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"No," she said "No The Doctor isn't a s He and Courtleigh Fleether--but re-roo and failed every time"

But Bailey was as convinced of the truth of his theory as she of hers

"He was here ten lance at the ladder up which the doctor had ascended

"I'll grant you that," said Miss Cornelia "But--" She thought back swiftly "But at the same time an Unknown Masked Man was locked in that mantel-room with Dale The Doctor put out the candle when you opened that Hidden Roo there!" Now theinto their places with a vengeance "But at thishas made his escape! No--we haven't solved the mystery yet There's another element--an unknown element," her eyes rested for a moment upon the Unknown, "and that element is--the Bat!"

She paused, ier able to deny the sinister plausibility of her theory But this new tangling of the mystery, just when the black threads seemed raveled out at last, was almost too much for Dale

"Oh, call the detective!" she stah with this thing! I can't bear any more!"

But Miss Cornelia did not even hear her Hernow to concert pitch, had harked back to the point it had reached soo, and which all the recent distractions had momentarily obliterated

Had the money been taken out of the house or had it not? In that mad rush for escape had the man hidden with Dale in the recess back of the mantel carried his booty with him, or left it behind? It was not in the Hidden Room, that was certain

Yet she was so hopeless by that ti her progress about the room the Unknown's eyes followed her, but so still had he sat, so a had been the discovery of the body, that no one any longer observed him Now and then his head drooped forward as if actual weakness was al hier taking the trouble to act--if he had been acting

It hen Bailey finally opened the lid of a clothes hamper that they stumbled on their first clue