a cellar opening with an iron grating.

"Look there," said the investigator, as he pointed to this latter.

Bat Scanlon looked, and saw a little ridge of mud upon one of the bars.

"From some one's foot," declared he. "It scraped off on the grating when
they climbed up on it, maybe to reach the window."

Ashton-Kirk studied the particles clinging to the bar with much
interest, an eager look in his eyes.

"It may be a coincidence," said he, "but I'm inclined to think not."

"What may be a coincidence?" asked Scanlon, as the other carefully
scraped the particles from the grading into a compartment of a paper
fold. But Ashton-Kirk made no reply except:

"Give me a 'boost' up to that window."

The big man obediently did so; on the ledge were the marks of fingers in
the dust which damp had caused to stick there.

"And newly done," said Ashton-Kirk, as he dropped to the ground, a glint
in his eye. "Very little dust has attached itself since they were made."

He began searching the surface of the ground under the window; finally
he took a strong lens from his pocket and with increased interest
resumed the inspection.

"Very likely one of the cops did this," said Scanlon. "Wanted to see if
the window was fast."

Ashton-Kirk got up from his stooping position and slipped the lens back
into his pocket.

"They would have tried the window from the inside in that case," said
he. "It would have been easier to get at." He stood for a moment,
reflecting; then he continued: "There seems to be very little more to be
hoped for. Let us speak to Osborne before we go."

The big headquarters man was in the room across the hall from the one
in which the crime had been committed.

"Well, all through?" he asked, genially, and with the manner of one
whose position is assured.

"Yes, I think so," said Ashton-Kirk.

"We covered it all pretty well outside there," nodded Osborne,
complacently, "and we got nothing from it. Depend on it, this thing was
an inside job. The party that did it belonged right here in the house."

"Too bad," mused Ashton-Kirk, as he looked about the comfortable,
homelike room. "Too bad! That will mean that another home is wrecked;
and this one seems decidedly worth keeping together--nice etching and
rugs and some very good bits of old brass." He took up a candlestick
from the end of a shelf. "Here is a real old Colonial candlestick which
must weigh at least five pounds."

Osborne looked at the piece, gri