"Amen," said I—as little dreaming as Kautz, Stevens and Van Trump themselves had ever done of that discovery which was to follow, and soon now at that.
For a time we held desultory talk, then fell silent and waited.
There was a lull in the storm; the darkness lifted, then suddenly it fell again, and the rain began to descend with greater violence than ever.
Milton Rhodes had left his chair and was standing by one of the eastern windows.
"This must be our visitor, Bill," he said suddenly.
I arose and went over to his side, to see a big sedan swinging in to the curb.
"Yes!" exclaimed Rhodes, his face beginning to brighten. "There is Mr. James W. Scranton.
"Let us hope, Bill," he added, "that the mystery which he is bringing us will prove a real one, real and scientific."
The next moment a slight figure, collar up to ears, stepped from the car and headed swiftly up the walk, leaning sidewise against the wind and rain.
"'Now is the dramatic moment of fate, Watson'," quoted Milton Rhodes with a smile as he started towards the door, "'when you hear a step upon the stair which is walking into your life, and you know not whether for good or ill'."