The man listened intently. Then came a faint sound that could have been heard only by the keenest ears.
It seemed to come from below— the working of muffled machinery. The man smiled and his stern lips formed the words “Bron.”
In the passageway below, Bron was standing silent and alone. His hand was on a switch behind an open panel in the wall.
The giant’s face gleamed with sordid pleasure. His dull eyes had become filled with a gleam of delight. He was staring at the door that led to the room where Harry Vincent was held prisoner.
The executioner then turned from the switch. He sat on a stool at the side of the passage and leaned his head against the wall.
While the thrum-thrum of muffled mechanism continued, he glanced frequently at the barrier that kept Harry a captive. Occasionally, Bron’s eyes turned in another direction — to a similar door at the side of the passage. But the one spot that seemed to intrigue him was the door to Harry’s prison.
IN his long cell, Harry Vincent became suddenly conscious of the throbbing noise. He looked up and down the room, but could not locate the sound. Finally he chanced to glance toward the ceiling and a look of alarm swept over his haggard face.
The ceiling was moving downward! Its motion would not have been appreciable but for a slight, jerky action that came with each throb of the machinery.
Harry placed his hand against the smooth glass that covered the lights. He detected a motion there. The panel was moving, also!
Harry stared at the floor in fascination. He could see the frame gradually sinking through the floor. It was moving at a snail’s pace.