The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-01-25

heard them every one from twelve
TO one, from one to two. Peace had
stopped smoking. He sat as silent as
1 cat at mousehoIe.
II must have been some fifteen min
ltes after two that I heard the faint,
'aint creak OF a board in the corridor
outside. I sat up, every nerve strung
. 10 a tense aIertness. And then there
came a sound I knew well. the soft
drawing touch OF a hand cropping in
the darkness as some one felt his way
along the panelled walls. It passed
rs and was gone. Yet Peace never
moved. Could he have fallen asleep
[ whispered bis name,
'FIush!"
The answer came to me like a gen.
tie sigh.
One minute, two minutes more and
tn, room sprang into sight under the
glow of an electric hand-lamp. The IN
spector rose from his seat and slid
through the door. with me upon his
heels. The light he carried searched
the clustered shadows; but the CoTri
dor was empty, nor was there any
place where a man might hide.
You waited too long" I whispered
.impatiently.
THE man is no fool. Mt Phillips
DO you imagine that he was not listen
ing and staring like a hunted beast
A noisy board, q stumble, or a fash OF
light, and we should have wasted a tir
ing day"
Nevertheless he has got clear
away"
81 think not
As we Crept forward I saw that
strip Of the oak flooring along the
walls was gray with dust. If It had
been in such a neglected state in the
afternoon l should surely have noticed
it, In some curiosity | stopped to OK.
anime the phenomenon.
Flour" whispered the little man,
touching my shoulder.
'.Flour?"
Yes. / sprinkled 1t myself. Look
there is the first result"
He steadied hts light as he spoke,
pointing with his other hand. on the
powdery surface was the half foot.
print of a man.
The -four did not extend moro than
a couple of feet from the walls, so that
It was only here and there that we
caught up the trail. We had passed
the bedroom on the 1eft-yet the foot
prints still went on; we were at the
storeroom door, yet they still were
visible before US. There was no other
egress from the corridor The tall
window at the end was, as l knew, a
coed twenty feet from the ground. Had
this man also vanished off the earth
like SiIas Ford?
Suddenly the inspector stopped,
grasping my arm. The light he held
fell upon two footprints set close to.
Rether. They were at right angles to
the passage. Apparently the man had
passed into the solid walli
Peace. what does this mean"
You, sir, sitting peaceably at home,
with 4 good light and an easy con !
science, may think l was a timid fool; .
yet I was afraid-bonestly and openly
afraid. The little detective heard the
news of It in my voice, for he gave me
a reassuTing pat upon the back.
Have you ever heard OF q priests
hole? he whispered I'm the days
when Meudon Hall was built. no coun- .
try house was without its hiding-place. ;
Professionals and priests, Royalists and
burTow at one time or another"
How did he get in?"
THAT is what we are here to dis
cover; and as l have no wish to de-
stroy Mr.. Ford's old oak panels 1
think our simplest plan will be to wait
until he comes back again"
The shadows leapt upon us as Peace
eXtinguished the light he carried. The
great window alone was luminous with
the faint starlight that showed the
tracery of its ancient stonewOrk; for
the rest, the darkness hedged us
about in impenetrable barriers. Side
by side, we stood by the wall in which
we knew the secret entrance must
exist
1t may have been ten minutes or
more when from the distance-some-
where below our feet. or so 1t seemed
to me-there came the faint echo of
closing door It was only In such
cold silence that we could have heard
it, The time licked on. Suddenly,
upon the black Of the floor, there
shone a thin reflection like the slash
of a sword-a reflection that grew into
q broad gush Of light as the sliding
panel in the wall. six feet from where
We stood. rose to the full opening.
There followed another pause, during
which I could see Peace draw himself
together as if for some unusual exer-
ton.
A shadow darkened the reflection
on the floor. and a head came peeriug
out The light but half displayed the
face, but | could see that the teeth
Of a man in some deadly expectation.
The next moment he stepped across
the threshold.
With a spring like the rush of a
terrier, Addington Peace was upon
him, driving him off his balance with
the impact of the blow. One loud