urning to Lenora.

Lenora shook her head. She, too, examined it a little wonderingly.

"It wasn't there a short time ago. I brought a duster and went over the
sideboard myself."

Quest grunted.

"H'm! No one else has been in the room, and it hasn't been empty for more
than ten minutes," he remarked. "Well, let's see what's inside, any way."

"Just be careful, Mr. Quest," Laura advised. "I don't get that box at
all."

Quest pushed it with his forefinger.

"No bomb inside, any way," he remarked. "Here goes!"

He lifted off the lid. There was nothing in the interior but a sheet of
paper folded up. Quest smoothed it out with his hand. They all leaned over
and read the following words, written in an obviously disguised hand:

"You have embarked on a new study--anthropology. What
characteristic strikes you most forcibly in connection with it?
Cunning? The necklace might be where the skeleton is. Why not
begin at the beginning?"

The note was unsigned, but in the spot where a signature might have been
there was a rough pen drawing of two hands, with fingers extended, talon
fashion, menacingly, as though poised to strike at some unseen enemy.
Quest, after their first moment of stupefaction, whistled softly.

"The hands!" he muttered.

"What hands?" Lenora asked.

"The hands that gripped Mrs. Rheinholdt by the throat," he reminded them.
"Don't you remember? Hands without any arms?"

There was another brief, almost stupefied silence. Then Laura broke into
speech.

"What I want to know is," she demanded, "who brought the thing here?"

"A most daring exploit, any way," Quest declared. "If we could answer your
question, Laura, we could solve the whole riddle. We are up against
something, and no mistake."

Lenora shivered a little. The mystery of the thing terrified her, the
mystery which only stimulated her two companions.

"The hand which placed that box here," Quest continued slowly, "is capable
of even more wonderful things. We must be cautious. Hello!"

The door had opened. The Professor stood upon the threshold. He carried
his soft felt hat in his hand. He bowed to the two young women
courteously.

"I trust that I have done right in coming up?" he enquired.

"Quite right, Professor," Quest assured him. "They know well enough
downstairs that I am always at liberty to you. Come in."

"I am so anxious to learn," the Professor continued eagerly, "whether
there is any news--of my skeleton.