"Oh!" she exclaimed. "That man—he—he was in the Dalwood kitchen!"
"What man?" asked Mr. DeVere, starting forward.
"The one who was after Russ's patent! Quick, can't you get him?"
Mr. DeVere ran into the hall, but the man had gone. The Dalwood kitchen door was still open, and a hasty look through the apartment showed none of the family could be at home.
"Could he have stolen the patent?" cried Alice, when the excitement had quieted down.
"We can't tell until Russ comes home," replied her father. "I'll leave our door ajar, and we can hear if anyone goes into the Dalwood rooms. As soon as some of them return we will tell them what has taken place."
Alice helped herself to the needed salt, and the meal began, with pauses now and then to learn if there was any movement in the flat across the hallway. Presently footsteps were heard, and proved to be those of Russ himself.
"Plumber!" he exclaimed. "So he was masquerading as that; eh?" the moving picture operator exclaimed when Alice told him what had occurred. "You're right, he was after my patent," and a worried look came over his face.
"Did he get it?" asked Ruth, anxiously.
"No, for it isn't here. The model is at a machine shop on the East Side, and several of the attachments are being made from it to be tested."