ere
is a gate at the foot of the steps (they are some of the original steps
of the priory, Dr. Petrie), and another gate at the head."

He paused, and smiled around upon us boyishly.

"My secret defenses remain to be mentioned," he resumed; and, opening a
cupboard, he pointed to a row of batteries, with a number of electric
bells upon the wall behind. "The more vulnerable spots are connected
at night with these bells," he said triumphantly. "Any attempt to
scale the barbed wire or to force either gate would set two or more of
these ringing. A stray cow raised one false alarm," he added, "and a
careless rook threw us into a perfect panic on another occasion."

He was so boyish--so nervously brisk and acutely sensitive--that it was
difficult to see in him the hero of the Nan-Yang hospital. I could
only suppose that he had treated the Boxers' raid in the same spirit
wherein he met would-be trespassers within the precincts of Redmoat.
It had been an escapade, of which he was afterwards ashamed, as,
faintly, he was ashamed of his "fortifications." "But," rapped Smith,
"it was not the visit of the burglar which prompted these elaborate
precautions."

Mr. Eltham coughed nervously.

"I am aware," he said, "that having invoked official aid, I must be
perfectly frank with you, Mr. Smith. It was the burglar who was
responsible for my continuing the wire fence all round the grounds, but
the electrical contrivance followed, later, as a result of several
disturbed nights. My servants grew uneasy about someone who came, they
said, after dusk. No one could describe this nocturnal visitor, but
certainly we found traces. I must admit that.

"Then--I received what I may term a warning. My position is a peculiar
one--a peculiar one. My daughter, too, saw this prowling person, over
by the Roman castrum, and described him as a yellow man. It was the
incident in the train following closely upon this other, which led me
to speak to the police, little as I desired to--er--court publicity."

Nayland Smith walked to a window, and looked out across the sloping
lawn to where the shadows of the shrubbery lay. A dog was howling
dismally somewhere.

"Your defenses are not impregnable, after all, then?" he jerked. "On
our way up this evening Mr. Denby was telling us about the death of his
collie a few nights ago."

The clergyman's face clouded.

"That, certainly, was alarming," he confessed.

"I had been in London for a few