The spectator., 1922-05-02
who had come back7 That, though
 not impossible, seemed improbable.


 not impossible. seemed improbable.
 Alan stopped quickly, unlaced and stripped off his shoes, and ran out into the hall to the head of the stairs. where he looked down and listened. From here the sound of some one mov- ing about came to him distinctly; he could see no light below, but when he ran down to the turn of the stairs, 1t became plain that there was very dim and fiickering light in the library. He crept on farther down the stair case. His hands were cold and moist from his excitement, and his body was hot and trembling.
 Whoever it was that was moving about downstairs, even if he was not one who had a right to be there, at least felt secure from interruption. He was going with heavy step from window to window; where he found shade up. he pulled it down brusquely and with violence which suggested great strength under a nervous strain: a shade, which had been pulled down, flew up, and the man damned 1t as though 1t had startled him; then. after an instant, he pulled 1t down again.
 Alan crept still farther down and at last caught sight of him. He was Il big, young-looking man. with broad shoulders and very evident vlgor; Alan guessed his age at thirty-five: he was handsome-he had straight forehead over daring. deep-set eyes; his nose. lips and chin were power and very carefully dressed. The light hy which Alan saw these things came from fiat little pocket searchlight that the man carried in one hand, which threw little brilliant circle of light as he directed it; and now. as the light chanced to fall on his other hand-powerful and heavily muscled Alan recollected the look and size of the finger prints on the chest of drawers upstairs. He did not doubt that this was the same man who had gone through the desk; but since he had already rified the desks, what did he want here now? As the man moved out of sight. Alan crept on down as far as the door to the library; the man had gone on into the rear room. and Alan went far enough into the library so he could see him.
 He had pulled open one of the draw. CTS in the big table in the rear room and with his light held so high as to show what was in 1t. he was tumbling over its contents and examining them. He went through one after another of the drawers of the table like this: after examining them, he rose and kicked the last one shut disgustedly; he stood looking about the room ques- tioningly, then he started toward the front room.
 He had, as yet, neither seen nor heard anything to alarm him. and as he went to the desk in the front room and peered impatiently into the draw CTS, he slammed them shut. one after another. He straightened and stared about. "D-n Ben! D-n Ben" he calculated violently and returned to the rear room. Alan. again following
 
 of one of the drawers under the book cases. As he continued searching through the drawers. his irritation be- came greater and greater. He jerked one drawer entirely out of it's case, and the contents flew in every direc- tion; swearing at it, he gathered up the letters. One suddenly caught his attention; he began reading 1t closely, then snapped 1t back into the drawer, crammed the rest on top of 1t, and went on to the next of the files. He searched in this manner through half a dozen drawers. plainly finding noth- ing at all he wanted he dragged some of the books from their cases. felt be- hind them and showed back some of the books but dropped others on the floor and blasphemy burst from him. The beam of light from the torch in his hand swayed aside and back and forth. Without warning. suddenly it caught Alan as he stood in the dark of the front room; and as the dim white circle of light gleamed into AL ans face. the man>looked that way and saw him.
 The effect of this upon the man was so strange and so bewildering to Alan that Alan could only stare at him. The big man seemed to shrink into himself and to shrink back and away from Alan. He roared out something in a below thick with fear and hor- TOT; he seemed to choke with terror. There was nothing in his look akin to mere surprise or alarm at realizing that another was there and had been seeing and overhearing him. The light which he still gripped swayed back and forth and showed him Alan again, and he raised his arm before his face as he recoiled.
 The consternation of the man was so complete that it checked Alans rush toward him; he halted, then advanced silently and Watchfully As he went