"
"Did you ascertain where all the servants were at the time the
listening must have been going on?" asked Jack, after a short pause.
"All but one," was the reply.
"And that one? Where is he now? That is, tell, if you know where he
is?"
"I don't know, sir. He has left the house, I reckon--bag and
baggage."
"Who was it?" demanded Jack, moving toward the door.
"Chang Chu, the Chink, may the Evil One get into his bed!"
"And then you came here and notified Jack?" asked Ned. "As soon as
you learned that Chang Chu was not in the house?"
"Indeed I did--within a minute and a half."
"Where is this girl, Mary Murphy?" asked Ned, turning to Jack. "We
must get hold of her right away. I want to hear her story of what she
saw in the attic."
Jack went out of the room, but was back in a minute with the girl, a
pretty, modest maid of about eighteen. She looked frightened at
finding herself the center of interest, but was soon in the midst of
her story.
"I went up to the attic to get a piece of cloth for a bandage, Sally
having cut her hand with the bread knife. When I got to the door of
that room I heard some one inside of it. I listened at the crack
there is between the panel and the stile and heard footsteps, slow
and soft like.
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