her voice. She drew Dale closer to her.

"The man in the library is a detective from police headquarters,"
she said.

She had expected Dale to show surprise--excitement--but the white
mask of horror which the girl turned toward her appalled her. The
young body trembled under her hand for a moment like a leaf in the
storm.

"Not--the police!" breathed Dale in tones of utter consternation.
Miss Cornelia could not understand why the news had stirred her
niece so deeply. But there was no time to puzzle it out, she heard
crunching steps on the terrace, the Doctor was returning.

"Ssh!" she whispered. "It isn't necessary to tell the Doctor. I
think he's a sort of perambulating bedside gossip--and once it's
known the police are here we'll NEVER catch the criminals!"

When the Doctor entered from the terrace, brushing drops of rain
from his no longer immaculate evening clothes, Dale was back on her
favorite settee and Miss Cornelia was poring over the mysterious
missive that had been wrapped about the stone.

"He got away in the shrubbery," said the Doctor disgustedly, taking
out a handkerchief to fleck the spots of mud from his shoes.

Miss Cornelia gave him the letter of warning. "Read this," she said.

The Doctor adjusted a pair of pince-nez--read the two crude