THE NEXT day was indeed a long one for the lord of Blackarden and many, many times he wondered if all their surmises would fall like a house of cards to the ground and the dawn break on the morrow with nothing having happened. He wondered the more that evening at dinner with the gallant major at his best. The other two visitors having gone away that morning, there were only five of them at the meal, and to young Avon’s secret annoyance, his friend paying his accustomed attention to the ladies seemed yet to look at Penelope far more than at anybody else.

Mangan was certainly in a happy frame of mind. The more he thought about it the more he was pleased that all he had to do in the forthcoming attempt to obtain possession of the jewels was to get Captain Michaeloff and his companion into the castle. Very doubtful that they would meet with the easy success they were anticipating, he wanted to be mixed up in the whole business as little as possible. Looking ahead to the time when Avon would be lord of the castle and a plump pigeon to be plucked, whether or not Michaeloff did manage to get hold of the jewels, he was determined no suspicion should have fallen upon himself.

So, with that end in view, he had made no effort to get into the study with the key they had provided him and look for the secret panel in the wall leading to the stairway. All he had done was to make certain he had found the way to tamper successfully with the alarm on the front door, and he was quite sure he had got that all right.

The missing footman had undoubtedly been a highly skilled electrician and following the instructions he had remitted to the Embassy during his stay at the castle Mangan was now provided with an ingenious little appliance into which the electric current servicing the alarms could be temporarily diverted, thus rendering unnecessary any cutting of the wires. Thanks to an excellent blueprint of this appliance and the photograph of the big alarm on the front door which he had so cunningly obtained, Mangan was confident he knew exactly where to fix the gadget. So all was satisfactory there, and directly the other two conspirators were safely inside the castle he would go back to his bedroom and, later, no one would have any idea that he had ever come out of it.

Thinking things over, he continued to be the more and more amused at the captain being so sure that, once down in the vaults, he would be able to find what he wanted without any trouble. Knowing Lord Delamarne to be a very shrewd and capable old man, he did not for one moment imagine his lordship would have just plumped down his treasures anywhere, perhaps in a convenient suitcase all exposed to view and handy for the first person to pick up when he came along. Rather, he thought they would be in a hiding place even harder to locate than was the entrance to the secret stairway in the study. The captain was so confident, too, about this latter problem. To deal with any difficulty there, he had said that his companion would be coming all prepared, if necessary, to tear down the panels one by one until they had found what they were wanting. He was of the opinion that it would prove quite an easy matter.

Dinner over and with no one apparently keen on any cards, the rest of the evening was passed in conversation and music. Soon after eleven they all went to bed and long before midnight the old castle was wrapped in slumber. At midnight, almost to the minute, Larose was let into the big hall to find Lord Delamarne and Penelope all ready for him.

“Everything all right?” he whispered.

Lord Delamarne nodded. “Yes, Mangan went up to his room a long time ago and Miss Smith says he’s put out his light. She is going to wait here to call us if necessary while I take you down below.” He turned to Penelope. “I’ll leave the panel open on the chance that you may have to fetch us.”

“But they won’t come yet for an hour or two,” said Larose, “I’m pretty sure of that. The major is certain to have warned them that you’re a bit of a night bird and don’t get to sleep early.”

Lord Delamarne led Larose into his study and showed him with some pride his ingenious way of dealing with the oak panel. “I am sure it would need a very imaginative person to think of this catch in the drawer of my desk. Now we’ll go down below. The steps are quite easy though there are plenty of them.”

In a couple of minutes or so Larose was gazing with not a little awe down the long corridor with the score and more of wide-open gaping dungeons opening into it. “Oh, what tales these old walls could tell,” he whispered, “if only they could speak! What ghastly horrors they must have seen!”

“I’m afraid so,” nodded his lordship, “but I don’t suppose they’ve looked down upon more suffering than is going on in the world today. With the passing of the years those Baltic friends of ours are every bit as cruel and inhuman as were my ancestors of those many generations back.” He made a grimace. “I shouldn’t like to find myself in their hands today.”

Larose was greatly intrigued with the comfortable little room his lordship had built for himself among all the gruesome surroundings, and he whistled when he noted the amount of valuable silver it contained. “Whew! I don’t wonder you’re afraid of being robbed. There would be a fine haul for anyone here.”

Upon his asking to see the well into which the body of the footman had been dropped, his lordship took a coil of rope and a small oil lantern out of a cupboard. “I keep these here,” he explained, “so that if by evil chance anyone ever succeeded in getting down into these vaults he should not associate them with the well and go lowering the lantern into it to see what’s at the bottom.” He nodded. “I have tried to provide for everything.”

Making their way round to the well, his lordship lit the lantern and lowered it down with the piece of rope. The water of the so mysterious river was seen to be running swiftly, and from the height at which they were looking down it seemed black as ink. Lord Delamarne said, however, that when any of it was brought up in a bucket it was always bright and clear.

“And is the water always running as swiftly as it is now?” asked Larose.

“Always,” replied his lordship, “and, as I have told you, it appears to have been doing so for ever and ever. In my father’s and grandfather’s times it was just the same.”

“And now where have you got all those beautiful treasures hidden away?” asked Larose.

Returning to the main corridor, Lord Delamarne pointed to a large paving flag at the foot of one of the massive walls. “They’re under that one,” he said, “though from the closeness it is set to the other flags you would never think it would lift up quite easily. Still, it does.” He pointed to another big flag about ten feet away. “That is the key-stone one. You prise that one up and then grope for a long iron rod. Push on that and this stone comes up, though it’s all that distance away. Good idea, isn’t it? I don’t think anyone would tumble to it.”

They were taking a last look into the little room where all the beautiful silver articles were displayed, when, without a second’s warning, Larose was suddenly struck down on to the ground by a vicious blow on the head, while at the same time Lord Delamarne was seized roughly from behind and his arms pinioned tightly to his sides. The attacks had avalanched so quickly that neither of them had had the slightest chance of defending himself.

“Now you, Larose, don’t you start to get up,” shouted a vicious voice which Larose, even in his half-stunned condition, to his intense mortification recognised as that of Captain Michaeloff of the Baltic Embassy. “Don’t move or I’ll plug you instantly,” and blinking his eyes to clear them from the blood which was trickling down from a cut in his forehead Larose saw he was being covered by a pistol at a most unpleasantly close range.

Then, still pointing his automatic at Larose, the captain stepped back a few paces and grabbed at the length of rope which Lord Delamarne had been using at the well. “Most handy!” he jeered, and as quickly almost as it takes to tell the one-time detective was effectively trussed up and propped against the wall.

They were indeed agonising moments for Larose. It was not the fear only of what might be coming for him that was making his breathing painful and his mouth go dry. It was the bitter humiliation at having allowed himself to be caught as he had been and, above all, by the lying and treacherous attache of the Baltic Embassy.

It was now the turn of Lord Delamarne who all the time had been held tightly by the captain’s companion. With the rope knotted painfully round his wrists and ankles, he was propped up by the side of Larose, and everything now secure Michaeloff took out and lit a cigarette.

“Splendid!” he exclaimed, dropping into his ordinary tone of voice. “It couldn’t have gone off better! Everything made easy for us, the secret panel left open, the lights all on and even the piece of rope all handy for us to tie you both up!” He laughed merrily. “Why, it is just as if you’ve been expecting us and got everything ready.”

His mood changed and he bent down over Larose, thrusting his face very close to his. “And this comes of your interfering, you poor boob of a policeman,” he jeered. “I’ve no pity for you, as you’ve deserved everything you’re now going to get.” He pretended to be shocked. “But just fancy a clever fellow like you letting yourself be caught like this!” He scowled angrily. “Why didn’t you keep your nose out of what was no business of yours? First annoying a fine gentleman like Major Mangan and now, no doubt, coming here to boss this old fool’s affairs.” He shook his head. “I’m ashamed of you, Mr. Policeman Larose.”

He turned his attention to Lord Delamarne. “Well, my lord,” he said smilingly, “you’ve had a good run for your money, or rather I should say, with other people’s money, but the devil has caught up with you at last and you’ve got to pay up all you owe.” His voice hardened angrily. “You miserable old wretch, what have you done with the body of poor Ivan Menk”— he bowed ironically —“I beg your pardon, I mean that of the footman, Thomas. Got his body buried somewhere down here, of course? Oh, you won’t talk, eh? Well, I guess you’ll be talking quite a lot in a minute or two.” He turned back to Larose. “And you’ll be talking, too, Mr. Policeman, when we’re warming up your fingers a bit.”

He stopped speaking for a few moments and regarded the two prisoners thoughtfully. “I think we’d better get down to business at once,” he said to his companion, “and we’ll take the old boy first.”

He spoke very sternly. “Now, Lord Delamarne, no nonsense and tell us without any bother where you’re hiding what’s left of those crown jewels. You’ll have to speak, man, and if you’re sensible about it when we’ve got what we want we may even let you go free. It’s different with the policeman here. He knows too much and we’ll have to put him to sleep. Now, Lord Delamarne, are you or are you not going to tell us, without any more persuasion, where those jewels are hidden? Come on. Make up your mind. Quick!”

A long, dead silence followed and the vaults were very still. The eyes of Lord Delamarne were burning like coals of fire, his face was deathly pale and he was keeping his lips tightly shut. The face of Larose was pale, too, and his forehead was pricked out in little beads of sweat. His expression, however, was one of calmness and he did not seem at all afraid.

“Very well then, my lord,” snapped Michaeloff viciously. “If you won’t speak we’ll have to make you.” He took a box of matches out of his pocket and nodded to his companion. “Hold his hands quite still, Joseph, and push out one of his fingers. We’ll soon have him chattering like a monkey.”

The captain moved up close to Lord Delamarne and, striking a match, waited the few moments until it was burning brightly. Then ——
*     *     *     *     *

Now Captain Michaeloff would certainly not have been quite so confident in his mocking at Larose for having landed himself into such an humiliating and unescapable position had he then but been aware exactly what had followed upon him, the captain, being admitted into the castle by Mangan. His coming and that of his companion had by no means been as unnoticed as he was so imagining, and it had happened in this way.

Left alone in the darkness of the big lounge-hall to keep watch until Lord Delamarne and Larose should return from the vaults, Penelope had curled herself up comfortably upon a big settee and, worn out by the excitement of everything, almost at once dropped peacefully to sleep. It may be she would have been more vigilant had not Larose been so confident in his assertion that no one was likely to arrive for a good couple of hours. At any rate she tried to excuse herself afterwards with the thought that had there been any chance of an earlier arriving she would certainly not have allowed herself to be so comfortable on the settee, to say nothing of closing her eyes.

Her sleep was not a heavy one and, looking back later, she thought it must have been the draught of cold air on the stealthy opening of the hall door which disturbed her. At any rate, she awoke suddenly to hear low voices close to her, and opening her eyes to her dreadful horror saw Mangan and two other men standing not a dozen feet from her.

“Now give me your key, major,” whispered one of them sharply, “and you go back to your room without an instant’s waiting. Whatever you may hear don’t stir out of it,” and in the dim light she saw Mangan tiptoe off at once in the direction of the other end of the castle where his room was. The two other men disappeared along the corridor which led to Lord Delamarne’s study.

Overwhelmed with shame that she had been so unfaithful to her trust and trembling in every limb with terror at what she saw was now happening, for a few moments Penelope continued to lie as if spellbound where she was. Happily, however, the shock passed quickly and, springing to her feet, she darted off after the two men, just in time to see them let themselves into the study.

“My God,” she wailed, “and he was going to leave the panel open for me! They’ll go straight down and murder them!”

For the moment she stood in panicky hesitation not knowing what she could do. Her heart was beating painfully and she breathed only with difficulty. Then an inspiration came to her, and taking to her heels she rushed pantingly up the wide staircase leading to the upper floors. She would call Chester Avon and take him down into the vaults! That the two men would not stop at murder she was sure, but perhaps Chester would be able to shoot them first! Then a horrible doubt seized her. She did not think Chester a coward, but it always took time for him to make up his mind. Well, she must make up his mind for him! She must give him no time to think!

Letting herself quickly into Chester’s room, which happily was in a different wing from where the major’s was, she closed the door with frantic haste gently behind her and darted over to the bed. With the moon shining through the windows, there was plenty of light, and one glance showed her he was fast asleep. She put her hand over his mouth and hissed sharply into his ear, “Chester, wake up! Wake up at once!”

He was roused instantly. “Penelope, you little darling,” he exclaimed, and he caught hold of one of her arms. “You ——”

“Don’t be a fool,” she snapped. “Get up at once. There are thieves in the castle and they’ve gone down into the vaults. Your uncle and Gilbert Larose, the detective, are down there and they’ll be murdered if you’re not quick.”

“But ——” began Chester.

“Don’t talk,” she choked, “Don’t wait for me to explain. I’ll tell you everything as we go along. Put on some clothes quick! You’re to come down into the vaults with me,” and half lugging him out of bed she threw his trousers and jacket at him.

With his wits still in something of a haze from his so sudden an awakening from sleep, young Avon did as Penelope had ordered and she saw to it that he did it quickly, too. “Now, where’s your pistol?” she asked, and he got it out of a drawer. “It’s not loaded, you say!” she exclaimed disgustedly. “Then load it, quick!” but to her exasperation it was several minutes before he could find the cartridges, which in his quickly rising excitement he did remember having wrapped up i............