n the remainder of the houses. A faint
light shone from one of the upper windows, but the lower portion of the
house was in total darkness. Approaching the door, I knocked upon it
with my stick. No answer, however, rewarded us. I did so again, with the
same result. Once more I knocked; this time with greater success. The
first-floor window of the adjoining house was opened, and a man's head
appeared.

"What do you want?" said its owner. "This is not the time of night to
come banging at peaceable folk's doors."

"We want to gain admittance to this house," I replied, as if it were the
most natural thing in the world. "Is there anyone in it?"

"Nobody," the man replied. "He who was there went away this afternoon.
He left the key with me."

"In that case, I beg you will be good enough to give it to me."

"Not till I know you are the right man," he answered. "The fellow said I
was to be sure to only hand it to one person. Have you got the letter he
sent you?"

"I have," I hastened to reply, producing the letter from my pocket as I
spoke. "Here it is."

When I had passed it up to him he withdrew with it into the room again,
to reappear a few moments later with the letter and a key in his hand.

"I suppose it's all right," he said. "At any rate, I'll risk it. Bear in
mind, however, that I know nothing of the business that brings you here.
I'm only following his instructions."

I took the key and inserted it in the lock. Then we entered the house,
and Bertram struck a match and lit a taper he had brought with him.
Holding the revolver in my right hand, in case it should be wanted, I
passed into the room opening out of the little passage. It was
untenanted, save by a mouse, that scuttled away across the floor on
seeing us. Finding nothing to reward us there, we passed out into the
passage again, and made for the flight of stairs at the further end. The
letter had mentioned the top floor, and for this reason our failure to
find anything in this room did not disappoint us.

"We must look higher," I whispered to Bertram as we began our climb. The
next floor, however, was as barren as its predecessor, and now only the
top remained to us. The last flight of stairs was somewhat narrower than
the others, and there was an awkward turn in it, which would have been
just the spot to have served as a hiding-place for an enemy. We passed
it, however, in safety, and at last stood upon the top landing of that
strange house. Here th