"I can condone all kinds of property crime; they may be caused by need or greed; they may be the result of bad home influence. I can condone crimes of passion; even the laws differentiate between these and deliberate murder. But there is no mitigation or excuse for this kind of deed, a crime that takes an infant from its home and makes others suffer. I shall see to it," his words were carefully spaced and came slowly, "that-the-men-responsible-for-this-are punished." He shook his head violently as if to shake off an unpleasant picture. He held up the envelope and enclosure once more. He looked up when Norah came in dry-eyed. She stood leaning wearily against the table running her hand through her disheveled hair. "Have you decided?" asked Professor Brierly. "Yes, Professor, we will wait a day or two. I--I--am afraid." A day and night spent in an agony of apprehension came to an end the following morning with the receipt of the following message: _Professor Herman Brierly:_ _Go home to New York, you will hear from us there._ It was printed on the same cheap notepaper. Again, as the first message, it bore the postmark of Magog. It had no signature. McCall pointed to the address on the envelope: "Is this the way you have all your mail addressed, to the post office at Lentone or--" "Some of the mail is addressed this way; some of it is addressed directly to me and is left in the mail box nailed up to a tree at the entrance to this trail." "What will you do about this, Professor?" "I ought to go, of course, but--" "To New York?" wondered Jimmy. "You would think the kidnappers, would rather deal with you here. They run much more chance of being caught in New York than up here. It seems--" He stopped and looked curiously at Matthews. The latter was staring intently out upon the water. Without taking his eyes from the object that engaged his rapt attention, he said tensely: "Someone give me the binoculars, quick!" Norah handed him the glasses. He carefully focused them and looked long and earnestly out upon the water. The three men and the young woman followed his gaze and saw only the usual scattered craft on the surface of the lake. Matthews with a muttered exclamation, put down the glasses, snatched an automatic from a drawer in a table and raced toward the little wharf, throwing over his shoulder: "Be back soon." The others followed him to the lake slowly. They saw him get into the sea sled to which the outboard motor was attached, start it and go roaring off in the direction toward which he had had his glasses focused. The anxious groups watched intently. They saw one of the bobbing craft turn and go racing toward the opposite shore in a north-westerly direction, with Matthews in pursuit.