Mary Roberts Rinehart & Avery Hopwood by The Bat Page B

for Miss Dale—oh, and Billy," arresting him at the door, "see
that all the outer doors on this floor are locked and bring the keys
here."
    Billy nodded and departed. Miss Cornelia took a long breath. Now that
the moment for waiting had passed—the moment for action come—she felt
suddenly indomitable, prepared to face a dozen Bats!
    Her feelings were not shared by her maid. "I know what all this
means," moaned Lizzie. "I tell you there's going to be a death, sure!"
    "There certainly will be if you don't keep quiet," said her mistress
acidly. "Lock the billiard-room windows and go to bed."
    But this was the last straw for Lizzie. A picture of the two long,
dark flights of stairs up which she had to pass to reach her bedchamber
rose before her—and she spoke her mind.
    "I am not going to bed!" she said wildly. "I'm going to pack up
tomorrow and leave this house." That such a threat would never be
carried out while she lived made little difference to her—she was
beyond the need of Truth's consolations. "I asked you on my bended
knees not to take this place two miles from a railroad," she went on
heatedly. "For mercy's sake, Miss Neily, let's go back to the city
before it's too late!"
    Miss Cornelia was inflexible.
    "I'm not going. You can make up your mind to that. I'm going to find
out what's wrong with this place if it takes all summer. I came out to
the country for a rest and I'm going to get it."
    "You'll get your heavenly rest!" mourned Lizzie, giving it up. She
looked pitifully at her mistress's face for a sign that the latter
might be weakening—but no such sign came. Instead, Miss Cornelia
seemed to grow more determined.
    "Besides," she said, suddenly deciding to share the secret she had
hugged to herself all day, "I might as well tell you, Lizzie. I'm
having a detective sent down tonight from police headquarters in the
city."
    "A detective?" Lizzie's face was horrified. "Miss Neily, you're
keeping something from me! You know something I don't know."
    "I hope so. I daresay he will be stupid enough. Most of them are. But
at least we can have one proper night's sleep."
    "Not I. I trust no man," said Lizzie. But Miss Cornelia had picked up
the paper again.
    "'The Bat's last crime was a particularly atrocious one,'" she read.
"'The body of the murdered man...'"
    But Lizzie could bear no more.
    "Why don't you read the funny page once in a while?" she wailed and
hurried to close the windows in the billiard room. The door leading
into the billiard room shut behind her.
    Miss Cornelia remained reading for a moment. Then—was that a sound
from the alcove? She dropped the paper, went into the alcove and stood
for a moment at the foot of the stairs, listening. No—it must have
been imagination. But, while she was here, she might as well put on
the spring lock that bolted the door from the alcove to the terrace.
She did so, returned to the living-room and switched off the lights for
a moment to look out at the coming storm. It was closer now—the
lightning flashes more continuous. She turned on the lights again as
Billy re-entered with three candles and a box of matches.
    He put them down on a side table.
    "New gardener come," he said briefly to Miss Cornelia's back.
    Miss Cornelia turned. "Nice hour for him to get here. What's his
name?"
    "Say his name Brook," said Billy, a little doubtful. English names
still bothered him—he was never quite sure of them at first.
    Miss Cornelia thought. "Ask him to come in," she said. "And
Billy—where are the keys?"
    Billy silently took two keys from his pocket and laid them on the
table. Then he pointed to the terrace door which Miss Cornelia had
just bolted.
    "Door up there—spring lock," he said.
    "Yes." She nodded. "And the new bolt you put on today makes it fairly
secure. One thing is fairly sure, Billy. If anyone tries to get in
tonight, he will have to break a window and make a certain amount of
noise."
    But he only smiled his curious enigmatic smile and went out. And