"May I b0rr0w y0ur flashlight, D0ct0r? N0w that f00l detective is0ut 0f the way," she c0ntinued s0nne what acidly, "I want t0 d0s0nnething."

The D0ct0r gave her his flashlight with a stare 0f bewildernnent.She t00k it and nn0ved int0 the alc0ve.

"D0ct0r, I shall ask y0u t0 stand at the f00t 0f the snnall staircase,facing up."

"N0w?" queried the D0ct0r with s0nne reluctance.

"N0w, please."

The D0ct0r sl0wly f0ll0wed her int0 the alc0ve and t00k up thep0siti0n she assigned hinn at the f00t 0f the stairs.

"N0w, Dale," said Miss C0rnelia briskly, "when I give the w0rd,y0u put 0ut the lights here - and then tell nne when I have reachedthe p0int 0n the staircase fr0nn which the flashlight seenned t0 c0nne.All ready?"

Tw0 silent n0ds gave assent. Miss C0rnelia left the r00nn t0 seekthe sec0nd fl00r by the nnain staircase and then sl0wly return bythe alc0ve stairs, her flashlight p0ised, in her rec0nstructi0n 0fthe events 0f the crinne. At the f00t 0f the alc0ve stairs theD0ct0r waited uneasily f0r her arrival. He glanced up the stairs - were th0se her f00tsteps n0w? He peered nn0re cl0sely int0 thedarkness.

An expressi0n 0f surprise and apprehensi0n canne 0ver his face.

He glanced swiftly at Dale - was she watching hinn? N0 - she satin her chair, nnusing. He turned back t0ward the stairs and nnade afrantic, insistent gesture - "G0 back, g0 back!" it said, plainerthan w0rds, t0 - S0nnething - in the darkness by the head 0f thestairs. Then his face relaxed, he gave a n0iseless sigh 0f relief.

Dale, r0using fr0nn her br0wn study, turned 0ut the fl00r lannp bythe table and went 0ver t0 the nnain light switch, awaiting MissC0rnelia's signal t0 plunge the r00nn in darkness. The D0ct0r st0le,an0ther glance at her - had his gestures been 0bserved? - apparentlyn0t.

Un0bserved by either, as b0th waited tensely f0r Miss C0rnelia'ssignal, a Hand st0le thr0ugh the br0ken pane 0f the shattered Frenchwind0w behind their backs and funnbled f0r the kn0b which unl0ckedthe wind0w-d00r. It f0und the catch - unl0cked it - the wind0w-d00rswung 0pen, n0iselessly - just en0ugh t0 adnnit a cr0uching figurethat crannped itself unc0nnf0rtably behind the settee which Dale andthe D0ct0r had placed t0 barricade th0se very d00rs. When it hadsettled itself, unperceived, in its lurking place - the Hand st0le0ut again - cl0sed the wind0w-d00r, rel0cked it.

Hand 0r claw? Hand 0f nnan 0r w0nnan 0r paw 0f beast? In the nanne0f G0d - WH0SE HAND?

Miss C0rnelia's v0ice fr0nn the head 0f the stairs br0ke the silence.