her past it and down to the gateway
below. Thither Murray followed us, and after a bit more questioning he
put her in a car in which he and some of the others had come up, and sent
one of his men off with her; but before this Maisie pulled me away into
the darkness and gripped me tight by the arm.

"You'll promise me, Hugh, before ever I go, that you'll not run yourself
into any more dangers?" she asked earnestly. "We've been through enough
of that, and I'm just more than satisfied with it, and it's like as if
there was something lurking about--"

She began to shiver as she looked into the black night about us--and it
was indeed, although in summer time, as black a night as ever I saw--and
her hand got a tighter grip on mine.

"How do you know yon bad man isn't still about?" she whispered. "It was
he killed Hollins, of course!--and if he wanted to kill you yon time in
the yacht, he'll want again!"

"It's small chance he'll get, then, now!" I said. "There's no fear of
that, Maisie--amongst all yon lot of men above. Away you go, now, and get
to your bed, and as sure as sure I'll be home to eat my breakfast with
you. It's my opinion all this is at an end."

"Not while yon man's alive!" she answered. "And I'd have far rather
stayed with you--till it's daylight, anyway."

However, she let me put her into the car; and when I had charged the
policeman who went with her not to take his eyes off her until she was
safe in Andrew Dunlop's house, they went off, and Mr. Lindsey and I
turned up the stair again. Murray had preceded us, and under his
superintendence Chisholm was beginning to open the screwed-up boxes. The
rest of us stood round while this job was going on, waiting in silence.
It was no easy or quick job, for the screws had been fastened in after a
thoroughly workmanlike fashion, and when he got the first lid off we saw
that the boxes themselves had been evidently specially made for this
purpose. They were of some very strong, well-seasoned wood, and they were
lined, first with zinc, and then with thick felt. And--as we were soon
aware--they were filled to the brim with gold. There it lay--roll upon
roll, all carefully packed--gold! It shone red and fiery in the light of
our lamps, and it seemed to me that in every gleam of it I saw devils'
eyes, full of malice, and mockery, and murder.

But there was one box, lighter than the rest, in which, instead of gold,
we found the valuable things of which Hollins had tol