Captain Francis Newcombe crossed to the door, unlocked it, and flung it open.
"Hello!" ejaculated the young American, as the light from the passageway fell upon the other. "Not in bed, and in the dark! What's the idea? Why no light?"
"Because I fancy it's safer—in the dark," said Captain Francis Newcombe. "Come in."
"Safer!" Howard Locke stepped into the cabin, and closed the door behind him. "How safer? Say, look here! Some one's been turning my stateroom inside out—been going through my things."
"You're lucky!" said Captain Francis Newcombe tersely.
"Lucky!" echoed the young American quickly. "What do you mean?"
"That it wasn't anything worse," said Captain Francis Newcombe coolly. "Some one's been trying to put a bullet through me—only it went into the wall over there instead. Here, take a look!" He switched on the light. "See it—there by the door casing!"
"Good God!" exclaimed Locke. "Yes; I see it! When was this?"
"Shortly after I left you. As I opened the door here and stepped into the cabin, I was fired at through the window. And the window had been opened from the outside—there are marks on it—and whoever it was, was waiting for me."
"That's damned queer," said Howard Locke. "When I left you I went to my rooms, and everything was all right. I went back to the smoking room because I had left my cigarette case there. I stayed a few minutes watching several hands of bridge, and when I went back to my rooms again I found my steamer trunk open and a case of papers on the floor."