e for he could not open them.

"It is clear enough that I am a prisoner here," he mused, "but for what
purpose?"

There seemed to be no answer to the question and he gave up trying to
find one but sat down and waited for somebody to return.

CHAPTER XXII

LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT

Jack had been sitting in the dark for several minutes when he heard a
sound from the loft overhead.

Some one was stirring, there was a yawn, then a step on the floor and
then some one said impatiently:

"Hello, down there! Can't you show a light? Where are you all, anyway,
and what time is it?"

The boy started for he knew that voice and had hoped that he would never
again hear it.

It was that of the man with the white mustache and the dark hair and
eyebrows whom he had met in the woods near the foot of the hill leading
from the Academy.

He said nothing and then he heard steps moving about in the loft and the
man spoke again.

"I'll fall down there before I know it. There's a hole somewhere, but
where is it? Hello, there! can't you show a light? Isn't there anyone
about? Where have you all gone?"

Then he heard a footstep on the ladder and knew that the man was coming
down, grumbling as before.

"What's that man doing here?" he thought. "I had hoped I would never see
him again. If he is not careful he will be taken and spend more of his
time in prison."

Then a thought occurred to him and he said quietly:

"Wait a moment and I will give you a light."

There was a startled exclamation and then the man asked:

"Who is that? Is that you, John Sheldon?"

"Yes, it is I."

"What are you doing here? Have you come to hunt me down?"

"No, I am a prisoner but I don't know who brought me here. I have not
come to hunt you down. I did not know that you were anywhere about and I
don't know where I am myself."

Then the boy lighted a match and looked around him, seeing an old rusty
tin candlestick with the butt of a candle in it on a shelf under one of
the windows.

He lighted this and the man came forward, looked fixedly in his face and
said:

"You say you are a prisoner here? How did that happen?"

"I was run away with by two men who jumped into the runabout I was
driving when I stopped but I don't know who they are nor why they did
it. Why do you remain in this neighborhood? Don't you know it's
dangerous to be so near the place where----"

"You had a runabout? Yours?"

"No, a friend's. I was down at Riverton on