and landed him on the
hall carpet, while a well directed blow sent the flabby Irishman sprawling
at the feet of the detective, who promptly sat on him and pinioned his
arms behind him.

"How dare you lay a finger upon this lady?" said Tryon Dunham, as he
stepped to the side of his wife and put a strong arm about her, where she
stood white and frightened in the doorway.

No one had noticed that the bell-boy had come to the head of the stairs
and received a quiet order from the detective.

In sudden fear, the discomfited Richard arose and attempted to bluff the
stranger who had so unwarrantly interfered just as his fingers were about
to close over the golden treasure of his cousin's fortune.

"Indeed, sir, you wholly misunderstand the situation," he said to Dunham,
with an air of injured innocence, "though perhaps you can scarcely be
blamed. This girl is an escaped lunatic. We have been searching for her
for days, and have just traced her. It is our business to take her back at
once. Her friends are in great distress about her. Moreover, she is
dangerous and a menace to every guest in this house. She has several times
attempted murder----"

"Stop!" roared Dunham, in a thunderous voice of righteous anger. "She is
my wife. And you are her cousin. I know all about your plot to shut her up
in an insane asylum and steal her fortune. I have found you sooner than I
expected, and I intend to see that the law takes its full course with
you."

Two policemen now arrived on the scene, with a number of eager bell-boys
and porters in their wake, ready to take part in the excitement.

Richard had turned deadly white at the words, "She is my wife!" It was the
death-knell of his hopes of securing the fortune for which he had not
hesitated to sacrifice every particle of moral principle. When he turned
and saw impending retribution in the shape of the two stalwart
representatives of the law, a look of cunning came into his face, and with
one swift motion he turned to flee up the staircase close at hand.

"Not much you don't," said an enterprising bell-boy, flinging himself in
the way and tripping up the scoundrel in his flight.

The policemen were upon him and had him handcuffed in an instant. The
Irishman now began to protest that he was but an innocent tool, hired to
help discover the whereabouts of an escaped lunatic, as he supposed. He
was walked off to the patrol wagon without further ceremony.

It was all over in a few min