But he was locked out now. He had no key. He must run the risk
of the fine rain and the chill of the night air.

He stepped. off the end of the porch and ran around the house.
It was to the roof of the rear porch that the marauder had
climbed. But peer as he might from down in the yard, Tom could
see no moving figure up there near the bathroom window. It was
pitch dark against the wall of the house.

He turned to glance up at the window of the sleeping room over
the garage where Koku was supposed to spend the night. But Tom
knew the giant was seldom there during the dark hours. He was as
much of a night-prowler as a wildcat or an owl.

There was no light there in any case. But Koku did not use a
light much. He could see in the dark, like a wild animal. Tom did
not want to call him. If he must have Koku's help, he would have
to climb the stairs to his bedside. The giant always aroused as
wide awake as at noonday.

But while the young inventor hesitated a sudden, but muffled,
snap--the breaking of metal--sounded. Tom knew instantly the
direction from which the sound came.

Although he could see nothing up there at the bathroom window
because of the rain and the deep shadow, he knew that the
snapping sound meant the severing of the window lock that he had
so recently closed. Some instrument had been forced under the
bottom of the lower sash and pressure enough been brought to bear