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 With surprising meekness Barnes handed it over.

“What are you going to do?” he asked.

“Explore,” smiled Drew. “We all have our pet theories. Yours inclines to this young man.” He nodded toward me. “Mine, up to the time I understood the matter of the candles, favored our friend, Doctor Parker. I’m sorry to say I believe I was mistaken. I’m going up to find out.”

“Hold on,” said Barnes. “During those twenty years Hung served your father, do you know of anything that occurred—anything that might account for what happened here to-night?”

“A fair question,” Drew said. “I’ll answer it when I’ve had a look about Hung’s room.”

He went quickly up the stairs, and again silence fell in that cold and musty room. Mary Will moved closer to me on the sofa. Doctor Parker rose and lighted a cigarette, then with an air of assumed Rh