“I guess the prize was found some time ago!” she remarked quietly. “Suppose you open that bag and see, Eileen!”
And amid an astounded silence, Eileen’s fingers managed to unloose the fastening of the bag and insert themselves in its depths. Then with a little cry of joy, she drew out and held up, for all to view, the bronze box that had caused all the disturbance—the Dragon’s Secret!
The complicated explanations were all over at last, and the curious, fragmentary story was pieced together. Detective Barnes took up the little bronze box and examined it carefully, experimenting, as they all had done, to find a way of opening it—and, of course, unsuccessfully.
“There’s one thing that puzzles me, though,” remarked Ted, “about that queer type-written note. How and why and by whom was it left originally?”
“It was written on thin, foreign-looking paper,” replied the detective, “and I can only guess that the foreigners left it there, though probably not on their first trip that afternoon. No doubt they either went to the village, or, more likely, returned to the city to talk it over, perhaps with Gaines. And he, supposing I had long since captured the prize, and to put them off the scent, suggested that some one nearby may have been meddling with the matter and that they leave a warning for them. I feel rather certain he must have done this to gain time, for he knew that if I had found the thing, I would immediately set about having him released, and he must have wondered why I hadn’t done so. Perhaps he thought I was having difficulty locating the house where they had him hidden. But, Great Scott!—that makes me think!—They must by this time have discovered the trick you played, Miss Phyllis, and be jumping mad over having been so fooled. Perhaps they think Gaines is responsible for it, and they’ll certainly be making it hot for him! I must get to the city immediately and get him out of that hole. Oughtn’t to waste another minute. If you can spare your car, Miss Eileen, I’d like to run up to the city with it, as I know there are no more trains to-night. I’ll guarantee to fetch it and Gaines both back in the morning!”
“You certainly may have it,” replied Eileen, “and you may take me with you and leave me at the hospital, on the way. Grandfather must know of this at once. I’m positive he’ll recover now, since the worry is all over. But first, wouldn’t you all like to see something? I happen to know the secret of opening this box. Grandfather showed it to me when I was a little girl, and he used to let me play with it.”
She took a pin from her dress, inserted it into the carved eye of the dragon and pressed it in a certain fashion—and the lid of the bronze box flew up! They all pressed forward eagerly and gazed in. There lay the packet of foreign letters, safe and sound. Eileen lifted them and looked curiously underneath. Nothing else was in the box except some strange, thin bits of yellow, foreign paper covered with vague pictures and curious Chinese characters. They seemed to be so thin and old as to be almost falling to pieces.
“I don’t know what these things are,” she remarked, “but they probably have nothing to do with this affair, anyway. Grandfather was always picking up queer old things on his travels. But he must have thought them interesting, or he never would have kept them in here. But we must go now,” she ended, closing the box. “And I’ll see you dear people all to-morrow. This has surely been a wonderful night!”
But just as she was ready to go, she said: “Do show me the dusty shelf where this was hidden, please!” And then, as she stood gazing up at it, she exclaimed, “To think that it lay here behind those worn-out old kitchen things all the time we were so madly hunting for it! But perhaps it was the safest place, after all!”