. Mr.
Shaw has been chloroformed, the servants knocked about like tenpins, and
Frank's emerald necklace has been stolen. We'll wait here for news."

"And so," the lieutenant said, looking Nestor in the eyes, "you were
waiting for the interests back of this thing to show their hand by trying
to get the papers."

"Yes," replied Nestor, "I had an idea the interests would try to do a
little stealing on their own hook."

"But if they have secured the papers--"

The lieutenant hesitated, and Nestor went on:

"If they have secured the papers, they know no more now than they did
before. They are not out after information concerning their own plots.
They are trying to reduce the outside supply of knowledge about their
movements."

"There was nothing said about papers being stolen, was there?" asked the
lieutenant. "Perhaps the necklace really was the point of attack."

Nestor turned to George Tolford.

"Do you know where Frank kept his necklace?" he asked.

"Sure I do," was the quick reply. "He kept it in a hinky-dinky little safe
up in his room. I told him he was foolish to take such a risk with it."

"Did he keep the safe locked?"

"Locked! Not half the time. He would rush in there, open it up, and then
run all over the house, leaving the door swinging."

Nestor and the lieutenant now left the room, after asking the boys to wait
there for a short time. Once out on the street, the lieutenant remarked:

"If the necklace was kept in Frank's room, why did the thief take the
pains to chloroform Mr. Shaw, who must have been in his own room?"

Nestor shrugged his shoulders for reply. That was a point he had already
considered. Again the lieutenant asked a question:

"If the papers had been taken, wouldn't that have been mentioned the very
first thing? Wouldn't Mr. Shaw think first of recovering them?"

"I don't know," replied Nestor. "The thing for us to do now is to find out
who it was that entered the Shaw house to-night, and what was taken
besides the necklace."

CHAPTER III.

HOW THE TRICK WAS TURNED.

Leaving the boys in the luxurious clubroom of the Black Bear Patrol, and
promising to keep them posted as to the situation by 'phone, Lieutenant
Gordon and Ned Nestor hastened in the direction of the Shaw residence,
only three blocks away. A surprise awaited them at the Shaw door.

When they mounted the marble steps to the front portal they were
astonished to see Jimmie McGraw standing in the shadow