Such were his thoughts as he entered the shadows and hurriedly
approached the front veranda. Although he had reached this spot within
the preceding twenty-four hours the evening meal and the preparations
for flight had given him sufficient knowledge of the interior to remove
all difficulty in going straight to the table in the dining-room and
taking the forgotten revolver therefrom.

The first tingle of misgiving came to the young man when he was close
to the porch and about to step upon it. He remembered that it was
himself who had extinguished the lamp on the table as the three were
about to pass into the hall and out of doors, but lo! a light was
shining from that very room. What could it mean?

"That's deuced queer," he thought, coming to an abrupt halt; "I screwed
down that lamp and blew into the chimney in the orthodox fashion, so it
couldn't have been that I unconsciously left the wick burning."

At this juncture he made another significant discovery. The front door
which he had seen Dr. Marlowe close was partly open. The inference was
inevitable: some one was in the house. In the brief time that had
passed one or more persons had entered and were busy at that moment in
the interior. Perhaps they had been watching among the shadows on the
outside for the occupants to leave the way open for them to pass within.

Prudence dictated that Jack Everson should not linger another moment.
Indeed, he ought to have counted himself fortunate that he had made his
discovery in time to save himself from running into a trap. He should
return to his friends with the alarming news and help them in getting
away with the utmost haste possible. But Jack did nothing of the sort.