ion of the traps of
the dead man, including the case with the glasses. And that was where he
came up against a staggering disappointment.

"It seemed that this sister of the miner was a little queer in her head.
When a visitor chanced to examine the glasses, and offered her a pretty
fine sum for them, she, not knowing how her brother valued them because
of their association with his prospecting life, thought it a good
chance to dispose of some useless property.

"And so the wonderful half of the chart was gone. My grandfather took
enough interest in the matter to learn that a man by the name of Steven
Meredith possessed the glasses. He even started a search for him,
thinking that he might be able to buy the glasses back, so as to satisfy
his mind about the worth of the chart.

"Later on he learned that some valuable ore had been struck in the
region where the secret mine of the dead prospector was said to be
located. This kept making him take more and more interest in the finding
of Steven and the lost paper. He became absorbed in the hunt, and in the
end had three men on the track.

"They traced Meredith across the ocean. All sorts of strange rumors came
back as to what he really was. Once it was even said that he was
secretly in the pay of the German Government. Anyway, he went to Berlin,
and was known to meet with certain men high up in the Secret Service
there.

"Just a little while ago my grandfather received positive word from one
of his agents that Steven Meredith was stationed in a Belgian town,
though what his business there could be was a mystery. This little town
was an obscure one near Brussels, where he could keep in the background.
Its name is Sempst; and that's where we are headed now."

"But just explain one queer thing, won't you, please, Merritt?" asked
Tubby.

"I know what you're going to say," replied the other. "Of course you're
wondering why my relative didn't wire his agent about the glasses, and
offer him a good sum to get them, with the case. Well, the fact is he
didn't have as much faith in his agents as all that."

"You mean that if the man knew he valued the article so much he would
begin to smell a rat, and perhaps examine the lining of the case
himself, after he had managed to steal or buy the glasses?" suggested
Rob.

"That's what he had in mind," Merritt continued. "So he hardly knew what
to do, or whom to trust, until I asked him to send me, and let me have
you along. They di