The Jennings daily record., 1902-09-16
CHAPTER TX.
The Sliding Panel.

Inc Slldlng fanel.
"Well, we are here" said Tempest,
standing with the lantern in bis hand.
1--WE own the caverns. what are we
going to do with them?"
"1he first thing" said Medworth, "is
to destroy this powder train, and take
precautions that the magazine is not
blown up while we are in here"
They spent a half hour at this work,
and when they considered the maga-
zine safe. they began an ex .mination
Of their surroundings.
Not far from the powder magazine
they found rude stone stairway
running from a central position In the
cellar to an abrupt termination against
a wooden door, what seemed to be
one at the top.
Upon examining the wall at the
top, they found that what had seemed
to be a door had no knob, and no ap-
parent way of opening it.
This door, If it is door" said
Tempest, was never made to open"
There must be a secret spring"
said Medworth. Surely the stairs are
not here for nothing. II force cannot
open the door let us look for SPRING
They began careful examination OF
the surface Of the door, and the walls
around it. going over every inch with
their finger ends, Tempest holding the
lantern to facilitate the search.
'Ha! Here is something said Med
worth. "A button"
| He pushed. pulled and twisted this.
, but to no purpose.
Il am convinced that this button
opens the door," he said. "Now, while
l manipulate it, you push the door. 1t
| may be out Of order"
| He tried again. and Tempest, putting
his strength to the door. had no diff
| Guilty in opening it.
Now be careful" said Medworth.
They passed through the open door,
and found themselves in a narrow pas
sage, entirely destitute of furniture
and perfectly dark save for the rays of
the lantern.
There was no other door to this place
than the one they had come through.
| but at the other end they found what
seemed to be panel in the wall From
the side they We're on it could be easi-
ly noticed, and Medworth marveled
that the trick was not more skillfully
done.
He placed his hand on this panel.
and found that it slid noiselessly to
the left.
Before them was large. sumptuous-
ly furnished library, the table of which
was strewn with papers and maps, and
the air heavy with tobacco smoke
though no person was visible. A lamp
shed a gloomy sort of light over the
apartment. After making themselves
certain that there was no one in the
room, Medworth and Tempest weni in.
There was door opening from thi"
room into a wide hall. Peering out
into this, they saw, at the further END,
sentinel standing, leaning on his gun.
Metworth now examined the sliding
panel He found that. rude as the con-
trivance was on the other side, here it
was most carefully executed thing
1t was simply one of any number OF
panels that ornamented the walls OF
the room, and whenA' Closed could not
tion from any Of the others. >.
. Medworth counted, them, and found
that the sliding panel was the fifth
from either end, being exactly half
| way.
They would have turned their atten-
tion to other thin.s,, but hearing foot
steps they sprang into the hiding-place
and closed the panel. - = .sl,t
| They distiActty heard TWO. men enter
the room .sr,,s u.~s; r.s,
Bending down, Medworth applied his
ear to the panel to listen to what was
said.
''lt is strange-a most inexplicaSle
thing Gars&." He heard some one cay.
II confess do not understand It,"
''Yosr majesty" was the reply. and
Nsdworth's heart, throbbed - he re-
oguised the voice d the rather OF the
giri hs loved. ''as fsr understaasins Il