The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-12-15

watched for an opportunity when you were
out Of the room to rob you. II they had
once discovered the existence Of the trap
door. the rest would be comparatively easy.
The only thing I don't understand is why
they should have troubled to cut the chain,
when they could have wound up the dia-
monds within reach. For. Of course, the
! person who committed the robbery must
have known all about your arrangements"
"But." he cried excitedly. Il was never
| out OF te room! is where the mystery
comes in!''
'Never out of the room % 1 echoed. oh!
| you must have been. 1t might be only for
. short time and you nave forgotten"
Il never left the ROOM" he repeated SOL
EMMY, from II o'clock yesterday morn
ing. when I returned from my office, until
. o'clock this forming: twenty-five hours
in all. I was very busy with some private
affairs. and I had my meals brought in TO
me and went early to bed"
'"Then." L said. 1.-THE thief must have
got In in the night when you were asleep"
THAT cannot be-" he replied. 'for the
| door of my room was locked on the inside
this morning. as / locked it last night be-
fore going to bed, and the window was
fastened. Besides. I am a light sleeper and
no one could have moved my bed away from
the trap door without rousing me. and 1t is
impossible to open the trap unless the bed
Bteuu Is DUS1Pu on Ouc SLUG.
I was nonplussed.
"IAnd you were in the room twenty-five
hours" I unused. and you say the cellar
has no ventilation whatever. so that II any
one had gained admittance to It before your
return home and remained shut up NIL night
they would be dead or unconscious by this
morning. No ore could keep his senses in
such a confined space for such a length OF
time. without having any fresh air.
at@A --.--- 49,. --.,11 - - L. -1~-A>I
eagerly. THAT is what made the place so
safe. You sec how inexplicable it is"
Then I went on. there is a chance We
may fnd the thief lying asphyxiated on the
floor Of the cellar. You could not have seen
very far into the darkness by the light Of
. candle" He started.
81 hadn't thought Of that" he said. "But
do you think any man would have risked
his life in such q way? Surely. when he
found his senses going he would have called
out for assistance7 Penal servitude is bet
ter than DEATH" I shrugged my shoulders.
Il do not know: some men are very obsti-
nate and will take any risk rather than be
caught. At all events We will go round and
have a look at the plnce: It is the only thing
I can suggest at present"
We set out for the Gray's Inn road to-
gether. buying q rope ladder on the way.
The room and the position OF the cellar
answered to the description given by Mr..
Moss. Locking the door as we entered. he
pushed the bed on one side and opened the
trap. The air that met us was damp and
noisome and I Involuntary drew back. 1t
was impossible that any one could have
lived twenty-five hours in it. For It is "a
~well-known scientific fact that expired air,
besides being short Of oxygen, Is charged
with carbon dioxide. watery vapor, and
other products. which no one can breathe
for any length Of time"
1 took a candle, and swinging It gently to
and fro I tried to look into the depths, quite