Evening star., 1927-03-23

uteS. then he quietly opened th
door and looked down the hall
4 The lights We're turned low ant
not a sound broke the stiffness
Apparently the anthropologiSt and tht
man servant had retired Stepping in
side the room. he took from an inside
pocket the little metal box he always
carried. examined the snugly packed
tools it contained and made sure that
each was in good condition. Finally he
switched off the light, noiselessly
closed the door behind him and tiptoed
down the stairs.
Stealing down 4 corridor, through
the main part Of the house, he reached
the extension formed by the labora
tory He stopped at the door. tilted
his ear TO the keyhoie. and listened
carefully. II had occurred TO him that
DIR. Bin1ble might be at work, and an
encounter with his host would have
proved embarra ssing. His keen ears
detected no sounds. however, and in
another moment he had passed through
the door and was groning his way
across the floor Of the laboratory.
OF a sudden he stopped A faint
sound seemed TO come from the direc-
ton where the skeletons stood in their
glass-framed cages. He strained his
ears to catch q repetition, but none
taken. he knew how sounds are mag
nifled at night, and what he had heard
was probably nothing but rsle rafting
Gf wind0wpane or the creaking of IA
board under his foot.
He proceeded TO the opposite wall,
darting swift glances to left and right,
rs if half suspecting that some one
was lurking in the shadows. Again a
door swung noiselessly on its hinges,
and the Phantom glided down the
stairs leading TO the cellar. From his
hip pocket he took small electric
fash and let its beam play over the
floor while he looked for the entrance
TO the tunnel.
For q time he searched in vain,
tT2versing the length Of the murky
brick walls and carefully scanning
each square foot OF space without find
ing trace Of the opening. The mouth
Of the passage seemed TO have disap-
peaTed in the three or four hours that
had passed since he emerged from the
subterranean tube. He tried 20 locate
Il by tracing backward the course he
had followed in reaching the stairs,
but il proved difficult task, for he
had foun6ered about in total dark
ness. not daring TO use his fash for
fear OF attracting attention. He had
& hazy impression, however, that the
opening was in a diagonal line with
the foot Of the stairway.
TIE gleam Of Ills fash leaped over
the griny bricks. and presently he de-
tected q narrow 6ssure in the wall
It extended in q Guadranguiar course
and was barely wide enough to admit
a match or q nail. Inserting one of
the sharp-nosed tools from his metal
case, he pried outward and a narrow
portion Of the wall swung open. He
estw now that the little assures consti-
tuted the boundaries Of a. door. 1t was
composed OF bricks threaded on iron
rods and resembling in color and gem
erai appearance those in the surround
ing wall, and 1t was so deftly con-
cealed that only a careful search would
reveal its existence. Evidently it had
stood open when the Pha ntom crawled
out Of the tunnel, which explained
why he had not noticed 1t. He sus-
pected that the thoughtful anthropolo-
gist. not caring TO have too many out
Eiders discover the tunnel, had closed
Sc while the officers were searching the
front of the house.
The Phantom waited for few min
utes while a little Of the dank air in
the cellar found its way into the pas
rage. He did not relish the task ahead
og him, but he was determined to set
fle a point on which the doctor had
been singulariy evasiye. The problem
lie had set out to solve would be sim
lsiified to a great extent and he would
save himself needless efforts and loss
81 valuable time by ascertaining