Mounting the chair, he found that the scuttle cover was loose, and had not been precisely fitted when it was put on. A mere pressure of the hand slid the scuttle aside and, making a spring, he caught the upper edges of the scuttle-hole with his hands and drew himself so that his head was above the roof. Immediately his attention was attracted to a piece of paper clinging to the chimney nearby. He clambered through the hole and, going to the chimney, found that it was a small piece of that kind of paper known as tracing paper, used by draftsmen. On it was a drawing of what was apparently machinery. He jumped to the conclusion that it was a part of the missing drawings that had been searched for all day. Thrusting it in his pocket, he returned to the scuttle-hole and let himself drop down to the floor as he had supposed Spike and Bally had done. Remounting the chair he placed the scuttle cover in position again and put the chair back where he had found it. Turning to the two who had been silently waiting, he said: “I’m satisfied. That’s the way those fellows got into the house. They went into the house in which this girl lived, got out on to the roof from the scuttle of that house, crossed over and came down this way. They did not go down that way, but went out to the street down the stairs and through the front door.” “You’re right,” cried the saloon man. “That accounts for the bolts being off the front door.” Patsy smiled, but made no reply, yet he thought that the bolts were off because Chick had taken them off when he went out of the house. The little party returned to the barroom and, after Patsy had spent a little time in making himself agreeable to the girl, whose friendliness had given him the clew to the manner in which the two young crooks had gotten into the house, he went away. CHAPTER XII. ON THE SEARCH. While Patsy was on this search, Chick had been following Lannigan, whose movements about the city seemed to be marked by neither purpose nor intention. Nevertheless, Chick kept close at his heels. Nick had found Ida, and from her had learned that she had had another talk with Mrs. Pemberton, and had convinced her that Elwell, the lawyer, whom she had trusted so much, was playing her false. The principal thing to bring her into that frame of mind was the belief that he had taken the $10,000 check which Mr. Herron had given her from the drawings and models of her husband, with the intention of cheating her out of it. She was now quite certain that she had done wrong, and was willing to carry out the intentions of her husband and deal with Mr. Herron, as the unsigned articles of agreement provided. Nick had sought Ida with a view of preparing her for the visit of Spike the next morning. He had intended to let Ida arrange with Mrs. Pemberton for this, and meant that Ida should, as Mrs. Pemberton, receive Spike.