At Langley the fourth and fifth police cars came past. Dick had long since realized that the slow pace at which his own car was moving was designed to allow these laden machines to overtake them. Beyond Langley, the Windsor road turned abruptly to the left, and, leaning over the driver, Elk gave new instructions. There was no sign of the police cars: they had apparently gone on to Slough. A solitary country policeman stood at the cross-roads and watched them as they disappeared in the dusk with a certain languid interest. “We’ll stop here,” said Elk, and the car was pulled from the road on to the green sidewalk. Elk got down. “Walk a little up the road while I talk to Captain Gordon,” he said to the chauffeur, and then he talked, and Dick listened in amazement and unbelief. “Now,” said Elk, “we’ve got about five minutes’ walk, as far as I can remember. I haven’t been to Windsor races for so long that I’ve almost forgotten where the houses are.” They found the entrance to the Seven Gables between two stiff yew hedges. There was no gateway; a broad, gravelled path ran between a thick belt of pine trees, behind which the house was hidden. Elk went a little ahead. Presently he stopped and raised his hand warningly. Dick came a little nearer, and, looking over the shoulder of the detective, had his first view of Seven Gables. It was a large house, with timbered walls and high, twisted chimney-stacks. “Pseudo-Elizabethan,” said Dick admiringly. “1066,” murmured Elk, “or was it 1599? That’s _some_ house!” It was growing dusk, and lights were showing from a broad window at the farther end of the building. The arched doorway was facing them. “Let us go back,” whispered Elk, and they retraced their steps. It was not until darkness had fallen that he led the way up the carriage drive to the point they had reached on their earlier excursion. The light still showed in the window, but the cream-coloured blinds were drawn down. “It is safe up as far as the door,” whispered Elk; “but right and left of that, watch out!” He had pulled a pair of thick stockings over his shoes, and handed another pair to Dick; and then, with an electric torch in his hand, he began to move along the path which ran parallel with the building. Presently he stopped. “Step over,” he whispered. Dick, looking down, saw the black thread traversing the path, and very cautiously avoided the obstacle. A few more paces, and again Elk stopped and warned Dick to step high, turning to show his light upon the second of the threads, almost invisible even in the powerful glare of the electric lamp. He did not move from where he stood until he had made a careful examination of the path ahead; and it was well that he did so, for the third trip wire was less than two feet from the second.