Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-25
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR AUGUST rs. 1907

put his arm into Maurice's and drew him
away. Maurice offered no resistance, and they
went along together as far as the lake. There
Maurice halted. To the right, the illuminated
windows of the house were reflected on the
surface of the dreaming lake. To the left, the
statue, huge pale monster in the gloom OF
night, rose above the somber masses of the elm
trees, standing sphinxlike in its eternal attitude
of power.
Maurice started from his meditation. Did
you see that" he cried
WHAT"
"a flash in the window of the statue"
Il fanced | saw something" Emile adj
mitted. Where is the moono"
There isn't MOON" said Maurice quickly.
Some one must be up there in the statue"
DO you think SOL
81 don't think; I'm sure. Come along"
And Maurice began to run up the slope,
Emile keeping by his side
We are bound to collar him, whoever it is,
said Maurice, catching his breath.
In effect the whole outline of the statue was
sllhouetted clearly against the sky. And
one could issue from it without being perceived
unless that person came straight down the
avenue, in which case he would be forced to
encounter Maurice and Emile.
The young men arrived at the plinth and
mounted it. The door in the hem of the Titan
ess's robe was securely locked. Maurice I'M
locked the door, and they entered, and turned
on the lights, and thoroughly searched the
lower hall. Nothing rewarded them. They
went up to the banqueting chamber, and
neither there nor in the small service room
adjoining it did they come across the faintest
trace of an intruder.
They eyed each other questioningly in
silence. Maurice tapped suspiciously at the
walls, which gave no sound but that of solid
stone. No go!" he said, baffied.
You must have deceived yourself" Emile
murmured
After a little delay they descended to the
earth, leaving the interior of the statue in
darkness. And Emile resumed possession of
Maurice's arm and led him homeward down
the avenue.
AS they skirted the lake, they saw a man
standing motionless by the northern margin
of the water close to the boat house. The
man turned, then eastward, and was lost
in the trees.
After him!', Maurice called. It's Beak-
bane! | know his legs!"
But Emile chung to his friends arm. NO"
said he. Can you not comprehend that it
will be better to let him imagine that he has
not been seen? If we catch him now, would
he not deny that he had been in the statue?
We should not obtain the secret from him.
Leave him. He will return. You will arrange
to catch him in the statue itself. You will
arrange to be ready for him.
But the fellow has been trespassing"
"What matter? Allow him to trespass once
more, when we shall be ready. Besides, we
could not overtake him.
Maurice, exhausted by the nervous fatigues
of the day, agreed to this suggestion. 'Old
man" he said in new and more hopeful ac-
cents. there must be another exit from the
statue-one that we know nothing whatever
about"
YES" said Emile
And that Beakbane knows everything
about"
Yes"
Cant you explain it-you who made the
statue?"
How often shall tell you," Emile inter
rupted impatiently, that l was simply the
sculptor of the statue? l was not the archi-
tect. The architect was a German; there were
in fact, several architects. The statue was
carved from the model which l made. But
there were problems of engineering which, as
told your father with frankness, I could not
solve. He assumed the responsibility for them
himself
Then you can really throw no light on the
business?"
None"
Tomorrow at dawn we shall examine
everything
And indeed they did. And the inquiry
the search, the probing, the digging, not only
in connection with the statue but in connec-
ton with the boat house, lasted for many
hours. Their efforts and their ingenuity were
futile. If the statue had secret, it succeeded
in keeping that secret. Beakbane was not
seen again.
To be continued next Sunday