s had
broken through entirely, leaving gaping holes, which were so many
dangerous pitfalls. Twice the lawyer came near breaking his neck.

At last they reached the top, both out of breath from the long and
perilous climb.

"Hush--there it is!" whispered Dick pointing at the end of a narrow
hall to a door from underneath which issued a faint glimmer of light.

Cautiously, noiselessly, treading on tiptoe, the lawyer and his
companion crept along the passage until they came to the door. They
listened. There was not a sound. Even the hum of machinery which they
had heard in the street, had ceased. Could the inmates have taken
alarm?

All at once they heard people talking. Instantly, Steell recognized
the voice of Keralio. He was questioning someone, no doubt the valet.
They listened.

"Well, did you carry out my orders?"

"_Oui_, monsieur, ze last of ze ten-dollar bills has been passed. I
have ze money here."

"I did not mean that," broke in Keralio impatiently. "I mean as
regards the child----"

"_Oui_, monsieur. Didn't you receive my telegram. I brought the child
from Philadelphia yesterday evening."

Steell, puzzled, turned to his companion.

"What child are they talking about?" he whispered.

"I have no idea. Some more mischief they're up to, I guess."

Again Keralio's voice was heard asking:

"Where is Handsome to-day? I told him to come. Why isn't he here?"

"He's drinking again, monsieur. When he's drunk you can't do anything
with him. He's getting ugly about ze diamonds."

Steell nudged his fellow eavesdropper.

"Did you hear that?" he whispered. "He spoke of diamonds!"

Keralio was heard bursting into a peal of savage laughter.

"Getting ugly is he? What does he want?"

"He says you promised him half of ze proceeds when ze diamonds were
sold, and that now you are trying to do him out of it---- He says he's
sick of ze whole thing and will squeal to ze police unless you do ze
right thing."

Straining every nerve to hear, Steell glued his ear to the door.

Keralio burst out fiercely:

"Squeal, will he, the dog? I'd like to know what will become of him
when the final reckoning's paid. Will he tell the police that he was a
drunken adventurer in the South African mining camps before his twin
brother, Kenneth Traynor, arrived at Cape Town? Will he tell the
police that he set the steamer afire, murdered his own brother, and,
profiting by the extraordinary resemblance, retu