smond Okewood!
I've come to take you home!"

The word "home" seemed to catch the girl's attention; for now she
turned her head and looked at the young man. The expression in
her eyes, wide and staring, was horrible; for it was the look of
a tortured animal.

Desmond was bending to unbind the straps that fastened Barbara's
arms when he heard a step outside the door. The curtains in front
of the window were just beside him. They were long and reached to
the floor. Without a second's hesitation he slipped behind them
and found himself in the recess of a shallow bow window.

The bow window was in three parts and the central part was open
wide at the bottom. It gave on a little balcony which was in
reality the roof of a bow window of one of the rooms on the floor
below. Desmond promptly scrambled out of the window and letting
himself drop on to the balcony crouched down blow the sill.

A door opened in the room he had just left. He heard steps moving
about and cupboards opened and shut. Then, there was the sound of
curtains being drawn back and a voice said just above him:

"He's not here! I tell you the fellow's not in the house! Now
perhaps you'll believe me!"

The balcony was fairly deep and it was growing dusk; but Desmond
could scarcely hope to escape detection if Bellward, for he had
recognized his voice, should think of leaning out of the window
and looking down upon the balcony. With his coat collar turned up
to hide the treacherous white of his linen, Desmond pressed
himself as close as possible against the side of the house and
waited for the joyful cry that would proclaim that he had been
discovered. There was no possible means of escape; for the
balcony stood at an angle of the house with no windows or
water-pipes anywhere within reach, to give him a foothold,
looking out on an inhospitable and gloomy area.

Whether Bellward, who appeared bent only on getting away from the
house without delay, examined the balcony or not, Desmond did not
know; but after the agony of suspense had endured for what seemed
to him an hour, he heard Strangwise say:

"It's no good, Bellward! I'm not satisfied! And until I am
satisfied that Okewood is not here, I don't leave this house. And
that's that!"

Bellward swore savagely.

"We've searched the garden and not found him: we've ransacked the
house from top to bottom without result. The fellow's not here;
but by God, he'll be here presently with a bunch of police, and