in an instant and bec

d around, but Ned

hat Jack means before any

in a whisper, "the servant

this at first hand. Is the servant you refer

e door an inch

Ned, with the door still

rtment, "you get as close as you wish while this man is talking, but don't interrupt. It may be that we shall have to do something ri

k to the door, looking from one boyish face to another. He was a heavily bui

me over here and si

ed and the others

just told me-about the man in the atti

ed toward the lofty ceiling, but nothing

under the ornamental brass piece that circles the rod from which the chan

d starter," Ned s

maids, Mary Murphy it was, and she was that scared she looked like a bag of flo

ter one of the girls, why should I risk the precious neck of me, when it's the only one I've got, with no

, fearful of a long, involved dialogue betw

' bumped the head of me on the edge of the door at

you find the

oor, and a twinkle of light shining into the attic

saw n

'm that sorry I

attic before-the last

rday aftern

middle of the floor at

a bold lion in the midd

u do after you got

en lying there listening to the talk in

ere at the time the listening must have bee

one," was

he now? That is, tell, i

has left the house, I r

anded Jack, movin

nk, may the Evil On

ack?" asked Ned. "As soon as you learn

within a minut

ng to Jack. "We must get hold of her right away. I

retty, modest maid of about eighteen. She looked frightened at finding

the door of that room I heard some one inside of it. I listened at the crack there is between the panel and the stile and h

d her face with a white

ed. "Tell us what yo

ash of dark blue, coming at me like the lightning express, and t

u, did he?" asked

here being only the light from the hall as I opened the door. Then he

followed?"

t!" chuckled the servant wh

rs leading to this floor, and I picked up the great shears which had tumbled out of

ed Jack with a smile.

them!" answered the gir

say you saw a blue streak coming at you, head

u, the Ch

ssed in blue to-

rrupted, "with his shirt on the outside of

and failed to find him on

e," answered Terance, the

ly know that it was th

Chink," was the reply. "H

?" asked Ned, facing Ter

eply. "He doesn't know t

the house, or he may be at some of the dens such people frequent. You, Mary, look for him in t

ied Jimmie. "Look

aimed. "Look in the du

d caught in the attic. Asking the boys to remain where they were, Ned went out to the staircase and s

t, then cried out that there was blood on

hit the fellow on the head with this blade. What e

t out of the door for an instant, and they heard him calling to Mary,

Mary?" demanded Jac

boy asked. "Or, she said it was a man dress

looked at the

he asked. "Why are you

in

nto Ned's face wit

he Chink," he said. "Just you look on that blad

ssed of almost human intelligence!" The lads gathered closer around the shears, one blade of which

a shingle and brought away a piece of it! Now, why d

liver. "That's what you'd better be asking? Why di

em to have reasoned it all out. He might have let the sneak in and then let

ct of it?" asked Oliver. "If he was scared away half an hour ago he did

gton knows that we have been chosen to search the mountains for the prince! Some one knows that we are going out as an innocent-looking B

," Jimmie broke in, "is

have been able to do things which the Secret Service men could not do. No one would pay much attention to a g

we find the Chink and make him point ou