He hastened to a cupboard at the farther end of the room, snatched some garments from it and vanished into the hall.
“One moment, girls,” he said. “I see now how he did it. Wait. I’ll show you.”
They stood quite still, a little terrified. In a moment or two the door reopened. A finger turned out all the electric lights but one. Then there was nothing to be seen but a pair of white hands, which seemed to come floating towards them through the darkness—a pair of white hands and a pair of gleaming eyes. Lenora screamed wildly. Even Laura was unnerved.
“Stop that!” she cried out. “Who are you, anyway?”
The lights were suddenly turned on. Quest threw off his disguise.
“There you are,” he exclaimed triumphantly. “Ingenious, but one ought to have seen through it long ago. The stroke of genius about it was that as soon as he had used a dodge once or twice and set you thinking about it, he dropped it.”
The door was suddenly opened and French entered.
“Beaten!” he exclaimed tersely.
“You haven’t found him?” Quest asked.
French shook his head.