“I wish to heaven I were!” said Michael, with such sincerity in his voice that she coloured. Jack Knebworth came toward them. “Did you leave anything up there, Adele?” he asked, pointing to the tower. “No, Mr. Knebworth,” she said in surprise. “Well, what’s that?” He pointed to something round that showed above the edge of the tower top. “Why, it’s moving!” he gasped. As he spoke a head came slowly into view. It was followed by a massive pair of hairy shoulders, and then a leg was thrown over the wall. It was Bhag! His tawny hair was white with dust, his face was powdered grotesquely. All these things Michael noticed. Then, as the creature put out his hand to steady himself, Michael saw that each wrist was encircled by the half of a broken pair of handcuffs! CHAPTER XXIX BHAG’S RETURN THE girl screamed and gripped Michael’s arm. “What is that?” she asked. “Is it the Thing that came to my—my room?” Michael put her aside gently, and ran toward the tower. As he did so, Bhag took a leap and dropped on the ground. For a moment he stood, his knuckles on the ground, his malignant face turned in the direction of the man. And then he sniffed, and, with that queer twittering noise of his, went ambling across the downs and disappeared over a nearby crest. Michael raced in pursuit. By the time he came into view, the great ape was a quarter of a mile away, running at top speed, and always keeping close to the hedges that divided the fields he had to cross. Pursuit was useless, and the detective went slowly back to the alarmed company. “It is only an orang-outang belonging to Sir Gregory, and perfectly harmless,” he said. “He has been missing from the house for two or three days.” “He must have been hiding in the tower,” said Knebworth, and Michael nodded. “Well, I’m darned glad he didn’t choose to come out at the moment I was shooting,” said the director, mopping his forehead. “You didn’t see anything of him, Adele?” Michael guessed that the girl was pale under her yellow make-up, and the hand she raised to her lips shook a little. “That explains the mystery of the handcuffs,” said Knebworth. “Did you notice them?” asked Michael quickly. “Yes, that explains the broken link,” he said, “but it doesn’t exactly explain the butyl chloride.” He held the girl’s arm as he spoke, and in the warm, strong pressure she felt something more than his sympathy. “Were you a little frightened?” “I was badly frightened,” she confessed. “How terrible! Was that Bhag?” He nodded. “That was Bhag,” he said. “I suppose he’s been hiding in the tower ever since his disappearance. You saw nothing when you were on the top of the wall?” “I’m glad to say I didn’t, or I should have dropped. There are a large number of bushes where he might have been hidden.”