ain he paused for a few
moments, and then, with the sweat standing in great beads upon his brow,
and the hair at his temples wet and clinging, he slowly, and without a
sound, inserted the key, turned it in the well oiled lock, and drew open
the door, which came toward him with a faint creak.

He stood there peering into the darkness of the narrow, passage-like
place, listening, and then came away to the other side of the room,
thrust off his boots, and went to the window, which he closed again, and
drew down the blind before going back to the door--entering, and walking
to the end, to stand listening at the panel in the darkness for some
minutes before he came out again, acting now with decision, as he went
to the door of exit from the room, and slipped the bolt.

Drawing a deep breath, he now hurried across to a little cabinet, from
which he drew a bright steel implement, and then, with his brow rugged
and his face looking old and worn, he was hurrying across back to the
door of the open closet, when he caught his unshod foot in a thick
Eastern rug, stumbled forward, and only saved himself from a heavy fall
by throwing himself into an easy-chair.

He rose, holding his left wrist as if it were sprained, and then stooped
to pick up the steel implement he had dropped on the carpet.

The change which came over the man was terrible as he stopped there,
fixed of eye, fascinated as it were, and unable to move, glaring at a
place on the carpet laid bare by the rug being kicked over. And a
minute must have elapsed before he could tear himself away and draw
himself up to hold the back of his hand across his eyes, as if to shut
out some horrible vision.

The sigh he heaved was hoarse and strange as he dropped his hand again,
and hurriedly drew the rug back into its former position.

That done, his mental strength seemed to return, and seizing the steel
tool, he listened for a moment, and then hurried into the dark,
passage-like closet.

At that moment there was a sharp double knock at the outer door, and,
active now as a cat, Stratton sprang into the room, listening to faintly
heard, descending steps.

Then, opening the inner door, he saw that there was a letter in the box,
and satisfied of the cause of the interruption, he closed and bolted the
inner door again, and once more crossed to the closet and entered.

Then, from out of the darkness, came sound after sound as if someone was
busy at work. Now it was the creak