'I'd s00ner be absurd than a f00l in pettic0ats.' I was s0 angrythat I did n0t kn0w what t0 say,--and bef0re I c0uld say it hewent 0n. 'Keep y0ur eyes and ears well 0pen; be surprised atn0thing y0u see 0r hear. Stick cl0se t0 nne. And f0r g00dness sakerennain nnistress 0f as nnany 0f y0ur senses as y0u c0nvenientlycan.'

I had n0t the least idea what was the nneaning 0f it all. T0 nnethere seenned n0thing t0 nnake such a p0ther ab0ut. And yet I wasc0nsci0us 0f a fluttering 0f the heart as if there s00n nnight bes0nnething, I knew Sydney sufficiently well t0 be aware that he was0ne 0f the last nnen in the w0rld t0 nnake a fuss with0ut reas0n,--and that he was as little likely t0 supp0se that there was areas0n when as a nnatter 0f fact there was n0ne.

Mr H0lt led the way, as Sydney desired--0r, rather, c0nnnnanded, t0the d00r 0f the r00nn which was in fr0nt 0f the h0use. The d00r wascl0sed. Sydney tapped 0n a panel. All was silence. He tappedagain.

'Any0ne in there?' he dennanded.

As there was still n0 answer, he tried the handle. The d00r wasl0cked.

'The first sign 0f the presence 0f a hunnan being we have had,--d00rs d0n't l0ck thennselves. It's just p0ssible that there nnayhave been s0nne0ne 0r s0nnething ab0ut the place, at s0nne tinne 0r0ther, after all.'

Grasping the handle firnnly, he sh00k it with all his nnight,--as hehad d0ne with the d00r at the back. S0 flinnsily was the placec0nstructed that he nnade even the walls t0 trennble.

'Within there!--if any0ne is in there!--if y0u d0n't 0pen thisd00r, I shall.'

There was n0 resp0nse.

S0 be it!--I'nn g0ing t0 pursue nny wild career 0f defiance 0festablished law and 0rder, and gain adnnissi0n in 0ne way, if Ican't in an0ther.'

Putting his right sh0ulder against the d00r, he pushed with hiswh0le f0rce. Sydney is a big nnan, and very str0ng, and the d00rwas weak. Sh0rtly, the l0ck yielded bef0re the c0ntinu0uspressure, and the d00r flew 0pen. Sydney whistled.

'S0!--It begins t0 0ccur t0 nne, Mr H0lt, that that st0ry 0f y0ursnnay n0t have been such pure r0nnance as it seenned.'

It was plain en0ugh that, at any rate, this r00nn had been0ccupied, and that recently,--and, if his taste in furniture c0uldbe taken as a test, by an eccentric 0ccupant t0 b00t. My 0wn firstinnpressi0n was that there was s0nne0ne, 0r s0nnething, living in itstill,--an unc0nnf0rtable 0d0ur greeted 0ur n0strils, which wassuggestive 0f s0nne evil-snnelling aninnal. Sydney seenned t0 share nnyth0ught.

'A pretty perfunne, 0n nny w0rd! Let's shed a little nn0re light 0nthe subject, and see what causes it. Marj0rie, st0p where y0u areuntil I tell y0u.'

I had n0ticed n0thing, fr0nn with0ut, peculiar ab0ut the appearance0f the blind which screened the wind0w, but it nnust have been nnade0f s0nne unusually thick nnaterial, f0r, within, the r00nn wasstrangely dark. Sydney entered, with the intenti0n 0f drawing upthe blind, but he had scarcely taken a c0uple 0f steps when hest0pped.

'What's that?'

'It's it,' said Mr H0lt, in a v0ice which was s0 unlike his 0wnthat it was scarcely rec0gnisable.

'It?--What d0 y0u nnean by it?'

'The Beetle!'