The ray from the lantern had vanished. That was a disturbing fact in itself. Listening with all his ears, Merry tried to follow the movements of the super by the noise he made in moving around. This was difficult, owing to the loud roaring of the stamps.
At last, Burke struck a match. The glimmer moved a few paces through the dark and then touched the wick of a lamp. In a moment there was light, and the large, brick-floored room slowly took form under Frank’s staring eyes.
The furnaces stood duskily out of the half gloom, quartering-down tables, glass-inclosed assayer’s scales, a pyramid of crucibles, a heap of charcoal, a huge safe in a distant corner—Frank saw all these dimly. The lamp stood on a table in the center of the room, with Burke’s tall form reared upward beside it.
“There doesn’t seem to be any one here but us,” said the super, “although there are plenty of places where a man could hide. Close the door, lock it on the inside, and keep the key in your pocket. We’ll make a search to see what we can find, if anything.”
The key was in the lock. Frank followed the super’s orders, and then went around helping him in his search.
Burke, lamp in hand, peered here and there in every place where a prowler would have a chance to conceal himself. In a few minutes it became evident that the lad and the super were the only ones in the laboratory.
Burke moved to the corner where the safe stood, and a shout of consternation burst from him. “Look there!” he gasped, as Frank rushed to his side.
With a shaking finger the super was pointing to the safe. The big door had been wrenched open, and broken scraps of steel and iron lay in a clutter in front of it.
“By Jove!” whispered Merry hoarsely. “There’s been a robbery.”
“I should say so,” ground out Burke. “There’ll be merry blazes to pay, now. See this!”