Weagle waved his hand.

"That's all we want," said he with a laugh. "Give us the right ones
and we'll make no complaint. And now, if you have nothing more to say,
I'll say good-night."

They parted with the superintendent in the corridor; then Ashton-Kirk
led the way into a room where some police officials and a number of
young men were lounging about.

"Oh, how are you?" greeted a stout sergeant, affably. "And how's the
work?"

While the investigator was speaking to the sergeant, one of the
alert-looking young men approached.

"Pardon," said he. "But is there anything you'd like to say to the
_Star?_"

"No," replied Ashton-Kirk.

"You are working on the Hume case, are you not?" asked the reporter
with professional insistence.

"Oh, I have had a little interest in it as an outsider, that is all,"
returned the other. "However," as he was passing through with
Pendleton, "I can give you a piece of official police news on the
case, which I just got from the superintendent. After to-night the
guard will be removed from Hume's place. Weagle thinks the regular
policeman on the beat is all that is needed from now on."

As they left the building by the main door, Pendleton said:

"A little while ago, I rashly promised to ask no more questions. If
you'll release me from that, I'll unburden myself of one or two which
will otherwise keep me awake to-night."

"Go ahead," said Ashton-Kirk with a smile.

"Why," asked Pendleton, "do you want the police called off at Hume's?
and why should we place ourselves on watch instead?"

"At the very first we made up our minds that the men who murdered Hume
were in search of something, didn't we? Up to this time I have been
unable to say whether they had succeeded or not. Now, however, I am
convinced that they failed."

"Ah!"

"To-morrow the newspapers will announce that Hume's place is to be no
longer guarded. It may be that the criminals are desperate enough to
venture another visit in order to gain possession of the thing they
covet. If they do, we shall be awaiting them."

"But how do you know that they failed of their object on the night of
the murder?"

"You and I," said Ashton-Kirk, laughingly, "are perhaps going to spend
considerable time in Christie Place, beginning with to-morrow evening.
And while there we may find it dull enough, old boy; a little
amusement of a practical sort might not be found out of place. So I'll
not answer your question now; I'll allow