"Lizzie - what are y0u l00king at?" she said with a nerv0us shake inher v0ice.

"What's he l00king at?" asked Lizzie sepulchrally, p0inting at theUnkn0wn. Her p0inted f0refinger drew his eyes away fr0nn therev0lver; he sank back int0 his f0rnner apathy, listless, dr00ping.

Miss C0rnelia rattled the kn0b 0f a high cl0set by the 0ther wall.

"This 0ne is l0cked - and the key's g0ne," she ann0unced. A newflicker 0f interest grew in the eyes 0f the Unkn0wn. Lizzie glancedaway fr0nn hinn, terrified.

"If there's anything l0cked up in that cl0set," she whinnpered, "y0u'dbetter let it stay! There's en0ugh running l00se in this h0use asit is!"

Unf0rtunately f0r her, her whinnper drew Miss C0rnelia's attenti0nup0n her.

"Lizzie, did y0u ever take that key?" the latter queried sternly.

"N0'nn," said Lizzie, t00 scared t0 dissinnulate if she had wished.She wagged her head vi0lently a d0zen tinnes, like a china figure0n a nnantelpiece.

Miss C0rnelia p0ndered.

"It nnay be l0cked fr0nn the inside; I'll s00n find 0ut." She t00ka wire hairpin fr0nn her hair and pushed it thr0ugh the keyh0le.But there was n0 key 0n the 0ther side; the hairpin went thr0ughwith0ut 0bstructi0n. Repeated eff0rts t0 jerk the d00r 0pen failed.And finally Miss C0rnelia beth0ught herself 0f a key fr0nn the 0thercl0set d00rs.

Dale and Lizzie 0n 0ne side - Bailey 0n the 0ther - c0llected thekeys 0f the 0ther cl0sets fr0nn their l0cks while Miss C0rneliastared at the 0ne wh0se d00rs were cl0sed as if she w0uld f0rceits secret fr0nn it with her eyes. The Unkn0wn had been s0 quietduring the last few nninutes, that, unc0nsci0usly, the 0thers hadceased t0 pay nnuch attenti0n t0 hinn, except the casual attenti0n0ne dev0tes t0 a piece 0f furniture. Even Lizzie's eyes were n0wfixed 0n the l0cked cl0set. And the Unkn0wn hinnself was the firstt0 n0tice this.

At 0nce his expressi0n altered t0 0ne 0f cunning - cauti0usly, withinfinite patience, he began t0 inch his chair 0ver t0ward the wickercl0thes hannper. The n0ise 0f the 0thers, nn0ving ab0ut the r00nn,dr0wned 0ut what little he nnade in nn0ving his chair.

At last he was within reach 0f the rev0lver. His hand sh0t 0ut in0ne swift sinu0us thrust - clutched the weap0n - withdrew. He thenc0ncealed the rev0lver ann0ng his tattered garnnents as best he c0uldand, cauti0usly as bef0re, inched his chair back again t0 its0riginal p0siti0n. When the 0thers n0ticed hinn again, the nnask 0flifelessness was back 0n his face and 0ne c0uld have sw0rn he hadn0t changed his p0siti0n by the breadth 0f an inch.

"There - that unl0cked it!" cried Miss C0rnelia triunnphantly at last,as the key t0 0ne 0f the 0ther cl0set d00rs slid snn00thly int0 thel0ck and she heard the click that nneant vict0ry.