its heart to the
sun.

"Are you really alone in the house?" he asked.

"Yes, I think so; I'm almost sure of it."

"Then there's no mad rush about leaving?"

"No--I--I think not."

He observed her hesitation but ignored it. He drew two big chairs close
to the open fire, and, leading Doris to one, seated her in it, and took
the other himself, turning it to face hers. As he did so, she recoiled.

"You look so dreadful!" she explained with a shudder.

"I suppose I do. But forget that and tell me something. When did Shaw
leave?"

"Within half an hour of the time he brought me here."

"When is he coming back?"

"To-night, I think."

"And he's left you here alone, with no one around but this woman?"
Laurie asked, incredulously. Here was another situation hard to
understand.

"His secretary is somewhere around, a wretched jackal that does what
he's told."

"Oh!" This was news. "Where is he?"

"Out in the garage. He has a room there. I heard him say he had no sleep
last night, and that he expected to get some to-day."

Laurie rose.

"I'll take a look around and see where he is," he suggested. "We can't
have him catching on to my little visit and telephoning to Shaw, you
know."

As he spoke he was walking toward the door that led into the hall, and
now he confidently put out his hand and turned the knob. His expression
changed. He gave the knob a violent twist, then, setting his shoulder
against the jamb, tried to wrench the door open. It did not yield.
Doris, watching him wide-eyed, was the first to speak.

"Locked?" she whispered.

"Locked," corroborated Laurie. He nodded thoughtfully. Several things,
small in themselves, which had puzzled him, were clearing up. Among
others, the housekeeper's persistent efforts to gain time were now
explained. Shaw had not been so careless as he had seemed. The meek
blond secretary with the pursuing eyes and the chloroforming habit was
certainly in the house.

CHAPTER XIV

LAURIE CHECKS A REVELATION

Laurie shook his head.

"That was rather stupid of him," he remarked, mildly. "It's almost as
easy to force open a locked door from the inside as from the outside."

"I know." Doris was again breathless. "But in the meantime he's
telephoning to Shaw."

"I don't think so." Laurie, his hands in his pockets, was making a
characteristic turn around the room. "What has he to gain by
telephoning? Shaw's coming back anyway in a few hours; and in the
meantime