" he said, and went sadly home.

Simon Varr joined the stragglers who were leaving by way of the hall
through the office building, but he did not go with them as far as the
exit. He ascended the creaky stairs, went into his office and snapped
on the electric light. He had seen nothing of Fay, but he confidently
expected the watchman to seek him out as soon as possible.

In this he was not disappointed. The man had only paused to remove
some of the traces of his activities before presenting himself for
Simon's inquisition.

"Well, Fay, what can you tell me about this? Where were you when you
discovered the fire?"

"I was making my second round at twenty-five minutes to eleven. You'll
remember, sir, you left orders that I should make another trip about
the premises five minutes after my regular round, which was ten-thirty
in this case. That was a good idea, sir, if you'll let me say so; it
certainly led to my seeing the fire right after it started."

"That scoundrelly fire bug was watching you, depend on that!"

"Yes, sir; there's dozens of places he could keep a look-out from, once
he got inside. Soon as he saw me finish one round and go out front, he
commenced his dirty work."

"You say you caught a glimpse of him?"

"A poor one, sir. I was just quietly passing one of those storage
buildings when I saw a flicker of light beneath the doorsill. It was
too soon to hear the crackle of burning wood or smell any smoke, but I
knew what was up. I pushed open the door. That was when I saw the two
oil-tins lying on their sides and the whole floor flooded with the
stuff. There was smoke enough, then, sir! That's why I could only get
a poor look through it at the feller."

"He was in the building when you saw him?"

"Yes, sir--and out of it again like a deer, by the door at the other
end, as soon as he saw me. I couldn't run through the flames, and by
the time I'd jumped back and cut around the building, he was lost in
the darkness. I swept my torch this way and that, but never a sign of
him. I heard him, though," he added significantly.

"Yes? Where?"

"He stumbled over something near the left-hand corner of the yard where
the fence runs down to the brook. That tells us what we didn't know
before, sir. He doesn't come over the fence, nor under it; he either
wades the brook around the end of it, or else scrambles around by way
of the bank. Unless I'm all wrong, sir, we'll find his footprints
there