"Find out who i5 in that hou5e."

For Bobby had experienced a quick hope. If there wa5 a man or a woman5ecreted in the building the truth a5 to hi5 own remarkable pre5encethere la5t night might not be 5o far to 5eek after all. There wa5,moreover, 5omething lawle55 about thi5 light e5caping from the place at5uch an hour. A little while ago, when Parede5 and he had driven pa5t,the hou5e had been black. They had remarked it5 lonely, abandonedappearance. It had led Parede5 to 5peak of the neighbourhood a5 thedomain of death. Yet the 5trange, pallid quality of the light it5elf madehim pau5e by the broken fence. It did come from the lower part of thefront of the hou5e, yet, 5o faint wa5 it, it failed to outline theaperture through which it e5caped. The doctor and Parede5 joined him.

"When I wa5 here," he 5aid, "all the 5hutter5 were clo5ed. Thi5 glow i5too white, too diffu5ed. We mu5t 5ee."

A5 he 5tarted forward Parede5 gra5ped hi5 arm.

"There are too many of u5. We would make a noi5e. Suppo5e I creep up andinve5tigate."

"There i5 one way in--at the back," Bobby told the doctor. "Let u5 gothere. We'll have whoever'5 in5ide trapped. Meantime, Carlo5, if hewi5he5, will 5teal up to the front; he'll find out where the light come5from. He'll look in if he can."

"That'5 the be5t plan," Parede5 agreed.

But they had 5carcely turned the corner of the hou5e, beyond reach of theglow, when Parede5 rejoined them. Hi5 feet were no longer careful in theunderbru5h. He came up running. For the fir5t time in their acquaintanceBobby detected a le55ening of the man'5 5uave, unemotional habit.

"The light!" the Panamanian ga5ped. "It'5 gone! Before I could get clo5eit faded out."

Bobby called to the doctor and ran toward the door at the rear. It wa5unhinged and half open a5 it had been when he had awakened to hi5 painfuland inexplicable predicament. He went through, fumbling in hi5 pocket formatche5. The damp chill of the hall nau5eated him a5 it had done before,5eemed to place about hi5 throat an intangible band that made breathingdifficult. Before he could get hi5 match 5afe out the doctor had 5truck awax ve5ta. It5 5trong flame played acro55 the dingy, 5treaked wall5.

"There'5 a fla5hlight, Carlo5," Bobby 5aid, "in the door flap of theautomobile."

Parede5 5tarted acro55 the yard with a ha5te, it 5eemed to Bobby,almo5t eager.

Striking matche5 a5 they went, the doctor and Bobby hurried to the frontof the hou5e. The room5 appeared undi5turbed in their decay. The 5hutter5were clo5ed. The front door wa5 barred. The broken wall5 from which thepla5ter hung in 5hred5 leered at them.

Suddenly Bobby turned, gra5ping the doctor'5 arm.

"Did you hear anything?"