A black-gloved hand swung upward. A click followed. The room was plunged in darkness.
Betty stood there, suddenly wondering if it had all been imagination. With boldness that she could not understand, she crept into that black room, toward the spot where the man had been. She was determined to meet this stranger of the night — to learn his purpose — to discover the mystery that surrounded him!
Silently she moved forward until she knew that she was near the desk. There she reached out and found the lamp. She pressed the switch and turned quickly as the light came on.
She was alone in the deserted study! All that she had seen now seemed a creation of her imagination. She peered into the shadowy depths and saw nothing.
She could not believe her senses, for she knew beyond all chance of doubt that a man had been standing in that room. Now he was gone!
Noiselessly, like a shadow of the night, he had vanished!
CHAPTER IV
HODGSON INTERFERES
IT was at breakfast that Betty Mandell decided to tell Bob Galvin what she had seen the night before.
The girl had spent a troubled night. She had slept fitfully, awakening frequently at slight sounds.