gnate.
"Now," he said with vigor, "now, what about your servants? I had a good
look at some of them. How about that English butler? How long have you
had him?"

"Ten years! Brought him over, myself. Wife picked the other servants.
They're all old, tried and trusted. I'll answer for them. She died
telling me to take care of them. I don't think her equal lived in
choosing help. It was uncanny!"

Drew stroked his cropped mustache. "Good!" he said. "That's fine! We'll
start with the supposition that they're _not_ guilty. Are any of them
of German birth?"

"My valet is part German, but he ran away to avoid their army. He hates
the Junker party. Says 'It is responsible for the War.'"

"How long have you had him?"

"Nine years."

"That should let him out. Well," Drew added with a sweeping glance
about the library, "well, these big windows--how about them?"

The detective advanced to the front of the room as he asked the
question. "Two," he mused. "Two bay-windows of the superior order.
Curtains very heavy and rich. There's a good catch on this one," he
added springing upon the radiator-box. "And a good catch on this one.
Both catches are closed. Seem to have been closed for some time. Here's
dust. High-class housekeeper, but I've got her here."

Drew smiled as he ran his fingers over the upper sash. He peered out
into the Avenue with its flowing tide of vehicles. He turned and said
to Stockbridge:

"Suppose you order your butler or doorman to shut the outside blinds.
It's getting dark and cold. I want to be sure that no one can get
through this way."

"Good," said Stockbridge reaching for the button with his toe. "Good!
We'll take every precaution. Twelve hours will show the thing one way
or the other. Twelve hours should do it."

The butler entered bearing a silver tray. He set this on a mahogany
tea-wagon and rolled it to the Magnate's chair. Drew frowned at the
sight of a black bottle and one glass. A signal of understanding had
been sent to the perfect servant.

Stockbridge moistened his thin lips thirstily. He whispered the
instructions concerning the blinds. The butler withdrew like a shadow
merging into a shadow. Drew shrugged his shoulders and went the round
of the library with the keen, trained scrutiny of a man-hunter and a
modern operative. He paused before a case of morocco-bound books.
"These cases?" he asked. "How about them? What's behind?"

"Books! Books!" shrilled the magpie.

Drew raised h