“Then for a moment the four masked men seemed almost as startled as myself--at least, so it appeared to me, although I had troubles of my own just then, and was hardly in a position to study them at my leisure. At any rate, panic seized them, I suppose, owing to the fear that the shot would be heard all over the house. The pain of my shattered wrist made it impossible for me to do anything more. I was helpless, and the jewels were at their mercy, but, to my amazement, they seemed to forget all about them.” “They bolted at once?” Massey nodded. “Yes,” he answered. “They rushed to the window, tore down the curtain in their haste, and took to their heels through the grounds. “The report of the revolver had aroused the household,” he continued, “and, in a remarkably short time, the servants were scouring the grounds in all directions. Two of them saw a man in the act of mounting a motor cycle in the little lane at the back here. They tried to capture him, but he got away, and from that day to this nothing more has been seen or heard of any of the five of them.” “The man whom your servants saw in the lane--was he one of those in the study?” “Apparently not. My people describe him as a young man of rather foreign appearance, wearing a dark-blue suit. There was no such man in this room. It seems clear to me that he was the one who was posted outside the window, and who fired at me.” “He escaped, you say, on a motor cycle? How did the others get away?” “The police have a theory that they came here in a motor car, in which they afterward made their escape. If is only a theory, however. At least, there doesn’t seem to be any proof. There was a heavy thunder shower an hour or two later, and that may have obliterated the marks of the car.” “They left the jewels behind, I understand.” “Yes, and they also left their apparatus and the leather bag in which they were about to pack the jewels when I disturbed them. Would you like to see the things?” * * * * * =The continuation of this story will be found in the first issue of DETECTIVE STORY MAGAZINE, out October 5th. See the announcement on the next page, telling about this new magazine, which in future will contain, not only Nick Carter stories, but many other narratives dealing with the detective art.= =It will be published twice a month, and the price will be ten cents a copy.= * * * * * GETTING OUT OF A DIFFICULTY. At a certain school, one day, the teacher had occasion to examine his class in arithmetic, previous to the final examination. On finding that he had a very dilatory boy, and thinking to make him look a fool, he set him the under-mentioned task: If a man was to fall down a well fifty feet deep, how long would it take him to get out if, for every foot he climbed, he fell down two? The boy started figuring out the above sum. After filling six slates with figures, the teacher stopped him, and asked what he was doing.