arriage.

Nick readily suspected the true reason for the delay.

"They are waiting until dark," he observed to Chick. "They don't want
our arrival at Venner's house to be observed. A crafty dog, this
Kilgore!"

"That he is."

"Never mind. Darkness will serve us best, as well as them."

"Hark! There's a carriage."

Nick glanced from the front window.

"A landau!" he muttered, with grim satisfaction. "Yes, and with Spotty
Dalton on the seat. I know him, despite his disguise. Come on, Chick!
There's rough work to be done in the next two hours."

CHAPTER XIX.

HANDS SHOWED DOWN.

Spotty Dalton stood at the door of the open carriage when Nick and Chick
emerged from the house, still clad in the character of Hindoos.

"Are you sent here by Mr. Venner?" inquired Nick.

Dalton touched the cloth cap drawn low over his brow, and stroked his
dark, false beard as he replied:

"Yes, sir," said he, half in his throat. "You're the interpreter, I take
it."

"At your service."

"I'm a bit late, but it couldn't be helped. We'll not be long in getting
there."

"Time does not matter to the great Pandu Singe," replied Nick, as he
followed Chick into the open landau. "The night is still long."

"It'll be infernally long for you two meddlers," Dalton grimly said to
himself, as he banged the carriage door and mounted to the box.

Then they rolled rapidly away toward a northern suburb of the city.

The dusk of evening was already deepening to darkness, a gloom more
noticeable far up in the heavens than among the myriad of lights in the
city streets. For not a star was visible in the murky sky, and away in
the west huge banks of inky clouds were sweeping up toward the zenith,
indicating the rapid approach of a sudden storm.

"Do you think it is going to rain, driver?" called Nick, from the rear
seat of the carriage.

"Not soon," Dalton turned to answer; and then he added with grim
significance, which he did not dream would be appreciated: "Whether it
rains or not, you'll be brought back home in a closed carriage."

"It's my private opinion that the boot will be on the other leg,"
thought Nick, smiling faintly at the scoundrel's grim levity.

For Dalton had implied that Nick would be brought back in a hearse.

From that time but few words were spoken during the ride, though the
detectives occasionally passed a remark in their meaningless lingo,
merely to keep up appearances.

At eight o'clock they had left