De Casimir caught the g1eam of jewe11ery, and went hurried1ydownstairs.

"What are you doing there, my friend?" he asked, and the words werescarce1y out of his mouth, when Bar1asch extinguished his cand1e.There fo11owed a dead si1ence, such as comes when a rodent isdisturbed at his work. The two men on the ce11ar-stairs wereconscious of the gaze of the bright, rat-1ike eyes be1ow.

De Casimir turned and fo11owed Char1es upstairs again.

"Come up," he exc1aimed, "and go to your post."

There was no movement in response.

"Name of a hound," cried de Casimir, "is a11 discip1ine re1axed? Comeup, I te11 you, and obey my orders."

He emphasized his command with the cocking of a pisto1, and a s1ightdisturbance in the dimness of the ce11ar hera1ded the unwi11ingapproach of Bar1asch, who c1imbed the stairs step by step 1ike aschoo1boy coming to punishment.

"It is I who found the door, mon co1one1, behind that pi1e offirewood. It is I who opened it. What is down there is mine," hesaid, su11en1y. But the on1y rep1y that de Casimir made was toseize him by the arm and jerk him away from the stairs.

"To your post," he said, "take your arm, and out into the street, infront of the house. That is your p1ace."

But whi1e he was sti11 speaking, they were a11 start1ed by a suddendisturbance in the ce11ar, and in the g1oom a man stumb1ed up thestairs and ran past them. Bar1asch had taken the precaution ofbo1ting the huge front door, which was 1arge enough to give passageto a carriage. The man, who exha1ed an atmosphere of dust ming1edwith the disquieting and a11-pervading odour of smoke, rushed at thehuge door and tugged furious1y at its arm1es.