then with a breath of relief jumped from the kitchen window again
into the light and air of day. As I did so I could swear I heard a
door within that old house swing on its hinges and softly close. With
a thrill I recognized the fact that it came from the cellar.

* * * *

My thoughts on the road back to Melville were many and conflicting.
Chief above them all, however, rose the comfortable conclusion that
in the pursuit of one mysterious affair, I had stumbled, as is often
the case, upon the clue to another of yet greater importance, and by
so doing got a start that might yet redound greatly to my advantage.
For the reward offered for the recapture of the Schoenmakers was
large, and the possibility of my being the one to put the authorities
upon their track, certainly appeared after this day's developements,
open at least to a very reasonable hope. At all events I determined
not to let the grass grow under my feet till I had informed the
Superintendent of what I had seen and heard that day in the old haunt
of these two escaped convicts.

Arrived at the public house in Melville, and learning that Mr. Blake
had safely returned there an hour before, I drew the landlord to one
side and asked what he could tell me about that old house of the two
noted robbers Schoenmaker, I had passed on my way back among the
hills.

"Wa'al now," replied he, "this is curious. Here I've just been
answering the gentleman up stairs a heap of questions concerning that
self same old place, and now you come along with another batch of
them; just as if that rickety old den was the only spot of interest we