The words were spoken as the detective reached the planking, but the next moment something happened which was not down on Nick Carter's program. The scaffold, weakly put together, gave way, through the breaking of one of the supports, there was a crash, and then sudden death. It all happened in the twinkling of an eye, and Dimitri Goloff, who was passing on the sidewalk on his way to Mannion's room, was the victim. As the support yielded, down went Nick, his body falling with crushing weight on the head of the Russian. CHAPTER XIV. BESTED BY A WOMAN. Chick and Patsy, with eyes of horror, saw Nick Carter fall, and, forgetful of everything save the fate of their beloved chief, hurried to his side. Tears of joy were in their eyes when they saw that he was not dead, nor even badly injured. His body had struck the Russian, whose head, coming in contact with the protruding spike of a heavy board, was now still and lifeless. But the head of the detective, as well as the upper part of his body, had fallen against a hair mattress, and thus been the means of saving broken bones and the preservation of a useful life. Beyond a number of painful bruises and a temporary loss of breath, Nick Carter was as good as ever. It was some moments, however, before he could speak to Chick. "Mannion? Where is he?" he asked. "Patsy is following him," was the answer; "the boy, as well as myself, let him go when you fell, but as soon as Patsy saw you were not dead he rushed around the corner of the house." "I am afraid he has given us the slip," returned Nick disappointedly. "Never mind," said Chick consolingly; "we'll get him yet. By the way, do you know you have cooked the goose of one of the men you were after?" "What! Goloff?" "Yes." "How? Ah! I understand. He was the man I flattened to the sidewalk." "The same hombre, Nick. And he's dead. No more shall the ear-splitting notes of his fog-horn voice offend the senses of poor, suffering humanity." "Have they taken his body away?" "Not yet. But I'm looking for the patrol any minute." The wagon soon came and Nick accompanied the driver to the morgue, leaving Chick behind to supplement the work of Patsy. At the morgue, in the course of time, the body was searched, and forty dollars in money, some letters from San Francisco, written by Goloff's wife, and several copies of a will were the only articles deserving attention that were found.