day, the
thing was surer than ever. It did not require any deep intelligence to
determine when Storri would act. Next I followed him up the drain; and
later to Steamboat Dan's. That visit to Dan's so reduced the business
that nothing was left but the question of when to make the collar."

"What yacht was that?" asked Richard.

"It belongs to a fat-witted rich young fellow from whom Storri borrowed
it. Steamboat Dan is aboard; he went out in the skiff he spoke of. When
he's tied her up and his gang's ashore, I'll wire the fat-witted one to
come and claim his boat."

Inspector Val never breathed a hint concerning Storri's ebon purpose of
abduction, and how he meant to fire the Harley house and then kidnap
Dorothy in the confusion certain to be an incident of flames and smoke
at four o'clock in the morning. This reticence arose from the delicacy
of Inspector Val. The relation could not fail to leave a most unpleasant
impression upon Richard, and Inspector Val decided to suppress it for
the nonce.

"I'll keep it a year and a day," thought Inspector Val; "then I'll tell
him."

Richard adopted the counsel of Inspector Val, and did not accompany that
gentleman of secrets to Grant Place. It was the half hour after midnight
when Inspector Val climbed the Warmdollar steps, and strenuously pulled
the bell. The latter appurtenance was one of those old-fashioned
knob-and-wire tocsins, and its clangorous voice was calculated to
arouse, not only the house whereof it was a fixture, but the
neighborhood round about. Inspector Val's second pull at this ancient
engine brought Mr. Warmdollar, something bleary and stupid to be sure,
but wide awake for Mr. Warmdollar. Once inside the hallway, Inspector
Val told Mr. Warmdollar that he was a police agent, showed that
ex-representative the gold badge glimmering beneath his coat, and
concluded by informing him that all might not be well in the San Reve's
room. Inspector Val did what he could to frighten Mr. Warmdollar. It was
necessary to tame that householder to docility, and what should achieve
this sooner than a great fright? At the fearful hints of Inspector
Val--they were in his manner more than in his words--the purple nose of
Mr. Warmdollar became a disastrous gray. Beholding this encouraging
symptom, Inspector Val delayed no longer, but bid him beat upon the San
Reve's door. This Mr. Warmdollar, nervous and shaken, did with
earnestness, not once but twice. Nobody responded; after e