then, as he saw that all the
others were safe, he lightly vaulted out of the window himself, to find
them waiting for him in the little yard below.

"What do you make of it now--father?" asked Locke of Doctor Q. "Balcom
is dead. Who is now in the iron man?"

Doctor Q shrugged. It was a mystery to him as much as ever, and he
seemed unable to throw any light on it.

"But De Luxe Dora," queried Zita. "What had she come for? Why was she
struck down--first?"

Again Doctor Q shook his head.

From the yard they could hear the Automaton's heavy tread in the room
and, as there was nothing to be gained by remaining, they left the yard
and hurried away out of the neighborhood.

They had not gone far, however, when Doctor Locke came to a full stop.

"I must go back," he exclaimed.

For a moment all thought he had again taken leave of his senses. Yet he
was obdurate.

"Miss Brent--Eva," he explained, "you know that a grievous wrong has
been done your father through me. He lies ill of that most terrible of
diseases, the laughing madness. I alone possess the antidote, and it is
in the laboratory that we have just left. I pray that that iron beast
has not destroyed it."

At the mere words Locke turned as if to go back for it.

"No, Quentin," remonstrated his father. "You must remain to guard Eva."

"Then I will go," insisted Zita. "I am not afraid now. Even when the
monster carried me off I overcame my fear, watched my chance, and
escaped from his den, where he left me. I will go."

Finally Doctor Locke agreed that Zita might return with him, remain
outside, and give the alarm if anything happened to him. Thus, after
many remonstrances, it was agreed, and Eva and Quentin went on to Brent
Rock.

No one had molested Brent in the mean time. The terror caused by the
explosion, as well as the loss of Balcom, for the time, at least, had
evidently cowed the emissar