The Gloved Hand

of the Minturn case; and my feeling of depression was increased by the fact that our victory had not been nearly so complete as I had hoped it would be. Besides, there was th

the open windows from the fiery street below. I turned away and closed my eyes, and tried to evoke a vision of whi

that frisk

they ov

the breezes

eyes to see the office-boy gazing at me in astonishment. He

said, laid it at my

e reverse of lively. The words of Henley's

ly and p

-crop on

of leaves

indlet

the door opened, and agai

odfrey entered, looking as fresh and cool and invigorating a

, Godfrey?" I ask

wh

p so

ood sleep every

ght of the inferno

lly slept for

at's the reason I'm here. I saw you in co

glance would be. But w

. I'm going to take you up with me to-night and I'm going to keep you there till Monday.

dly over the affairs of the office. With the Minturn case ended,

owing my thoughts. "Don't be afraid," he added, seei

as smiling slightly and h

n't

certain phenomena in the neighbourho

could mean only one thing, and my

" I said; "

out ten-thirty. That's the earliest I can g

p to my rooms, put a few things into a suit-case, got into fresh clothes, mounted to the Astor roof-garden for dinner, and a little

ed those brilliant and glowing columns in which the latest mystery was described and dissected in a way which was a joy alike to the intellect and to the artistic instinct. For the editorial policy of t

ery, in which I had also become involved. I had appealed to him for help in connection with that affair at Elizabeth; and he had cleared up the remarkable circumstances surrounding the death of my friend, P

Record, certain that it would be the first to reach the goal. Godfrey had a peculiar advantage over the other police reporters in that he had himself, years before, been a member of the detective force, and had very carefully fostered a

tree at times when other repo

the demands upon his time; and I always found a lively interest in watching the comings and goings at the station across the way-where, alas, the

y suit-case and sprang to the seat beside him, he let the clutch in again and we were

oss-streets fearfully. In a few minutes we were across the Harlem and running northward along the uninteresting streets beyond. At this moment, it occurred to me that Godfrey was behaving s

e were no longer on a paved street, but on a macadam road-a road apparently little used, for our lamps, sending long streamers of light ahead of us, disclosed far empty stretches, with

f lofty trees. The road at the left was bordered by a high stone wall, evidently the bounda

to a stop. Then, snatching out his watch, he leaned forward and held it in the glare of

I followed, realising that t

e were in a grove of lofty trees, and at the foot of one of these, Godfrey paused. "Up with,

unting after me. I am not expert at climbing ladders, even by daylight, and my progress was not rapid enough to su

now?"

straight limb runni

eyes were growing accu

t, and hold on

erly, and in a minute

with excitement, "look out, straight ahea

long the horizon, I knew that we were looking toward the west. Below m

frey's hand clo

!" he

caught what seemed to be a new star in the

s moving!

th a pressure

, but descending, descending slowly, slowly.... I watched it with pa

traight line, at a regular speed, calmly and evenly, as though animated by some definite purpose. Lower and lower it

obed figures, standing apparently in space, their arms