With all her force Grace tried to cry out, but the gag prevented her from uttering a sound. Then there came a sharp knocking at the door. The figure before it seemed to be fumbling noiselessly with the catch. In a moment Grace felt, rather than saw, that the door had been opened. Another interval of silence came, and then the person outside flung himself heavily forward. The silence of the room was broken by a fall, a succession of unearthly screams. Grace saw a dark body go hurtling through the air, and then came the sharp, vicious crack of a pistol. The next thing she saw was her husband, bending over her, flashing an electric torch in her face. With frightened eyes she looked up at him and tried to smile. CHAPTER XIX The first thing that Duvall did, after releasing Grace from her bonds, was to take her in his arms and kiss her. Then he found the electric switch upon the wall and turned on the lights. "What--what was it?" Grace asked, staring before her in horror. "What was what?" he questioned. "That--that thing that was locked in here with me." "Poor creature. A monkey. I'm sorry I had to shoot it." He pointed to a crumpled figure on the floor dressed in a gay costume of red silk. "But--what was a monkey doing here?" "I'll explain all that later. Where is the woman?" He glanced toward the silent bedroom. "They have gone?" "They?" "Yes. There were two." "Ah! The Ford girl. I might have known. Where did they go?" "I--I don't know. To the station, I think. They said something about waiting there for a train." "What station?" "They didn't say. But they spoke of taking a car to 42nd Street, and crossing over. It must have been the Grand Central." "Or possibly the West Shore. We'll have to try both. Are you able to leave now?" Grace straightened out her stiffened limbs. "Yes--I--guess so." "Then come along." As they started to leave the place, two men confronted them at the door. One was Mr. Scully, he of the ground-floor apartment, the other a short, thickset man, who at once announced himself as the janitor of the building. "What's going on up here?" he questioned. "I heard a shot." Duvall pointed to the crumpled heap on the floor. "I had to shoot it, though I'm sorry now that I did. It attacked me in the dark. I couldn't afford to take any chances. My wife was locked in here, and was, so far as I knew, in grave danger." "Your wife?" The man glanced at Grace. "Yes." "But--where is Miss Norman? And how did that monkey get in here?" "Miss Norman left here some time ago. Another woman, by the name of Ford, was with her. She brought the monkey." "What for?" "I imagine she didn't want to leave it at her rooms. She did not expect to return there." "And Miss Norman's gone, you say?" "Yes." "Where to?"