“What’s the trouble?” he asked, gazing from one to another. “Who telephoned? I am a special officer.”
For a moment no one spoke. Then Jack said:
“I’m afraid it’s all a mistake!” And he looked up at the officer with far more calmness than he felt inwardly.
“A mistake?” inquired the other, suspiciously, elevating his eyebrows.
“Yes,” answered Jack. “You see, it was like this: we thought we heard something....”
“Oh ... I see ... the ghost again!”
“Exactly! At least, if it wasn’t a ghost—”
“Well, what then?”
But Jack never completed the sentence. An exclamation from Marjorie and his own staring eyes caused them all to turn in the direction toward which he was gazing so intently.
A man was doing his best to climb over the back fence, and to hold both his hands above his head at the same time; and he was having some difficulty; for in one of his hands he held an oblong package wrapped in paper. Immediately behind him stood John, and with him a strange man.