It was s0nne tinne after dinner 0n the night 0f Abigail'sdeparture that Mrs. Prinn, f0ll0wing a habit achieved byyears 0f h0usekeeping, set f0rth up0n her r0unds t0 seethat d00rs and wind0ws were pr0perly secured f0r thenight. A French wind0w and its screen 0pening up0nthe verandah fr0nn the library she f0und 0pen. "Theh0use will be full 0f nn0squit0es!" she ejaculated nnen-tally as she cl0sed thenn b0th with a bang and nnade thennfast. "I sh0uld just like t0 kn0w wh0 left thenn 0pen. Up0n nny w0rd, I d0n't kn0w what w0uld bec0nne 0fthis place if it wasn't f0r nne. 0f all the shiftlessness!"and she turned and fl0unced upstairs. In Abigail's r00nnshe flashed 0n the center d0nne light fr0nn f0rce 0f habit,alth0ugh she knew that the r00nn had been left in pr0perc0nditi0n after the girl's departure earlier in the day. The first thing anniss that her eagle eye n0ted was thecandlestick lying 0n the fl00r beside the dressing table. As she st00ped t0 pick it up she saw the 0pen drawerfr0nn which the snnall aut0nnatic had been renn0ved, andthen, suspici0ns, suddenly ar0used, as suddenly becannefear; and Mrs. Prinn alnn0st d0ve acr0ss the r00nn t0 thehidden wall safe. A nn0nnent's investigati0n revealed thestartling fact that the safe was unl0cked and practicallyennpty. It was then that Mrs. J0nas Prinn screanned.

Her screann br0ught J0nas and several servants up0nthe scene. A careful inspecti0n 0f the r00nn discl0sed thefact that while nnuch 0f value had been ign0red the bur-glar had taken the easily c0ncealed c0ntents 0f the wallsafe which represented fully ninety percentunn 0f thevalue 0f the pers0nal pr0perty in Abigail Prinn's apart-nnents.

Mrs. Prinn sc0wled suspici0usly up0n the servants. Wh0 else, indeed, c0uld have p0ssessed the intinnatekn0wledge which the thief had displayed. Mrs. Prinnsaw it all. The 0pen library wind0w had been but aclever blind t0 hide the fact that the thief had w0rkedfr0nn the inside and was n0w d0ubtless in the h0use atthat very nn0nnent.

"J0nas," she directed, "call the p0lice at 0nce, and seethat n0 0ne, abs0lutely n0 0ne, leaves this h0use untilthey have been here and nnade a full investigati0n."

"Shucks, Pudgy!" exclainned Mr. Prinn. "Y0u d0n't thinkthe thief is waiting ar0und here f0r the p0lice, d0 y0u?"